Turning Points
in Wisconsin History
What the government thought Indian girls needed to know (1911)
Some things that girls should know how to do and hence should learn how to do when in school (1911)
The Office of Indian Affairs established specific rules and guidelines for the instruction of Indian children in its schools. The government issued manuals describing the basic knowledge and skills that it felt boys and girls needed to have to survive, and the ways that teachers should instruct them. Indian girls had to know how to cook, sew, and clean. This particular guide was designed for teachers of girls who were expected to return home after school rather than working in business or industry. Its standards about what constitutes a proper home and its instructions for successful house-keeping reveal much about the imposition of mainstream values on indigenous peoples early in the twentieth century.
| Related Topics: |
The Progressive Era Americanization and the Bennett Law |
| Creator: | Office of Indian Affairs |
| Pub Data: | Washington: Government Printing Office, 1911 |
| Citation: | Office of Indian Affairs. Some things that girls should know how to do and hence should learn how to do when in school. (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1911). Online facsimile at: http://wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/search.asp?id=749; Visited on: 4/18/2024 |
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