User:Nicolecate/sandbox

The Albuquerque Indian School was a Native American boarding school in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. The school was established in 1881 by the Presbyterian Church as a part of their mission to Christianize and civilize Native Americans. In 1884 the United States took control of the school and operated it under the Bureau of Indian Affairs as a part of the nation wide assimilation effort. The school taught up to eighth grade until 1925 when it expanded to include eleventh and twelfth grades. The Albuquerque Indian school remained operational until 1982, when the students and programs were transferred to the Santa Fe Indian School, which remains operational.

Curriculum
Like many other schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs the Albuquerque Indian School had self-reliance based curriculum. The objective of Indian Schools was not only to transform Native Americans into civilized, patriotic citizens, but also to teach the children how to be self-sufficient. Boys were taught industrial skills and girls were taught the domestic sciences. The curriculum administered at the Albuquerque Indian School was deliberate and allowed for the school to be almost completely self-sufficiency, at the expense of the students.

"If anything, the push for institutional self-sufficiency placed an even greater burden on the shoulders of girls. Thus, in 1890 sixteen girls in Albuquerque’s sewing department manufactured 170 dresses, 93 chemises, 107 hickory shirts, 67 boys’ waists, 261 pairs of drawers, 194 pillowcases, 244 sheets, 238 aprons, 33 bedspreads, and 83 towels."

In the early 1900’s, with the encouragement of commissioner Francis E. Leupp, many Indian Schools, including the Albuquerque Indian School, began to introduce native arts programs. In 1935 the Albuquerque school implemented a six-year program that introduced Pueblo and Navajo arts, including pottery and weaving, into the regular curriculum. Girls could choose to learn the craft that was “native to her tribe”.  In regards to reintroducing native culture to schools Leupp said, “the last thing that ought to be done with youth of any people whom we are trying to indoctrinate with notions of self-respect is to teach them to be ashamed of their ancestry.”

Punishment at the Albuquerque Indian School
Runaways were common for off-reservation Indian boarding schools. The Albuquerque Indian School implemented several forms of punishment, including locking boys in a room called the “jail” for days on end. Reportedly, returned runaway students would be held in the “jail” for up to three days and misbehaving students often got shorter sentences in “jail”. If students talked too much in class they would have a rag stuffed in their mouth and tied around their head in attempt to teach them to obey the rules.

Modern Development of the Albuquerque Indian School
In 1982 the Albuquerque Indian School closed and all of their students and programs were transferred to the Santa Fe Indian School in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States. In 1975 the 19 Pueblos (LINK) pledged to the development of the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, which opened in 1976. In 1983 after the Albuquerque Indian School closed the Bureau of Indian Affairs dedicated the site of the former school to the 19 Pueblos, which they developed to expand the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. As of 2011 the site of the Albuquerque Indian School began undergoing an overhaul to create a self-sustaining micro-economy.