Three Generations of the American Indian Boarding School

Coolidge

AZ Speaks presents "Three Generations of the American Indian Boarding School Experience" with Dr. Evangeline Parsons-Yazzie from Northern Arizona University.

All ages. The U.S. Federal Government’s harsh policy of compulsory Indian education in boarding schools began in 1879 and continued beyond the Great Depression. Boarding schools on and off Indian Reservations remained prominent through 1970. They are still the main means of K-8 education in rural Indian communities. This presentation tells the dramatic stories of three individuals: a grandfather, his daughter, and his granddaughter. They all attended boarding schools through the 1920s, the Great Depression, the mid-1950s, until 1971. Dr. Evangeline Parsons-Yazzie tells these stories to promote an understanding of how boarding schools changed the language, culture, lifestyle, and traditions of American Indian people. 

Dr. Evangeline Parsons Yazzie is a Navajo woman, originally from the community of Hardrock on the Navajo Reservation. She is a Professor Emerita of Navajo at Northern Arizona University (NAU). She obtained a Masters of Arts degree in Bilingual Multicultural Education (NAU) and a Doctorate degree in Education (NAU). Evangeline retired from NAU after 24 years of teaching. She is a novelist, the author of four novels in Navajo and English. They are based upon the Navajo Long Walk (1864 through 1868). She is also an author of a popular Navajo language textbook as well as an award-winning bilingual children’s book.

AZ Speaks is the longest-running and most popular program of Arizona Humanities. The program is a great way for non-profits, libraries, educational institutions, governmental and tribal entities to enjoy interesting and engaging humanities-based programs. Each year, AZ Speaks delivers hundreds of engaging presentations throughout Arizona. To learn more about Arizona Humanities visit azhumanities.org.

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