Many people still remember the days when Indian children were forced to go to schools where their hair was cut upon entering and they were punished for speaking their native language. Armed with a better understanding of Indian children and their unique cultures, and working with enhanced pedagogical skills, teachers can help Indian students overcome any alienation or apprehension they may feel about our present-day educational system (Reyhner, xii). .
To understand the state of Indian education today requires an understanding of its past history. The European immigrants wanted to first obtain Indian lands by purchase or by force and remove the Indians to lands that were thought to be unsuitable for white settlement. At the time, educating the Indians was not on the white man's mind. Not until the California Gold Rush of 1849 and the building of the western railroads did white men have close contact with Indians and felt the need to conform them to white ways of life. The white settlers were pressuring Indians to conform to white ways by pushing Christianity and "civilized- dress. Education was also seen as another way of assimilating young Indians into the dominant society. .
School attendance was enforced, students were not allowed to speak their tribal languages, and tribal traditions were first labeled "works of the devil,"" and later, "enemies of progress."" Had the goal of coercive assimilation been reached, there would be no culturally recognizable Indian people today. However, many Indian children did not succeed in schools that did not recognize their language and culture, and many older Indians worked strenuously to preserve their heritage. Despite the fact that whites have usually tried to force Indians to conform to white ways, there have been relatively short periods of time when Indian languages and cultures received some support. Because neither coercive assimilation nor missionary efforts were completely successful, the goal of cultural obliteration and complete assimilation was questioned over the years and has now been moderated (Reyhner, 33).
