http://tinyurl.com/yj9dg6n - Click for a complete transcript of the book.Many of the students were encouraged to remain on the East Coast after graduation, but very few did. In an effort to extend the influence of the “all knowing eye” of The Man on the Bandstand, Ms. Burgess decided to write a book. The book was titled, “Stiya” and was about a Pueblo girl’s return to her home reservation after completing her education at Carlisle Indian School.
The book was written in first-person and portrayed a sordid homecoming for the young Pueblo woman. “She” was disgusted with the “heathen” and “primitive” ways of her people and her family. One passage reads, “I rushed frantically into the arms of my school-mother, who had taken me home.” (Embe, Stiya: A Carlisle Indian Girl at Home-Cambridge: Riverside Press, 1891.) Many copies of the book were sent west to reservations in hopes of reminding the former students of all that they had been “taught” at Carlisle.
It was Ms. Burgess’s intent to “direct” and “control” the thoughts and minds of the children. Ms. Burgess, you see, believed in her cause. So did Mr. Pratt. This can and has been the way of many a missionary, conqueror, and others the world over. I believe that Ms. Burgess met her death with peace in her heart and the comfort of believing that her crusade was not in vein. But…that was her perspective.
Click on the title of the post to read a personal story about:
Embe. STIYA: A CARLISLE INDIAN GIRL AT HOME. Cambridge: Riverside Press, 1891. Written by the printing supervisor at Carlisle, Marianna Burgess, aka "Embe", this little book describes the return of a Pueblo girl to her home after her indoctrination at the Carlisle school. It offers the fictionalized trials of a child longing to reform her tribe's traditional ways to the assimilated, Christianized lifestyle taught at Carlisle. Highly propagandistic, the book was sold by subscription through the Carlisle Indian School newspapers and circulated throughout the Indinan agencies. For a closer look at the content, see this essay by Leslie Marmon Silko. Out of print. (provided by http://home.epix.net/~landis/secondary.html)
I love the AHA! Pretty neat that Mr. became a Mrs. (: I am anxious to check out the link you provided for us to see.
ReplyDeleteKara,
ReplyDeleteI too was taken back at the unveiling of the man or should as say WOman who "controlled" the movements and thoughts of the Carlisle students. Her actions and aggressive words truly represented her beliefs in her time.
And I thought it was Mr. Pratt himself, as tricky as he could be, I thought that he would have used her initials or something. Wow! It's unbelievable that in addition to having some negative experiences, and being frightened by these articles, that her book was written to remind "haunt" the children of their own experiences whileattending Carlisle Indian Boarding School. I could understand writing/publishing a book to encourage and remind previous students of their experiences however, I don't think the route she took was a positive one. To "control" and "direct" the chilren's thoughts? How intimidating "evil"!
ReplyDeleteI especially enjoyed reading the additional information that you have attached along with your blog and the visions of Native American writers and how they are portrayed. I can't wait to read more unvieling secrets that those pages are with-holding. ;) As always, thank you for sharing your interests!
Aww man! I really thought Ro was onto something when she thought "he" was Pratt. But I suppose there are many helping hands in the boarding school world and the head hanchos can't take the blame for everything! But on the other hand, how conniving of Ms. Burgess to write a book to try to convince the students to stay on the East Coast in the manner that she did.
ReplyDelete