Away from Home: American Indian Boarding School Stories
Beginning in the 1870s, the US government attempted to educate and assimilate American Indians into “civilized” society by placing children—of all ages, from thousands of homes and hundreds of diverse tribes—in distant, residential boarding schools. Many were forcibly taken from their families and communities and stripped of all signs of “Indianness,” even forbidden to speak their own language amongst themselves. Up until the 1930s, students were trained for domestic work and trade in a highly regimented environment. Many children went years without familial contact, and these events had a lasting, generational impact.
Native Americans responded to the often tragic boarding school experience in complex and nuanced ways. Stories of student resistance, accommodation, creative resolve, devoted participation, escape, and faith in one’s self and heritage speak individually across eras. Some families, facing increasingly scarce resources due to land dispossession and a diminishing way of life at home, sent their children to boarding schools as a refuge from these realities. In the variety of reactions, Ojibwe historian Brenda Childs finds that the “boarding school experience was carried out in public, but had an intensely private dimension.”
Unintended outcomes, such as a sense of “Pan Indianism” and support networks, grew and flourished on campuses, and advocates demanded reform. Boarding schools were designed to remake American Indians but it was American Indians who changed the schools. After graduation, some students became involved in tribal political office or the formation of civil rights and Native sovereignty organizations. The handful of federal boarding schools remaining today embrace Indigenous heritage, languages, traditions, and culture.
This exhibition explores off-reservation boarding schools in its kaleidoscope of voices. Visitors will explore compelling photographs, artwork, interviews, interactive timelines, and immersive environments, including classroom and dormitory settings. Objects such as a period barber chair and a young Seminole girl’s skirt, as well as reproduction elements poignantly illuminate first-person accounts. Stories of tragedy and familial love and friendships intersect. Experiences of gaining things useful and beautiful out of education, despite a formidable, fifty-year agenda that mostly maligned Native American capabilities, call us closer; each trial, each turning of power seeded in human survival, strengthening Indigenous identity.
This exhibition was adapted from the permanent exhibition Away from Home: American Indian Boarding School Stories, organized by The Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona. Both the original exhibit and this touring version were supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Tour Schedule
Away from Home: American Indian Boarding School Stories is touring from September 2020 through April 2025. Dates are subject to change; please contact us for current availability.
Contact: MoreArt@maaa.org or (800) 473-3872, ext. 208
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September 1–October 20, 2020
Mid-America All-Indian Center
Wichita, KS booked -
January 28–March 16, 2021
Irving Archives and Museum
Irving, TX booked -
April 6–May 25, 2021
Clatsop County Historical Society
Astoria, OR booked -
June 16–August 11, 2021
Everhart Museum of Natural History, Science, and Art
Scranton, PA booked -
September 1–October 20, 2021
Dennos Museum Center
Traverse City, MI booked -
November 10, 2021–January 7, 2022
Tomaquag Museum
Exeter, RI booked -
January 28–March 16, 2022
James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art
St. Petersburg, FL booked -
April 6–May 25, 2022
Goodhue County Historical Society
Red Wing, MN booked -
June 16–August 11, 2022
Manitowoc Public Library
Manitowoc, WI booked -
September 1–October 20, 2022
Mountain Heritage Center
Cullowhee, NC booked -
November 10, 2022–January 7, 2023
El Paso Museum of History
El Paso, TX booked -
January 28–March 16, 2023
Johnson County Museum
Overland Park, KS booked -
April 6–May 25, 2023
Sheridan Indian High School, Autry Museum of the American West
Los Angeles, CA booked -
June 16–August 11, 2023
Louisiana Old State Capitol
Baton Rouge, LA booked -
September 1–October 20, 2023
Refurbishment at Mid-America Arts Alliance
Kansas City, MO booked -
November 10, 2023–January 7, 2024
Historical & Cultural Society of Clay County
Moorhead, MN booked -
January 28–March 16, 2024
Tarrant County College
Fort Worth, TX booked -
April 6–May 25, 2024
Western Heritage Center
Billings, MT booked -
June 16–August 11, 2024
Community Memorial Museum of Sutter
Yuba City, CA booked -
September 1–October 20, 2024
Upcountry History Museum
Greenville, SC booked -
November 10, 2024–January 7, 2025
Chandler Museum
Chandler, AZ booked -
January 28–March 16, 2025
Aurora Univeristy
Aurora, IL booked -
April 6 - August 11, 2025
Chickasaw Cultural Center
Sulpher, OK pending
Exhibition Details & Specifications
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Curated By
Janet Cantley, curator, Heard Museum
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Organized By
Heard Museum, Phoenix, Arizona -
Content
The exhibition will feature several freestanding units focused on thematic areas; a collection of objects, artifacts, photographs, and paper ephemera; audio/video features; interactive elements; semi-immersive environment settings; and wall-mounted banners and graphics.
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Duration
7-week display
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Rental Fee
$3,000
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Grant
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Support
On-site support is free to the opening venue for every new NEH on the Road exhibition and to first-time hosting venues on a limited basis.
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Shipping:
Expense covered by NEH on the Road. Exhibitor will coordinate with NEH on the Road's registrar for all outgoing transportation arrangements.
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Security
Limited
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Square Feet
Approximately 2,000 square feet
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Number of Crates/Total Weight
TBD
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Insurance
The exhibition is fully insured by NEH on the Road at no additional expense to you, both while installed and during transit.
Downloads & Resources
Click HERE to view and download the Factsheet for Away from Home: American Indian Boarding School Stories.