BEAUTIFUL RESISTANCE features the art of the late Hopi artist, Michael Kabotie

Sad to hear that Michael Kabotie passed away a few days ago. He was featured in the stunning Allan Holzman film, Beautiful Resistance, the award winning documentary of contemporary native artists bringing the boarding school histories to light.

His work leaves a strong legacy of Hopi tradition. Thankyou Matt, for sharing this news.

Barbara

Marlene Carvell's book is getting attention

Lovely to see "Sweetgrass Basket" getting much-deserved attention for its complex and poignant portrayal of two sisters' experience at boarding schools. Go look:
http://slayground.livejournal.com/549402.html

There's plenty of hype and self-promotion (not to swipe at the self-proclaimed experts out there - do we really need more athletic star gazing? Bruchac has done great work but the others...enough already!) the real stories of Carlisle come from the connections to relatives who lived the experiment, and SWEETGRASS BASKET is not about the famous athletes, but about two little girls whose lives were influenced by what happened at Carlisle.

"OSAGE INDIANS HERE"

"A party of Osage Indians from the Indian Territory arrived here Tuesday evenng from Washington. Eleven persons composed the delegation, consisting of Striking Axe, Alvin Wood. Ne-kah-ke-pah-nah, Tall Chief, Ne-kah-ko-lab, Saucy Chief, James Bigheart; Paul Aiden, interpreter; E.M.Matthews, clerk; R.E. Bird, agent and guide. They have children here whom they stopped to visit on their way home. Their business in Washington was to adjust the title of certain lands bought by them from the Cherokees, who can convey the special title reposed in them by the government consenting to join in a free simple conveyance. They were an intelligent looking lot of Indians. - 1891 Sentinel."

Thanks, Jack Mullen, for giving this to me.

Carlisle Herald, 1881 Reports on the composition of the Carlisle Indian School, Carlisle PA

"The Indian School.

The composition of the school down to Oct. 5th, 1880, is set forth in the report of Capt. R.H. Pratt to the Commissioner of Indian affairs, as follows:

The school opened Nov. 1st, 1879 with 147 students, of whom 60 boys and 24 girls were drawn from the Rosebud and Pine Ridge Agencies in Dakota; 38 boys and 14 girls from the Cheyenne, Kiowa, Pawnee and other tribes in Indian Territory, and 11 young men from the Hampton Institute. On the 6th Nov., 1879; 6 Sisseton Sioux and 2 Menominees arrived; on 28th Feb., 1880, 8 Iowa and Sac and Fox children; on March 9th, a Lipan boy and girl, who had been captured three years previously by the 4th Cavalry in Old Mexico. On 20th Feb., 11 Ponca and Nez Perces children, and on 1st April, 10 Kiowa, Comanche and Wichita children were received. Rev. Sheldon Jackson brought 1 Apache and 10 Pueblo children from New Mexico on July 31st, and on Sept. 6th, Agent Miles brought 41 Cheyenne, Arapahoe and Comanche children. In all 239 children have been in the school.

The following losses have occurred: Nine young men, former Florida prisoners, were sent home, on account of age and sufficient advancement to be of service to their people. Spotted Tail, because his son-in-law was cashiered, carried away 9 of his children and relatives; 4 others returned with the visiting chiefs, and 15 more were sent home because of imperfect physical and mental condition. Six boys have died at the school, ad 4 of those returned have died. there remains in the school (Oct. 5th is the date of the report) 196 pupils - 139 boys and 57 girls. Two-thirds of them are children of chiefs and head men. About 10 per cent, are of mixed blood."

CARLISLE HERALD, Thursday, February 3, 1881.

Thank you Jack Mullen for finding this for me.