Part 1.8 – Boarding Schools and Cultural Suppression
The Silent War: Assimilation Through Education
Following the collapse of armed resistance in the late 19th century, the U.S. government shifted its strategy to one of cultural assimilation. The goal was no longer to fight the Lakota people on the battlefield—it was to erase them through policy. Central to this campaign was the establishment of Indian boarding schools, institutions designed to “kill the Indian, and save the man.”
This era of forced education marks one of the most traumatic chapters in Oglala Sioux history. The damage inflicted on families, language, and culture continues to be felt to this day.
The Carlisle Model
The prototype for Indian boarding schools was founded in 1879 by Richard Henry Pratt in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Pratt’s philosophy was brutally clear: Native children needed to be stripped of their identities and remade into copies of white Americans.
This model was replicated across the country, including schools like:
- Chemewa Indian School (Oregon)
- Haskell Institute (Kansas)
- St. Francis Indian School (South Dakota)
- Holy Rosary Mission (later Red Cloud Indian School)
Children as young as five were taken from their families—often by force—and sent hundreds of miles away. They were forbidden from speaking Lakota, practicing ceremony, or seeing their families for months or years.
Breaking the Sacred Circle
Boarding schools were not merely about language—they aimed to dismantle the tiospaye (extended family structure). Boys and girls were separated, siblings split apart, and traditional roles disrupted. Hair was cut, names changed, and discipline was often violent.
Many children suffered physical, emotional, and even sexual abuse. Others died from disease or neglect. In recent years, the remains of children have been discovered at former school sites, forcing a reckoning with this hidden history.
Resistance Within the System
Despite the cruelty, Lakota students found ways to resist. They whispered Lakota prayers at night. They ran away and returned home. Some created secret art or songs to preserve memory.
Others, like activist Luther Standing Bear, emerged from these schools determined to fight back—not by rejecting education, but by reclaiming it. These individuals later became teachers, writers, and cultural leaders, using their knowledge to protect future generations.
The Catholic and Mission Influence
Many boarding schools were run by Christian denominations. Catholic missions were especially active on the Pine Ridge Reservation. While some clergy genuinely sought to help children, the broader goal remained assimilation.
Missionaries often targeted Lakota spiritual beliefs as “pagan” and actively discouraged or punished traditional practices. Yet many Lakota families continued to pray in secret, hold sweat lodges, and pass down stories orally, preserving their identity through faith and family.
Cultural Revival and Healing
Beginning in the 1970s, a powerful movement emerged to revive the Lakota language, spirituality, and educational sovereignty. Tribal colleges, immersion language schools, and Lakota-led curriculum programs began to reverse the damage done by boarding schools.
Institutions like Oglala Lakota College now provide culturally grounded education, where students can study both Western academics and traditional Lakota knowledge.
Ceremonies for healing, like Wiping of Tears and traditional memorials, have helped communities begin to confront intergenerational trauma. Survivors are speaking out. Families are relearning their language. Youth are reclaiming their names.
Conclusion: From Silence to Strength
The boarding school era was a calculated attempt to destroy Indigenous cultures. But instead of erasure, it sparked resistance, resilience, and renewal.
Today, the Oglala Lakota are not only surviving—they are rebuilding what was nearly lost. Through truth, education, and ceremony, the wounds of the past are being acknowledged and healed.
The voice that was silenced is rising again.
External Resources
- National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition
- U.S. Boarding Schools – Native Voices Timeline
- Red Cloud Indian School – Historical Reconciliation
Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ – We are all related.