Catholic carecl1ism class. We were rold our parents belonged ro the Catholic Church and therefore we belonged ro char church roo.
Many boarding schools that Native American children were forced to attend were run by the Catholic church and had the goal of proselytizing in mind as well as forced assimilation of Native children into the white majority culture.
Y/e would shower in the dormitory basement rwice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays; at home, we had bathed more frequently.
The Sioux people had higher standards of hygiene than white people at the time, and many whites back then believed that children would "catch cold" if they bathed too often.
We called rhe board rhe "ape scick"; it was about eighteen inches long, three-quarrers of an inch thick wich holes drilled into it.
A typical paddle as historically used for corporal punishment in schools, still seen today in public schools in some states.
She looked familiar, like I knew her. I felr drawn to her-she had a warm smile-but as she got closer, I beca rnc frightened. I wanted ro borb run and stay, so I hid behind my brother. Ben turned to me exclaiming: "\Valter, ir's Mom! Jc's Mom1"
Littlemoon recalls how after some time in the boarding school he had trouble recognizing his own mother. This was likely due to the effects of the abuse as well as those associated with institutionalization.