Beschreibung:

THE INDIAN CITIZEN, Vol. I, No. I, Indian Industrail [sic] School, Forest Grove, Oregon. February 1884. Four pp, printed on a single 10 x 10" sheet, with a central fold. The Indian boarding school at Forest Grove (later Chemawa), Oregon, like its counterpart at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, was an ill-conceived attempt to use education as a means of assimilating Native American children into mainstream white society. Established in Salem, Oregon 1879 by the U.S. Army, the School was conceived as a place to isolate Indian children from their elders. When the citizenry of town objected to the presence of "savages" in the town, the school was moved to an onion field five miles from town. It is still in operation today, the oldest such boarding school in the United States. This paper, written, edited, type-set and printed by boarding school members is a poignant reminder of this era. Much of the text relates to the useful activities conduced by the boarders -- shoe-making, wood-cutting, baking, blacksmithing, and other, similar trades. Both the introductory column -- presumably written by the editors of the paper "Kalama and Lear" -- and a longer article penned by "J. Walker" are filled with heart-breaking sentiments -- "The great work before Indians now is to learn about God and become civilized..." A scarce imprint. Condition:Evenly toned, with a couple of minor short edge tears, else fine.