The theme that popped out most with me was the government’s efforts to change Native
Americans through policies like the boarding school system. These schools, starting in
the late 19th century, forcibly removed Native children from their families, banning them
from speaking their languages or practicing their traditions. They were trying to
Americanize the Native Americans, as they are seen in pictures wearing American clothes
and having predominantly white hairstyles, and stripping them of their cultural identity.
Doing this put children’s and Native families’ health in jeopardy as Native Americans
weren’t used to the viruses and diseases that the colonizers were used to, so it was more
harmful to their bodies, causing children to become very ill and also passing it along to
their families. The policy not only caused harm to the children and families involved but
also had long lasting effects on generations of Native communities, disrupting cultures
and creating deep emotional scars within their communities.