#trivia #NativeAmerican #boardingschool #votingrights The U. S. Department of the Interior just released a study of the almost 500 "Indian Boarding Schools" that operated from 1819 to 1969, including the Carlisle Indian Industry School here in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Over 7,000 children attended this school; its most famous student was Jim Thorpe, a member of the … Continue reading TRIVIA: Native American Right to Vote
Native Americans
PRETENDING TO SLEEP: A Navajo Proverb
You can't wake a person who is pretending to sleep. -Navajo Proverb I also don't usually use this blog for statements on public affairs. But today is different. Today, I believe that too many of us are pretending to sleep. Pretending that what's going on in our country has no far-reaching effects. Pretending that since … Continue reading PRETENDING TO SLEEP: A Navajo Proverb
Western Trivia: Little Bighorn
June 25, 1876. Not quite the “massacre” we learned about in school. So many myths surround this battle, not the least of which is that all of the US Cavalrymen died, George Armstrong Custer among them, and that only Custer's horse survived. Most of the misconceptions are based on wife Elizabeth Custer's memoirs, which painted quite a different picture … Continue reading Western Trivia: Little Bighorn
Native American Trivia: Population Decimation
In 1492, when Columbus "discovered" America, the estimated number of Native Americans in what would become the United States was between 5 and 18 million. Historians estimate that up to 80% of population loss was due to diseases like smallpox and influenza, to which the aboriginals had no immunity. A 20% survival rate of the … Continue reading Native American Trivia: Population Decimation
Native American Trivia: Navajo Clothing
In the mid 1860s, Navajo traditional clothing gave way to velveteen. The women began to wear velveteen dresses (or skirts and blouses) in lieu of deerhide or woven dresses called “blanket dresses”, which were fashioned by connecting two woven panels at the shoulders and lacing up the sides. The men replaced deerhide or woven leggings … Continue reading Native American Trivia: Navajo Clothing
Broken Treaties, Broken Lives – Part 1: Promises to Keep
When I started this blog, I had no intention of getting into current affairs or social commentary. Really. But recently, a couple of issues have changed my mind. What is a writer if she doesn’t write about what’s most important to her? As you all probably know, the US has a very long-standing tradition of … Continue reading Broken Treaties, Broken Lives – Part 1: Promises to Keep
Gifford MacShane, Author 