Creation of National and Native Identity: Through the Eyes of Native American and Sami People

Abstract

Creation of National and Native Identity: Through the Eyes of Native American and Sami People Leydy Ruiz This research paper explores what effect boarding/nomad schools had on students, teachers, and indigenous identity. The argument is that the school system’s attempts of assimilating indigenous students and staff into the hegemonic national identity instead caused indigenous activists and organizations to rally together to create a native identity and bring back their cultural background. By comparing the educational system in the US and Sweden, I hope to address the different courses of actions taken against the indigenous (Native American and Sami) students in their respective schooling systems. Using topics of gender, language, identity roles, and media inclusivity I will demonstrate how indigenous identity came to be seen within each country, through both the lenses of the educational sphere and how the indigenous people perceived themselves. To gather how indigenous communities saw themselves within the school system and vice versa, I used primary sources in the form of oral histories and school reviews. Secondary sources focused on accounts of teachers, activists, and the construction of the educational platform in each country. By showing how the schools affected the students and generations afterwards, this research highlights the importance of what it means to recognize, support, and represent indigenous presence within the society.