I went to the Heard Museum on Friday to see two new exhibits and while I was there, I visited the newly arranged and expanded exhibit about the history if "Indian Schools" and their legacy. It's a very informative exhibit about that time in our history when Native American children were taken from their homes and placed in boarding schools designed to strip away their "Indian-ness" in order to bring them into what was called "civilized" society. (Frankly, it doesn't seem very civilized these days.) It was another of those "dark" periods in our past.
When I got to this room designed to look like a classroom, I was kind of stopped in my tracks at what was written on the chalk board. Given the political dialog here in the U.S. this last week, it struck me as very timely. However, in this particular context, it was about how Native Americans were not given full citizen rights until the passage of the Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968. And, they are still fighting for full rights to their lands and water. (And the beat goes on as Sonny & Cher might say.)
I have a new post on Sharon's Sojourns today. I'm making a quick stop in a pretty Oregon town.
That IS a thought-provoking question, and very pertinent these days!
ReplyDeleteSo timely.
ReplyDeleteGood question especially in the today's climate in the US.
ReplyDeleteTelling commentary.
ReplyDeleteDoes history really repeat itself?!
ReplyDeleteWhile I was in Chandler, there was a native american lady in my book club who had experienced staying in an American family for the week before returning to her own family over the weekend when she was a kid.
ReplyDeleteSimilar issues haunt our history.
ReplyDelete