Santa Fe Indian School facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Santa Fe Indian School |
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1501 Cerrillos Road
P.O. Box 5340 , 87501
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| Information | |
| School type | Boarding School |
| Established | 1890 |
| School board | Northern Pueblos Education Line Office |
| Superintendent | Christie Abeyta |
| Grades | 7–12 |
| Enrollment | 709 (2005–2006) |
| Color(s) | Maroon & Gold |
| Athletics conference | NMAA AAA District 2 |
| Team name | Braves |
| Website | http://www.sfis.k12.nm.us/ |
The Santa Fe Indian School (SFIS) is a special boarding school for Native American students in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It works with the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), which helps support schools for Native American children.
Contents
A Look at SFIS History
The United States government started the Santa Fe Indian School in 1890. Its first goal was to teach Native American children from tribes across the Southwestern United States. Some of these tribes included Laguna Pueblo, Santo Domingo Pueblo, San Felipe Pueblo, and Zuni Pueblo. The idea was to help these children learn about the wider American culture and economy.
In 1975, a group called the All Indian Pueblo Council (AIPC) was formed. This group was the first Native American organization to use laws to take charge of their children's education. Over time, the AIPC gained full control over the school and what was taught there. In 2001, a law called the SFIS Act was passed. This law gave the school ownership of its land. The land is now held in a special trust by the nineteen Pueblo Governors of New Mexico. These actions mean the Pueblo people have full control over the school's education.
The Start of Indian Boarding Schools
The idea of Indian Boarding Schools began even before the Civil War. Around the 1860s, the U.S. government created "day schools." These schools aimed to teach Native American children about Western ways of life. However, these schools didn't work very well. Students would go home and forget what they learned. So, a different plan was needed.
In the 1870s, the idea of Indian Boarding Schools really took off. An Army officer named Lt. Richard Henry Pratt was put in charge of 72 Native American prisoners. He tried out his teaching ideas on them. Pratt wanted to help these Native Americans learn English and understand European society and religion. After this, many of them went to the Hampton Institute in Virginia. Pratt then convinced Native American families to let their children attend his boarding school.
Richard H. Pratt started the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in 1879. Unlike the day schools, Carlisle was very far from the Native American reservations. It was the first boarding school specifically for Native Americans. Pratt believed that being far away would help students forget their Native American culture. He famously said he wanted to "immerse the Indian in our civilization and when we get them under, holding them there until they are thoroughly soaked."
Pratt wanted students to leave their Native roots behind, and he took strong actions. Because he was from the Army, he ran the school like a military camp. Students were forced to cut their long hair, which was a symbol of pride for them. One student said, "The boys, one by one, would break down and cry when they saw their braids thrown on the floor." Students also had to give up their traditional clothes and wear "White Man's" clothes. They were not allowed to speak their native languages. The same student shared, "This is when the loneliness set in, for it was when we knew that we were all alone." Many students tried to run away because the treatment was so difficult and they missed their families.
Changes to Indian Boarding Schools
Over the 1900s and 2000s, the Indian Boarding School system changed a lot. In the 1920s, Hubert Work, who was the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, ordered a study of the schools. The Meriam Report showed many problems with the boarding school system.
During the time of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the government started a new approach called the Indian New Deal. Its goal was to protect Native American people in the United States. A key part of this was the Indian Reorganization Act in 1934. This law allowed Native Americans to create their own governments. In the same year, the Johnson–O'Malley Act was passed to help fund Native American education.
In 1966, the Rough Rock Demonstration School opened on Navajo land. This was the first boarding school controlled by Native Americans themselves. Its success led to a report in 1969 called "Indian Education: A National Tragedy, A National Challenge." This report said that the U.S. government's old policy of trying to make Native Americans fit into a different culture had "disastrous effects."
After this report, the Indian Education Act of 1972 created the Office of Indian Education. The Indian Self Determination and Educational Assistance Act, passed in 1975, gave Native Americans the chance to create "self-determination through community-based schooling." This meant they could make more decisions about their own schools. In 1990, the Native American Languages Act gave Native Americans rights to their languages. The Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act in 2006 created programs to help teach Native American languages. These changes helped reform the Indian Boarding Schools.
The Studio School
In 1932, Dorothy Dunn started "The Studio School" at the Santa Fe Indian School. This was a painting program for Native Americans. It encouraged students to create art that came from their own cultural traditions. Dunn left in 1937. Gerónima Cruz Montoya from Ohkay Owingeh took over and taught until the program closed in 1962. This was when the Institute of American Indian Arts opened. Tonita Peña also taught at the school in the 1930s.
Famous Artists from The Studio School
Some well-known artists who attended The Studio School include:
Rebuilding and Modernizing SFIS
After the nineteen Pueblo Tribes took control of SFIS, they began to tear down old buildings and build new ones in the early 2000s. In 2008, SFIS removed eighteen buildings. Some people who wanted to save old buildings were upset. However, school officials explained that they had checked the buildings and found health and safety risks for students and staff. They also said the old buildings contained asbestos, a dangerous material, and they didn't have money to fix them.
The Pueblo Tribes had the right to remove the buildings because of their special legal status. The demolition was seen as a "spiritual cleansing" for the Pueblo people. This was important after many years of attending boarding schools that tried to change their culture. The new school buildings were designed to bring back and celebrate their culture.
The rebuilding project was a team effort between Flintco Construction and ASCG. To make the school feel more like home, SFIS added fireplaces to the dorms and classrooms. They hoped this would help students feel less homesick and stay in school.
Today, SFIS has 624 students in grades 7-12. About 155 students travel to school each day, and 469 live in the dorms. The school is currently 54% girls and 46% boys. The Nineteen Pueblo Tribes were very involved in designing the new school. They made sure the buildings looked like traditional Pueblo architecture. The buildings are arranged around a central plaza, like a Pueblo village. This design was made to help students feel comfortable.
The project had nineteen owners, one from each Pueblo Tribe. Even though they sometimes had different ideas, their teamwork made the project better. Joseph Abeyta, who was the Director of SFIS at the time, felt that these new buildings were a chance to truly make the school their own. They wanted the school to "reflect and sustain their culture." This goal was met through the adobe-style buildings, fireplaces in dorms, and round rooms meant to encourage spirituality. All these features create the SFIS we see today.
How SFIS is Governed
There are 19 Native American pueblos in New Mexico. These pueblos choose a board of seven members, and this board is in charge of running the school.
SFIS Education Goals
The main goal of SFIS is to educate students by setting clear goals for them. This education is built on a strong foundation of Native American culture. The school aims to be a key place for developing Native American students and their communities. SFIS works closely with tribal communities and parents, which is a very important part of the school experience. SFIS is always looking for new ways to teach and wants to use more technology in its plans.
Agriscience Program
One important program is called Agriscience. This program works with several Pueblo communities. Students learn about farming and agriculture by visiting communities regularly. They learn about their culture and science while also practicing how to design and manage farming systems that are good for the environment.
Senior Honors Project
Another program is the Senior Honors Project (SHP). This project teaches high school seniors important skills. Students use these skills to help solve problems in their communities. For example, Victoria Atencio's project, "Honoring Mother Earth," looked at ways to reduce our impact on Earth. She explored traditional methods and renewable energy sources to help communities become more sustainable. She also worked with the school's Green Team to teach other students about eco-friendly choices.
School Campus
The school has dorms where both middle and high school students can live.
