Chemawa Indian School facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chemawa Indian School |
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Hawley Hall porch
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| Address | |
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3700 Chemawa Road NE
, , 97305
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| Coordinates | 45°00′00″N 122°59′05″W / 45.00004°N 122.984712°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Opened | 1880 |
| Authority | Bureau of Indian Affairs |
| Superintendent | Don Tomlin |
| Principal | Amanda Ward |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Number of students | 425 |
| Color(s) | Red, white, and black |
| Athletics conference | OSAA PacWest Conference 3A-3 |
| Mascot | Brave |
| Accreditation | NAAS |
| Website | https://chemawa.bie.edu/ |
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Chemawa Indian School Site
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| Area | 86 acres (35 ha) |
| Built | 1885 |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Bungalow/Craftsman, Georgian Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 92001333 |
| Added to NRHP | December 16, 1992 |
The Chemawa Indian School is a Native American boarding school in Salem, Oregon, United States. It is named after the Chemawa band of the Kalapuya people. The school first opened on February 25, 1880, as an elementary school. Over time, it added more grades and became a full high school in 1927. Today, it serves students from ninth to twelfth grade.
Chemawa Indian School is sometimes called Chemawa High School. It mostly teaches students from tribes in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. It is the second Indian boarding school ever started and the oldest one still running in the United States. Thousands of students have graduated from Chemawa. In 1926, it had its highest number of students, with 1,000 enrolled.
Contents
School History
The Chemawa Indian School began in the 1870s. At that time, the U.S. government wanted to help Native Americans join mainstream society. They decided to open boarding schools for Native American children. These schools were often far from Indian reservations. This was done to help students learn new ways of life. Chemawa was the second school of this kind.
Early Beginnings in Forest Grove
The first location for the school was in Forest Grove, Oregon. It was on four acres of land rented from Pacific University. Lieutenant Melville C. Wilkinson of the United States Army was in charge. The government gave $5,000 to start the school.
In 1880, Lt. Wilkinson and eight young Puyallup Indian helpers started building the school. The first class had 14 boys and 4 girls. Most students were from the Puyallup reservation in Washington. Boys learned skills like painting, carpentry, and blacksmithing. Girls learned "domestic arts," which included household skills.
Moving to Salem
By 1883, the government wanted to give more money to Chemawa. But there were problems at the Forest Grove site. Local people did not always like the school. Also, the school needed more land for farming and raising animals. In 1884, the girls' dormitory building burned down.
Because of these issues, officials looked for a new place. They chose a site near Salem, Oregon. This new location had 171 acres of land and was close to a railroad. It was also near Oregon's state capital.
In 1885, the school moved to the Salem site, about five miles north of the city. They started building new structures. The first buildings were made of wood. Later, they were replaced with stronger brick buildings. On October 1, 1885, John Lee became the new superintendent. He brought all the students together at the Salem campus.
Growth and Changes
The first students to graduate finished sixth grade in 1886. Soon, the school added classes up to tenth grade. By 1900, Chemawa had 453 students. It was the largest Indian school in Oregon. The school focused on vocational education. This meant teaching practical skills for jobs.
In 1913, farming was a big part of the training. Students learned about dairy farming and caring for animals. They also preserved food they grew. The school had a library and offered sports like basketball, baseball, and football. There were 690 students, including 175 Alaskan Inuit children.
By 1922, the campus had 70 buildings. Most were wood, but some newer ones were brick. The school's land grew to 426 acres. Some of this land was bought by Native American students. They gave it to the school as a gift.
The most students at Chemawa were in 1926, with almost 1,000. The school added 11th and 12th grades and stopped teaching grades below 6th. In 1927, Chemawa became a fully accredited high school.
In the early 1930s, during the Great Depression, the school was almost closed. But journalists and Oregon's leaders worked to keep it open. It continued with 300 students.
Lawney Reyes, a former student from 1940-1942, wrote about his time there. He said that during his years, the school no longer tried to stop Indian culture. In earlier times, speaking Native languages or doing traditional dances was not allowed. But by his time, these rules were gone. However, Native culture was not actively taught or encouraged.
In the late 1970s, Chemawa moved to a new campus next door. Most of the old brick buildings were taken down after the move.
Historic Site Listing
In 1992, some of the old buildings at Chemawa Indian School were listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This included the old hospital and four other early structures. These were the last brick buildings on the "old campus." Most of the older buildings were demolished when the school moved. The Chemawa Cemetery might be the only part of the old campus still there.
Student Life
Chemawa Indian School has students from many different tribes. Students often move between different schools. About half of the students in one year might not be enrolled the next year.
Cemetery and Unmarked Graves
In 2016, reports came out about unmarked graves at the Chemawa Indian School Cemetery. A student named Marsha Small used special radar to look at the ground. She found many more unmarked graves than the 200 that were already known. Children at boarding schools sometimes got sick with diseases like tuberculosis or influenza. These diseases were hard to cure back then. Marsha Small wants people to know about these graves. She also wants to protect the cemetery from any damage from a nearby freeway project.
Academics
Chemawa Indian School has been approved by the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools since 1971. This means it meets high standards for education.
Partnership with Willamette University
In 2005, Chemawa Indian School started working with Willamette University. This is a college in Salem. College students from Willamette, along with Chemawa student tutors, help Chemawa students with their homework four nights a week.
Notable Alumni
- Spade Cooley - a famous bandleader
- Frank LaPena - a painter, printmaker, professor, and writer
- Bob Greene - a Makah elder and veteran of World War II
See also
- Other boarding schools for Native American students:
- Flandreau Indian School
- Riverside Indian School
- Sherman Indian High School
- Schools run by tribes:
- Circle of Nations Wahpeton Indian School
- Pierre Indian Learning Center
- Sequoyah Schools
- American Indian outing programs
Images for kids
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Detail of ceiling
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Chugath Street McBride Hall (demolished) - view from southeast - 1977
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Chugath Street McBride Hall - view from southwest - 1977
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Chugath Street Winona Hall - detail view of east front elevation - 1977
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Winona Hall - bathroom - 1977
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Chugath Street Winona Hall - hall and stair - 1977
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Chugath Street Winona Hall - general view of east front elevation -1977
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Chugath Street Winona Hall - view from southeast - 1977
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Electric shop sign
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Hawley Hall cornerstone
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Bookcase at Hawley Hall
