Sociology 3701: Worksheet--"Waasa Inaabidaa (We Look in All Directions). 6-part series available through the American Indian Resource Center on the UMD campus (315 Kirby Plaza)... we will be seeing parts of video 5, "We Gain Knowledge" and video 6, "Ojibwe Oral Language.

1. When did the Boarding school policy of the United States get started and what was its purpose?

2. What kinds of discipline were used in these schools?

3. What were the consequences of the boarding school policy for Indian families? For Indian languages?

4. What are the signs of linguistic and cultural revival that are highlighted in this video?

5. How has the advent of Indian schools helped to promote the a cultural-linguistic revival?

Sociology 3701: Groups--"We Look in All Directions"

1. What is the rationale for separate Indian schools? Wouldn't the public school experience be more conducive to success in the larger American society?

2. How was the Ojibwe language preserved during the period of the boarding schools, when American Indian religious practices were outlawed? Do you believe a linguistic community can truly be revived after such a long period of suppression?

3. From the time of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson to the present, the attitude of white leaders in the United States has often been that the key for American Indians (as for immigrant groups) was to acculturate and to assimilate, to take on the culture of the dominant group and eventually to blend with the dominant group. Why hasn't policy based on those attitudes been more successful for American Indians?

4. Near the end of the video, someone says: "We have to get our leaders to believe that language is the most important thing." Do you agree? Do you think linguistic revival is truly the key to a better future for the Ojibwe? Why or why not?