An important part of my fellowship journey is to understand the lived experienced of individuals who have been in the state 'care' system. Alaska was a natural choice as a research destination, given its history with the 'boarding school era' and the impact of these institutions on Indigenous communities. I therefore began my Fellowship travels with a visit to the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center 'Living our Cultures' exhibition at the Anchorage Museum. Immersing myself in Alaska Native culture and understanding the painful history of this era felt essential.
The Living Our Cultures exhibition presents over 600 pieces of Alaska Native cultural heritage. Through videos, text and photographs, it brings to life both historical and contemporary experiences of Alaska Native communities.
The exhibition was created in collaboration with Alaska Native Elders, scholars, artists and educators. It emphasises the vibrancy, resilience and ongoing evolution of Alaska Native cultures. In the words of Paul Ongtooguk, one of the exhibition collaborators:
“We aren’t passing, we’re not going away and the cultures that created all of these materials are continuing to create and recreate our societies today and making a contribution to the state of Alaska” (Anchorage Museum website)
This message resonated deeply in the context of Alaska Native history, which includes Russian colonization in the late 18th century and subsequent U.S. governance after 1867. The 'boarding school era' (roughly 1819 to 1969), the primary focus of my visit, is a profound part of this story.
During the 'boarding school era', U.S. federal policies established and funded boarding schools nationwide, including in Alaska. These schools were designed to forcibly assimilate American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian children into American culture. Children were taken from their families and communities, subjected to rigid, militaristic structures and compelled to abandon their language, religion and cultural identities.
This included: renaming Indian Children with English names; cutting the hair of Indian children; preventing the use of native language or the exercising of religious and cultural practices.
Boarding schools integrated manual labour into the curriculum - students were expected to cook, sew, farm, and in some cases, work on railroads.
Rules were enforced through corporal punishment and the children endured disease, overcrowding and malnourishment, often without adequate healthcare. Many children experienced emotional, physical and sexual abuse with some tragically losing their lives in these institutions.
Whilst the Anchorage Museum's exhibition addresses this dark past, I sensed that this is a history that is only just beginning to be acknowledged and for which the full truth is still unfolding. I hope to learn more on future visits, driven by the importance of understanding and giving voice to this painful legacy.
