Moments of Play and Expression

Native students at boarding schools found outlets for fun and, in some cases, felt a
continuance of their own cultural practices in unexpected places where they could participate in,
outside of the regular school curriculum. Extracurricular activities are important for the
development of a child’s social and creative abilities, but also act as an escape from the reality of
their daily life. In many cases, Native students faced physical, sexual, emotional, and spiritual
abuse, neglect, and malnutrition in the schools, which picked at their spirit daily. These outlets of
escape allowed a break from the harsh cruelties and made it possible for students to find hope for their future and a chance to stand out.

When available, sports were a popular pastime among the students, and the school priests
and nuns usually encouraged it as well. Lacrosse, of Native origin, was discouraged. Yet, the
seasons for “American” sports such as basketball and football were highly spoken about
throughout the school; the priests communicated via letters about the promising and
exciting season ahead. Although the male population dominated the sports realm in most cases,
some schools offered sports such as basketball to the female youth as well. For instance, in the
early 20th century, the Fort Shaw Indian school women’s basketball team held a strong reign in
the public eye of female sports. Although the team faced inevitable prejudices against Natives
from opposing teams and fans, the team remained an insurmountable force, having led their
7-person squad to an undefeated record in 1904. As one report from the Anaconda Standard
notes, “There is no team in the state that can give them anything like a tussle. They stand alone
and unrivaled. This may not be [pleasant] reading for the white girls…but it is true.” ¹ The
renowned victories of the 1904 Fort Shaw Indian school’s women’s basketball team would leave
a strong historical mark on the representation of Native women in sports and the integrity of
Native boarding school students to stand up to the oppressors through their own form of
expression.

The school administration also organized theater productions for the students to partake
in, where they further assimilated Native children into the Christian teachings and historical
plays, but it also let the students express themselves through acting and costumes. In the St.
Mary’s Indian school newspaper article from 1949, the author describes the production the
students are putting on for the 95th anniversary of the signing of the treaty of 1854 by the
Odanah Indians. Whilst explaining the significance of the play from the perspective of the
non-Native administration, the writer states that “the climax was the attack on the white men’s
fort, and the burning of the stockade, and the massacre of the whites.”² This directly proves the
school’s intent on forming a negative resonance with the Natives for the children to grasp and
view the white men as the positive outtake. Furthermore, the students would act in plays that
originated from Catholic traditions such as holidays dedicated to popular Christian saints or traditions commonly followed in Christianity and other denominations. As a form of playtime,
children would dress in costumes of primarily white figures or act as part of a Christian tradition
such as a wedding. This form of matrimonial play reinforces Western and Christian gender and
marital norms, even as it is a form of play.

“Odanah Indians Celebrate Signing of 1854 Treaty.” 1949. Series 1-1, Box 287, Folder 4. Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions Records. Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI.

This document describes that the Odanah Peoples were celebrating the 1854 Treaty signing with the United States government. The 1854 Treaty stated that the Chippewa ceded to the United States ownership of their lands in northeastern Minnesota. It is confusing then as to why this massive loss of lands would have been celebrated. It begs the question as to the point of view from which the letter was written and how documents like this played a role in propaganda around the feelings of Indigenous Peoples to the loss of their land

Cast of school play, 1930. 1930. Series 09-1, Box 56, Folder 03. Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions Records. Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI.

In this photo of the cast of a school play, one can see the almost uniform short hairstyle, which was required by the schools when Native children arrived. The shorter hair showed a more “civilized” appearance as the boarding school’s administration continued to assimilate the children into white culture. The chopping of a person’s long hair signified great disrespect towards many Native Americans, as long hair is spiritually connected and found to represent strength and power while also keeping them closer to Mother Earth. Chopping of the hair of Native children was highly common in boarding schools as it was the first step in physically stripping the children from their spirituality and culture, while forcing a completely foreign and unwanted belief system onto them instead. The
young girls wear popular clothing in the photo, mainstream dresses and skirts worn by children during the 1930s. The name of the play that the girls are participating in is called “Father’s Day Feast Party,” which is an annual Catholic celebration celebrated in European countries, also known as “St. Joseph’s Day.” This holiday originated in the Middle Ages, which directly correlates to the stage’s setting in the background in the photo.

1. Anaconda Standard, (March 1904) ↩︎
2. “Odanah Indians Celebrate Signing of 1854 Treaty.” 1949. Series 1-1, Box 287, Folder 4. Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions Records. Department of Special Collections and University Archives, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI. ↩︎