heard museum, exhibit on "the indian problem" by susiemargare
for an overview of the museum, see my separate "things to do" tip on "heard museum, in general."while i was there (september, 2005), one of the rotating exhibits was a gallery on how the united states has dealt at various times with the "indian problem." this exhibit was extremely moving and should not be missed if it is still on display.
among other things, the gallery included items, letters, photographs, and very short
films from the government boarding schools to which native american children (as young as age 6) were sent involuntarily from approx 1875 to as late as 1975. here the children were forced to speak english and punished for speaking the tribal languages, trained for various manual occupations, and for the most part taught to reject their own cultural heritage in favor of one from the "white" world. the exhibits include reconstructions of classrooms and dormitory rooms. it is difficult to imagine how emotionally brutal these practices were until you see the actual displays.