When extermination of Native Americans failed, “civilizing” became the new US policy. This meant that the Indians would become “civilized” – read & deculturalized.
U.S. and Canadian authorities took Native children from their homes and tried to school, and sometimes beat, the Indian out them. Now Native Americans are fighting the theft of language, of culture, and of childhood itself.
The purpose of these Native American boarding schools was to remove Native Americans from their home and cultures in order to change their identities and lifestyles to be like the “white man”. Native American children were forced to think and act like the dominant white culture.
Not only were languages and beliefs changes, but appearances as well. Hair styles, clothing and even names and body languages were changed. The intention was to completely erase the Indian way of life.
Indian people were made U.S. citizens, on June 2, 1924. After 80 years under the Indian Citizenship Act, Native peoples remain the most economically impoverished segment of American society, with all the attendant problems of poverty.
One report says Church officials killed children by beating, poisoning, electric shock, starvation, prolonged exposure to sub-zero cold while naked, and medical experimentation, including the removal of organs and radiation exposure.
The entire (be it historical, cultural, psychological or religious) conditioning of the white man, the Christian or the American is the anti-thesis of having any civilization or morality.
(This article has been compiled from the tweet thread originally tweeted by Indian Art (@indiaArtHistory).
Ref. How Europeans treated Native Americans: In this context I would like to point out this cruel practice may not have been practised by the Europeans to that extent, but the Portuguese did almost the same to the local community (Goa Inquisition). But what is more shocking today is the blind craze for English medium and Convent education, starting from Play school onwards. Hindu parents, right down to rural India, willingly send their children to such schools, pay heavy fees, start speaking English with their 2-3 year old child, play western nursery rhymes, videos, stories and the deracination process is complete with even parents getting deracinated. Whom to blame?