Native American children

Tribes affected: Pantribal

Significance: American Indian children, reared with love and gentle guidance to respect nature, their elders, and tribal customs, were an integral part of the community.

Children born into traditional American Indian societies represented part of the never-ending chain of life, and their births were greeted with community pride. The sometimes dangerous nature of Indian life increased the importance of children and made high birthrates common. Considered a gift from sacred forces, children entered the physical world under the guidance and protection of a spiritual guide, and a child’s name reflected the qualities of that guide (an adult name would frequently be taken at puberty or when a major accomplishment was noted).

Early Years

For most Indian children, the first year of life was spent strapped to a cradleboard. These rigid carriers could be fastened to the mother’s back, stuck upright in the ground, or attached to horse packs. Once out of the cradleboard, children were allowed to discover their world freely. Although welcomed and cherished, babies represented a potential danger to the tribe: Crying children might reveal the tribe’s position to enemies. Therefore, it became a common practice among some tribes (as among the Cheyenne and Sioux) to pinch babies’ nostrils to quiet them. Infants were often nursed up to the age of four, helping to create a strong bond between mother and child.

Children flourished in a world surrounded by love and gentle care. Strong extended-family ties brought loving guidance and stability into the child’s life. Toilet training was not stressed; children frequently remained naked until four or five years of age, and in some cases, such as the Algonquian peoples, children were occasionally naked until age ten.

Under the direction of their mothers, Indian children were taught the beauties of nature and a deep respect for their elders. Many hours were spent with their elders, especially grandparents, learning tribal history and myths. Children were the key to the future, and elders sought to instill in them the tribe’s ancient traditions. Since survival was directly related to what was available and useful from their surroundings, children were directed from an early age to take only what they absolutely needed from Mother Earth.

Preparing for Puberty

Around the age of five, children began to learn the practical knowledge needed for adult life. Tribal society could not tolerate unproductive members, so even small children contributed by picking berries, hunting small game, and assisting their families in chores. Young girls erected miniature tipis and learned through imitating their mothers’ daily routine, such as preparing food, caring for smaller children, and tanning hides. Tending small gardens also helped eastern Indian girls learn to grow crops. After the introduction of the horse in Native American culture, young boys learned to ride early in life. In addition, competitive sports taught the boys vital warrior qualities such as self-sufficiency, strength, endurance, and accuracy in the hunt. Adults encouraged this education, which would prepare children for their future tribal roles.

Art was also an important element of this stage of childhood. Mothers passed down their talents in painting, weaving, and Native American beadwork. Both sexes grew up around religious and social forms of Native American music and song. Boys began to learn the drum music associated with tribal ceremonies, while girls learned chants and lullabies. Children were also taught the ceremonial dances of their tribe.

Discipline

Discipline among the Indian people was based on respect. Children were born by the good graces of the spirit world, and physical punishment was rare. Many tribes feared that this form of discipline would cause children’s souls to depart from their body and thus harm their personality and health. Instead, discipline typically consisted of verbal reprimands designed to teach a lesson. Even with a societal preference for avoiding corporal punishment, however, some children faced harsh treatment, including beatings, scarring from hot stones, or public lashings for severe offenses.

The responsibility of disciplining children was often undertaken by other family members or tribal elders, who interceded on the parents’ behalf. Storytelling and legends were frequently used to shape the character of young minds and to teach the difference between good and evil. For example, the Apache told of Mountain Spirits that dictated proper behavior, while the Hopi related tales of the Soyoko (a “boogeyman” type of figure) to persuade children to follow a moral code. Some parents used disguised tribesmen to educate children about expected behavior. Often representing supernatural spirits, these dressed-up tribesmen warned, frightened, or, in rare cases, even whipped disobedient children.

Modern Indian Children

Reservation life threatened the existence of American Indian culture. Forced into an unfamiliar, constricted way of life and facing the loss of their freedom, tribe members had to find new means to pass their culture on to the next generation. Tribal elders encouraged children to carry on the ancient rituals (sometimes with revisions) and to maintain the tribal bloodline.

The art of hunting became increasingly difficult to teach, as game was scarce on the reservations; children spent less time in nature and more time in school. With schools, post-contact education of children was more formal than pre-contact education. The skills and values emphasized during the pre-reservation period, such as self-sufficiency, had to be taught through planned events instead of everyday activities. Many tribes found it hard to maintain their ancient traditions while living in an increasingly modern world. As a result, many tribes lost touch with their heritage. Revivals in the late twentieth century, however, have created new awareness of tribal traditions and customs.

Bibliography

Coles, Robert. Eskimos, Chicanos, Indians: Children of Crisis. Vol. 4. Boston: Little, Brown, 1977.

Driver, Harold E. Indians of North America. 1961. Rev. ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1969.

Erdoes, Richard. The Sun Dance People. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1972.

Gill, Sam D. Dictionary of Native American Mythology. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-Clio, 1992.

Lowie, Robert H. Indians of the Plains. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1954.

White, Jon Manchip. Everyday Life of the North American Indian. New York: Holmes & Meier, 1979.