Outing system

Definition

The outing system was a policy implemented in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, aimed at assimilating Native American children by placing them in white families or boarding schools to be raised and educated outside their tribal communities. This system was part of a larger federal Indian policy focused on eradicating Indigenous cultures and integrating Native Americans into mainstream American society. The outing system sought to remove children from their cultural roots, promoting Western values and lifestyles at the expense of Native traditions.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The outing system was particularly prominent in the 1870s to the early 1900s, coinciding with broader efforts to assimilate Native Americans into white society.
2. Children placed in the outing system were often taken from their families and communities, leading to significant trauma and disruption of cultural transmission.
3. The families that took in Native American children were typically white settlers who were paid by the government to provide care, education, and assimilation.
4. Many children placed in this system faced harsh treatment, neglect, or abuse, further compounding the negative impact of being removed from their cultural environment.
5. The outing system reflects a broader pattern of federal Indian policy that prioritized assimilation over the preservation of Native American identities and cultures.

Review Questions

• How did the outing system reflect the goals of federal Indian policy during its implementation?
  • The outing system embodied the federal government's goal of assimilation by forcibly removing Native American children from their families and cultures. This policy aimed to instill Euro-American values and behaviors in these children, effectively severing their ties to Indigenous traditions. The overarching intention was to integrate Native Americans into mainstream society, often at the expense of their cultural identity.
• Evaluate the social and psychological impacts of the outing system on Native American communities.
  • The outing system had profound social and psychological consequences for Native American communities. By taking children away from their families, it disrupted cultural transmission and community cohesion. The trauma experienced by these children often resulted in lasting psychological effects, including feelings of loss, identity confusion, and disconnection from their heritage. This dislocation contributed to generational trauma within Indigenous populations.
• Critically assess how the outing system can be understood as a form of cultural genocide in relation to its long-term effects on Native American identities.
  • The outing system can be viewed as a form of cultural genocide because it systematically aimed to erase Indigenous cultures by severing children's connections to their heritage. By prioritizing assimilation and imposing Western values, it undermined the very foundations of Native American identities. The long-term effects include not only the loss of cultural knowledge and practices but also a legacy of trauma that continues to affect Native communities today. Understanding this context highlights the importance of recognizing historical injustices when addressing contemporary issues facing Native Americans.

Related terms

Indian boarding schools: Institutions established by the U.S. government to educate Native American children in a way that enforced assimilation into Euro-American culture.

Dawes Act: A law passed in 1887 aimed at assimilating Native Americans by allotting them individual plots of land and granting them U.S. citizenship, which led to significant loss of tribal lands.

Cultural genocide: The systematic destruction of a group's culture, including its language, practices, and identity, often through policies and practices that promote assimilation.