WOULD WE BE KILLED?

NONFICTION FEATURE

8 November 2019 | Scholastic Action

WOULD WE BE KILLED?

â

VIN

TAG

E IM

AG

ES/G

ETTY

IMA

GES

(D

OLL

); L

IBR

AR

Y O

F C

ON

GR

ESS/

CO

RBI

S/V

CG

VIA

GET

TY IM

AG

ES (

SIO

UX

BO

Y);

AR

CH

IVE

PHO

TOS/

GET

TY IM

AG

ES (

NAV

AJO

BO

Y);

LIB

RA

RY

OF

CO

NG

RES

S (A

LL O

THER

IMA

GES

)

In the late 1800s, thousands of Native Americans were taken from their families. These children were sent to boarding schools to “learn the ways of the white man.”

This is their story. BY LAUREN TARSHIS

www.scholastic.com/action | November 2019 9

LEXILE 500L-600L

GO TO WEB VIEW

©20

19 B

Y S

CH

OLA

STIC

INC

. ALL

RIG

HTS

RES

ERV

ED. P

ERM

ISSI

ON

GR

AN

TED

TO

TEA

CH

ERS

AN

D

SUBS

CR

IBER

S TO

MA

KE

CO

PIES

OF

THIS

AR

TIC

LE T

O D

ISTR

IBU

TE T

O T

HEI

R S

TUD

ENTS

.

JIM

MC

MA

HO

N/M

APM

AN

®

10 November 2019 | Scholastic Action

Under Control As Ota Kte rode that train east, America’s

Indian tribes were in trouble. A century

earlier, more than 1.5 million Native people

lived in America. They belonged to hundreds

of unique tribes. Ota Kte’s ancestors had

always lived freely across a large area of the

Great Plains.

But by 1879, white people and the U.S.

Army had pushed most tribes off their lands.

At the same time, “white man” diseases

had killed many of their people. America’s

300,000 remaining Native Americans were

forced to live on small pieces of land called

reservations.

This change was hard on the Native

people. The new land was often hard to farm.

Hunters could no longer roam freely. Many

tribes faced hunger and despair.

PAUSE AND THINK: What had happened to Native Americans by 1879?

A LONG JOURNEY Ota Kte was a member of the Lakota tribe. Before being sent to the Carlisle School in Pennsylvania, he lived on a reservation in South Dakota.

Was 11-year-old Ota Kte going to be killed?

The year was 1879. Ota Kte was a member

of the Lakota tribe. He was on a train with

83 other Native American kids. They had

left their families in the Dakota plains. Now

they were heading east to a place called

Pennsylvania. Watching over them was a

white man in an Army uniform.

Ota Kte’s father had told him that the

kids were going to a school. But Ota Kte was

sure the soldier had tricked his father. Ota Kte

knew one thing: Never trust a white man.

For longer than he had been alive, Ota

Kte’s people had been hurt by white people.

White men stole their land. They brought

deadly “white man” diseases. And they

started endless wars.

Ota Kte watched the white soldier. How

had this man gotten so many people to send

their kids away? And what did he really want

with Ota Kte?

PAUSE AND THINK: Who was Ota Kte? Where was he going?

unique: special and different; unlike anything else

ancestors: family members who lived in the past

despair: a feeling of no longer having hope

heritage: the stories, achievements, history, and beliefs that are part of a group

thriving: succeeding; doing well

VOCABULARY

CANADA

NE

SD

ND

MN

IA

IL INOH

WVVA

NC

TN

KY

MI

WI NY

MD DE

VTNH

MA

U.S.U.S.

Area of mapArea of map

Ota Kte’sreservation

AT

LA

NT

I C O

CE

AN

L. Superior

L. Erie

L. Ontario

L. M

ichi

gan

L. Huron

0 100 MI

CarlisleSchool

PANJ

CT

NAT

ION

AL

AN

THR

OPO

LOG

ICA

L A

RC

HIV

ES/S

MIT

HSO

NIA

N IN

STIT

UTI

ON

(LE

FT);

NAT

ION

AL

AN

THR

OPO

LOG

ICA

L A

RC

HIV

ES/S

MIT

HSO

NIA

N IN

STIT

UTI

ON

(R

IGH

T)

The Carlisle School The white man on the train was U.S. Army

Captain Richard Henry Pratt. He told Native

Americans that he wanted to help. He said he

could give their kids a better education.

Pratt had convinced the U.S. government to

start a boarding school for Native Americans:

the Carlisle School. That’s where Ota Kte was

headed on the train.

But Pratt didn’t just want to educate Native

American kids. He planned to strip them of

their heritage. He thought they needed to lose

their “Indian-ness” to succeed in America.

Captain Pratt did plan to “kill” part of

www.scholastic.com/action | November 2019 11

â

A BIG CHANGE At Carlisle, students were photographed soon after they arrived. Years later, they were photographed again. “Before and after” pictures like these pleased the U.S. government. They hoped Carlisle would make Indians more “American.”

Ota Kte—the Indian part.

PAUSE AND THINK: Who started the Carlisle School?

Luther Standing BearWhen Ota Kte reached Carlisle, he was

given a Christian first name: Luther. Then his

father’s last name was changed to English. Ota

Kte became Luther Standing Bear.

And that wasn’t all. His long hair was cut.

His leggings and moccasins were taken away.

He was given an itchy uniform and black

boots. He was forced to learn English and to

say Christian prayers.

Luther went to classes. He did his chores.

At night, he heard kids crying. He missed

his family too. But he thought of what his

father had said: An education would give him

a better future.

PAUSE AND THINK: Where did the name Luther Standing Bear come from?

HomesickThe U.S. government saw Carlisle as a

success. After a visit, a government agent

wrote a letter. It said the school was solving

the “Indian problem.” It said the kids were

thriving. But were they?

What was it like for kids to be so far from

their families? Most were homesick. Many

broke the strict rules. Some tried to run away.

Still, the government opened more

boarding schools. And parents were no longer

asked to send their kids. They were forced.

12 November 2019 | Scholastic Action

LEARNING TO BE “AMERICAN” The Indian boarding schools were the idea of Captain Richard Henry Pratt (shown at right). At these schools, boys learned things like shoemaking. Girls were taught housekeeping. All children were forced to speak only English.

FRA

NC

ES B

ENJA

MIN

JO

HN

STO

N/L

IBR

AR

Y O

F C

ON

GR

ESS/

CO

RBI

S/V

CG

VIA

GET

TY IM

AG

ES (

HO

USE

KEE

PIN

G);

AR

CH

IVE

PHO

TOS/

GET

TY IM

AG

ES (

SHO

EMA

KIN

G);

NAT

ION

AL

AN

THR

OPO

LOG

ICA

L A

RC

HIV

ES/S

MIT

HSO

NIA

N IN

STIT

UTI

ON

(H

ENR

Y P

RAT

T)

By the early 1900s, tens of thousands

of Native American kids were at boarding

schools.

Students were punished for lateness. Some

were beaten for not speaking English.

Students lived in crowded buildings.

Diseases spread easily. Hundreds of kids died.

PAUSE AND THINK: How was life difficult at these boarding schools?

Caught Between Two WorldsOver time, Native Americans began to

demand more rights. They wanted their kids

closer to home. And they wanted schools that

taught their kids to be proud of their heritage.

One by one, the boarding schools closed.

Carlisle closed in 1918.

Carlisle changed Luther’s life forever. Back

on his reservation, he no longer felt like he fit

in. He was caught between two worlds.

Later on, Luther became a writer. He spoke

up about how the U.S. government treated

Indians. His books taught people about the

Lakota tribe.

In that way, he worked to bring the

Indian—in himself and others—back to life. •

PAUSE AND THINK: What two worlds was Luther caught between?