American Indian Students at the Northfield Mount Hermon School
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University of New Hampshire University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository Doctoral Dissertations Student Scholarship Spring 2009 Bridging cultures: American Indian students at the Northfield Mount Hermon School Kathryn A. Askins University of New Hampshire, Durham Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation Recommended Citation Askins, Kathryn A., "Bridging cultures: American Indian students at the Northfield Mount Hermon School" (2009). Doctoral Dissertations. 467. https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation/467 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. BRIDGING CULTURES: AMERICAN INDIAN STUDENTS AT THE NORTHFIELD MOUNT HERMON SCHOOL BY KATHRYN A. ASKINS BS, Franklin Pierce College, 1982 MA, University of Arizona, 1999 DISSERTATION Submitted to the University of New Hampshire in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History May, 2009 UMI Number: 3363711 Copyright 2009 by Askins, Kathryn A. INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI® UMI Microform 3363711 Copyright 2009 by ProQuest LLC All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ©2009 Kathryn A. Askins This dissertation has been examined and approved. Dissertation Director, Lucy Salyer, Assoc. Professor of History J. William Harris, Professor of History Kurk Dorsey, Assoc. Professor of History Siobhan Senier, Assoc. Professor of English Mary Jo Tippeconnic Fox, Assoc. Professor, American Indian Studies, University of Arizona Date ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS When I embarked upon my graduate studies, I intended to invest two years in obtaining my Masters degree in American Indian Studies, period. But, sometime during my second semester at the University of Arizona, I revised my plans to include a Ph.D. Two years of graduate study turned into eleven, and although the journey has been challenging at times, I do not regret the trip. Along the way I learned that my love of overcoming objections in a sales situation was transferable to teaching - "selling" the notion that history is more than dates and events; it is about people. I found that students do appreciate dedication to and passion for a discipline, and they have rewarded me with enthusiastic class participation and assurances that after taking my class, they no longer "hate history." I am so fortunate to have had these experiences, and, just as history is about people, so is my journey. Beginning close to home, I wish to formally thank my husband, children, and grandchildren for their unwavering support. Yes, Nana will finally be writing something other than the dissertation and you will be able to use the computer in my office once again. Next, I wish to announce that the recipients of the "Helping to Keep Me Sane" award are Dick and Sandra Tessier in light of their generosity in allowing me the use of their lake house. I have fond memories of writing chapters one and two during lovely fall days, and celebrating the Red Sox win in 2004 (by myself), as well as the unpleasant realization that over 100 pages of writing added nothing to my argument and were doomed for elimination. As you read this Dick and Sandra, I hope you find that I have added to the body of knowledge in American Indian education. IV To my teaching mentors and sounding boards, Professors Lige Gould, Kurk Dorsey, and Lucy Salyer: I so enjoyed working with you as your Teaching Assistant (and for some of you more than once). Not only did you show me, by example, how to be a better teacher, you also were generous in overlooking my need to laminate. Thank you to my dissertation committee members, Professors Lucy Salyer, J. William Harris, Kurk Dorsey, Siobhan Senier, and Mary Jo Tippeconnic Fox, for your time and patience through this long, long, long, process. I did not intend for life to get in the way of progress, and although I am probably not your first problem child, I do hope I am the last. To Ellen Fitzpatrick: I would not have finished this project without your encouragement and kind words. The emails you sent are still pinned to my office wall and, no doubt, they will be read as I tackle my next project. And, a special thank you to Mary Jo Tippeconnic Fox, my inspiration for this project: all of this began with you. The financial support provided by the Darrett and Anita Rutman Fellowship from the Department of History, the two Summer Teaching Assistant Fellowships and the Dissertation Year Fellowship provided by the Graduate School offset all of the travel expenses of driving and flying around the country for interviews and archival research, and allowing me to set aside large blocks of time to convert ideas to words on paper. To Peter Weis, NMH Archivist: you are one of the most generous and patient men I have ever met. Thank you for allowing me the months required to comb the archives for the information I needed, and thank you for only smiling when I shook with sheer joy at first touching a letter written by Henry Roe Cloud. Thanks also to the staffs of Yale Divinity School, Baker Library at Dartmouth College, the Indian Archives Division of the Oklahoma Historical Society and the Moody Bible Institute for their help and cooperation. Lastly I wish to extend my deep appreciation to those graduates of NMH who agreed to speak with me. Your stories are a vital part of the history of D. L. Moody's v schools, and your willingness to relate your experiences may encourage others to do so in the future. You are inspirational, and I thank you so very much. PREFACE In 1989 our family celebrated the graduation of our younger daughter, Grechen, from the Northfield Mount Hermon School. After four years of rigorous study, Grechen recalls her experience as "the best decision we ever made." It was a gratifying statement, because that was not how she had always felt. The first year was trying. She called home several times a week during her first semester, crying that she was homesick, that she did not like her roommate, that the days were long and tiring. She wanted to be with her friends and in familiar surroundings. Those phone conversations were heart rending, but we held firm, hoping that NMH was the right choice. Grechen was intelligent and we believed she would do well in an environment in which being a good student was expected. Grechen was also shy and quiet. After the admissions interview - during which she was aloof and minimally responsive - we were encouraged to postpone matriculation until the following year, because the Director felt Grechen was not ready for campus life. We insisted that she join the freshmen class. It was the right decision. Grechen's time at NMH exposed her to experiences she would not have had locally. She had exceptional teachers, devoted to their students; she met people from various social and economic backgrounds, and she made life-long friends. Her classmates were from South Africa, Haiti, Asia, and Iran; they were Native Americans, children of diplomats, and the sons and daughters of local residents. The diversity of the student body was invigorating. It opened our daughter's eyes to world issues, politics, new perspectives/and humanity. It was not until 1997 that I began to look at NMH from a new perspective. I was a Master's student at the University of Arizona's American Indian Studies Programs, enrolled vii in a course entitled "The History of American Indian Education," taught by Professor Mary Jo Tippeconnic Fox. One project required research on an American Indian boarding school, and although I was aware that American Indian students had attended NMH for several decades, I was uncertain of the exact dates. I contacted my friend Sally Holland, who had worked in the NMH Development Office from 1983 to 1986, and she informed me that Native students had been present for nearly 120 years, which meant the school had accepted students since the beginning of the boarding school "era." Why? Who were the students, and from where did they originate? How did they know about the Northfield Schools? How long did they stay? What did they do after they left? How were their experiences different from those of enrollees at federal boarding schools? How did more recent graduates feel about attending a boarding school? The questions kept growing, along with my curiosity. I spent a week at the NMH archives - just enough to raise more questions, not only about the students, but about the schools' founder, D.L. Moody. The presentation at U of A on my limited research on NMH went well. With team members Becky Akins and Kara Gniewek, we reported to our class and Professor Fox on a different kind of boarding school. That was the beginning. I had to learn more, but little was written about the school and even less about its Native American students, I spoke to anyone who would listen about my fascination with NMH and its connection with Indian Country.