Orange Shirt Day
September 30th is Orange Shirt Day. It is the commemoration of an event that happened in 1973 where a six-year old arrived at a boarding school for indigenous kids. Their orange shirt, a gift from their grandmother, was stripped away and never returned. Likewise, many children were stripped away from their families and never returned. We were reminded of that this week as we watched the journey of Emily Edenshaw to Carlisle, Pennsylvania to bring home the remains of her uncle Edward Angelook, who died at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in 1905. He was one of the up to 10,500 children brought to Carlisle and sadly, one of hundreds who died there, often of preventable disease, malnourishment, and abuse all while hearing the school’s motto of “Kill the Indian, save the man.”
We are thankful that Carlisle, and the many other government and church-run boarding schools are now closed, repatriation efforts are underway, and Indigenous kids are no longer stolen from their families to be sent far away to have their family, language, and culture systematically snatched away from them. However, in a way, what has replaced these efforts, while less deadly, is no less insidious and are no less effective at denying the birthrights of culture, community, and connection to our Indigenous children. This past week, on Kodiak, students lined up ready to take school pictures. Among them was a student wearing a Kanaglluk (gut skin vest). He was told by the photographer to remove it because it wouldn’t look good and was not appropriate. In that moment, the spirit of Carlisle hung in the air as once again someone affiliated with the system carried on its work. An Indigenous student was once again meant to feel less than, to feel shame in their culture, to change themselves to conform. Whether this was a mistake made out of pure ignorance or malicious intent is of little consequence as the damage is done. Another generation entered school with a desire to learn, and what they were taught was that they are inferior for expressing their true selves.
YWCA Alaska stands with all students in their Constitutionally protected right to express themselves and specifically with our Indigenous students’ right to represent the priceless cultures of Alaska’s Native People. We applaud the quick action taken by school administrators to correct the issue directly. We call on all schools to openly and proudly welcome the wearing of Indigenous regalia in pictures, in class, and at ceremonies such as graduation. These cultures pre-date the school and the nation. They have a rightful place in our communities. While there are many countries who consider themselves melting pots, the United States is the only country where that melting pot includes these 500 tribes, including over 200 in Alaska. These people and their cultures are an integral part of what makes Alaska special, and for that, we should openly welcome them into our public spaces, including schools.
Until Justice Just Is,
YWCA Alaska’s Advocacy Committee