Culturally White Indians?

The documentary “Sherman Indian School: 100 Years of Education and Native Pride” was an interesting perspective on the lives of Native Americans who have attending the boarding school over the last century. What was most unique about this documentary was that it came from the perspective of the Indian students themselves. Even though it was filmed with the intention of promoting and valuing the development of the school over the last one hundred years, many of the perspectives of the Indians had positive connotations as they remembered all that the school had done for them. I think these two points make the documentary unique in and of itself, because much of the literature on Indians is not from their own perspective, and it is not positively connoted. Sherman Indian High School is one of the few schools left that is funded by the BIA, but is off of any reservation. I think ultimately this has led to more flexibility in the curriculum and programs that the school has offered. Of course, much of my perspective is Foucauldian, so I can’t help but focus of the interplay of power within this school and the system that set it up. In the early years, attendance was not voluntary and some of the old school graduates remember officials from the BIA coming to their houses to ask their mother if there were any children in the household in order to take them away. Military discipline was enacted and all of their native cultures were prohibited. However, many of the people who had family that attended still speak of Sherman in a positive light. Monica Archuletta said that her grandfather told her that the only good thing besides reading and writing was learning how to cultivate, because much of their time was spent in vocational activities. Many of the graduates had moments of reporting negativity, but these were overwhelmed by fond memories, such as couples kissing behind palm trees, and being provided with “opportunities I wouldn’t have had at home”. So I ask then, where does this appreciation for assimilation stem from in the lives of these Indians? How has the perception of the school changed over time? It almost seems like the Indian’s perspective of the school has become more and more mainstream (or white) as the generations have passed. In only the last few decades, students spoke of being excited about the sports teams, marching band, and the pep squad, which seem to be white cultural activities. The gap between each generation’s connection to their culture grows larger and larger, and in today’s society it seems have been replaced with an exoticized notion of their own native culture. Now they must have organized cultural programs, Intertribal Ceremonies, and pow wows to interact with their cultures in this non-organic setting. It appears that the original intention of the “redemption of a race” (3^rd min) has actually been enacted. While it seems like in the current school they actually are allowed to embrace their culture, they are now doing it from the perspective of an assimilated native. Have these native people then been able to successfully enact their culture, or are they only doing it from the limitations and positionality of the white man?