In his letter Williams shares his personal experience of what he went through with the school system. When he began school in 1931 it was located in Camp Ruby, Texas. “One teacher did whip me several times during the short time I was in school at Camp Ruby, but I did not know the reason for being punished…I was not speaking in English.”
[3] Many reservation families did not speak English in their homes, although many adults did know it from when the Missionaries arrived in the area in the 1880s.
“The language barrier has been a great hinderance in the education of the American Indian”
[4]
Starting to learn English, Williams finds himself beginning to enjoy school. Until one day he learns his parents have been told to send him to the reservation school, (i.e., Indian Village School). Eleven students total were moved from Camp Ruby to the Indian Village School but one student was not allowed to attend by the Indian trustees. “I don’t know whether he had ever attended any other school after this bad experience.”
[5]
At the Indian Village School, Williams’ teacher for the first through sixth grade was Mrs. Chambers. After Mrs. Chambers retired and the students were moved to another school building, everything changed “…gradually learning out of books fizzled out. We spent most of the time in the shop making tables and chairs with a so-called Indian design.”
[6] The students also learned silversmith techniques and later the boys, just like the girls, took home economics.
1957: A Kindergarten was established to assist the children for a better education and prepare them for public schools.
[7]
“…there was not any schooling.”
[8]
Williams never went on to finish high school. He blames the chief that persuaded his parents to take him out of the public school because majority of the students were white and spoke English all the time.” I could have learned the English language well and might have gone far in education.”
[9] Clearly there is an interruption and thus a disadvantage given to the students.
“I discovered that there was a belief among the government employees that ‘Indians here were becoming too educated…’ ”
[10]
Education is seen as the key to the Indians' future but many never can even obtain access to the school. It’s not that these students do not want to learn or that they can’t but it merely isn’t allowed. Another example of holding back the Indians from progressing their education occurred in the 1980s. The Reservation is located in the Big Sandy school district but being a small school of 200 students there were less opportunities than at another nearby school, Woodville, which is located in the Livingston school district). At Woodville, “students were establishing better study habits and developing greater interest in the academic values of school.”
[11] As more and more students started to transfer over to Woodville, Big Sandy started to protest. Big Sandy, along with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) argued that the transfers would “affect the ethnic ratio of the school by more than one percent”
[12] This argument came from a black/white desegregation order from a 1970 civil suit.
[13] Once again the students had their schooling interrupted because they were seeking more education than the government officials wanted them to have. Finally, it was decided “If students require academic courses not offered at Big Sandy, they may transfer with TEA approval. This does not apply…to non-academic courses such as sports.”
[14]
Looking at Edward Williams’ school experience and the Alabama-Coushatta Education system, it seems that education is only available to a certain point. If education is the key to their success in today’s world, than why is there a do not cross line, similar to the glass ceiling in the workforce? Today the students do have a school on the reservation or they may attend the public schools nearby.
Written By: Laura Matthews
Endnotes:
[1]
Bulletin of Indian Education. James Ludwell Davis Sylestine Papers. 1990. Education of Alabama-Coushatta Indians. Box 106, Folder 2. Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Page 6.
[2]
Williams, Edward. James Ludwell Davis Sylestine Papers. 1990. Education of Alabama-Coushatta Indians. Box 106, Folder 2. Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
[3]
Williams, Edward. James Ludwell Davis Sylestine Papers.
[4]
Bulletin of Indian Education. James Ludwell Davis Sylestine Papers. Page. 3
[5]
Williams, Edward. James Ludwell Davis Sylestine Papers.
[6]
Williams, Edward. James Ludwell Davis Sylestine Papers.
[7]
Photo obtained from: http://ows.edb.utexas.edu/site/tejano-history-curriculum-project/alabama-coushatta-tribe-visuals.
[8]
Williams, Edward. James Ludwell Davis Sylestine Papers
[9]
Williams, Edward. James Ludwell Davis Sylestine Papers
[10]
Williams, Edward. James Ludwell Davis Sylestine Papers
[11]
Bulletin of Indian Education. James Ludwell Davis Sylestine Papers. Page. 4
[12]
History Repeated in Recent Court Ruling. James Ludwell Davis Sylestine Papers. 1990. Education of Alabama-Coushatta Indians. Box 106, Folder 2. Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
[13]
Woodsman: Indians Denied Transfer To Woodville Schools. James Ludwell Davis Sylestine Papers. 1990. Education of Alabama-Coushatta Indians. Box 106, Folder 2. Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
[14]
Woodsman: Indians Denied Transfer To Woodville Schools. James Ludwell Davis Sylestine Papers.