Past Pride of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School
A black and white image with 4 rows of 28 young adults. The 13 girls wear white blouses and have their hair up. The 15 boys wear military style buttoned coats. The image is titled “GRADUATING CLASS OF 1906”.
Listening to Pictures: Understanding the Legacy of the CIIS Through Sound
Our course “Listening Across Cultures” has taught us how we can better understand the world around us through music and sound. Taking a sonic approach to the archival history of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School offers a unique lens into how sound was used in the forced assimilation of Indigenous children into white, American society. For our final project, our group analyzed two objects the school produced: a commencement program from 1906 and a booklet of songs titled ‘Songs and Yells’. While upon first thought, these items may seem like innocent pieces of memorabilia from when the school was active, the commencement program and song booklet reveal the true horrors the Carlisle Indian Industrial School committed against Indigenous culture through their ‘education’ of Native children. When examining these objects, we were reminded of Edward Said’s argument of Orientalism that the acquisition of knowledge is not innocent. With Said in mind, we have to look at these objects with a critical eye: to understand what kind of narrative the school was working to produce at the expense of their students and their Indigeneity. This project rejects the propaganda assimilationist projects produce. It encouraged us to not read what ‘stories of success’ the school produced, but listen to the sounds students were subjected to: the English language, Sousa’s marches, English-American songs and question how sound was used in the school.
Commencement Program- 1906
Dickinson College’s archives house a collective of artifacts from the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. The preservation of these objects is essential so that we may reconcile with history and the everlasting effects of the school. One of the objects examined for this specific assignment was a commencement program from 1906. Measured at 23.5 cm by 15.2 cm with 16 pages in total, this black-and-white booklet was printed and distributed to attendees of the 1906 Carlisle Indian Industrial School graduation ceremony.
Physical Description
On the cover, “United States Indian School Carlisle Penn”, pictured below, is printed in bold, stylized script. Framed by a circle is the photograph of a young Indigenous boy. He wears his hair long, a feather poking up from the back of his head, shoulders draped in traditional clothing. The left side of the cover is his realm, the “Indian” before, the undesirable. Illustrated on his half of the page is a bow and arrow, an image of a ‘Plains Indian’ seated near a conical tent (tipi), and a grazing animal. To the right is who we presume to be the same boy after having completed his education at CIIS. He dons a sleek suit jacket and a tie, hair cut short and slicked back. The American flag, tail wrapping around its pole, is printed next to him. Mirroring the tipi on the left is a two story house with two figures out front, maybe depicting students on campus? The visual language suggests that Indigeneity is something uncivilized and wild to be tamed and groomed into Western conformity. By ‘reading’ cover from left to right, the cover alludes to the “civilizing” process students at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School undergo as part of their education. It feels like a “before and after” ad, a testament to the success of the school. The cover illustrates the mission of the school: to assimilate Indigenous children into the white American mainstream. It communicates Pratt’s project to “kill the Indian and save the man” as a visual narrative.
Black and white image. On the Left an image of a child in Native American regalia sits next to a bow and a quiver of arrows. Below is a drawing of a Tipi on a plane. On the right, an image of a young man in a suit and short hair sits beside a stylized American Flag. Below the young man is a two-story house with stairs and a path. Between the two images of the young man are the words “United States Indian School Carlisle Penn.”. There is gilding and fluting surrounding the drawings of the homes.
My group and I chose the Carlisle Indian Industrial School’s 1906 commencement program because it encapsulated what the school aimed to celebrate: the success of assimilation culminated in the graduation ceremony as detailed in their commencement booklet. We were surprised to find the page where the students’ names are listed to include their tribe. Given that the goal of Pratt’s project, like other residential schools, was to westernize and integrate Indigenous children into the ‘homogenous, white American identity’, why would the school print their students’ tribe of origin? Why would the students’ native identity be printed, or even acknowledged? Especially at their graduation?
The creator of this object is not stated. We can assume they were affiliated with the school, maybe a student committee or administrator responsible for assembling a series of photos and highlights from the academic year. If the commencement booklet was organized by students, most likely a staff member concerned with the representation of the school, or a school administrator had to give their approval for the booklet to be published.
The page is titled “GRADUATING CLASS, 1906”. The list of graduates is broken into 4 rows which detail the names and tribes of the students from the previous page. On the bottom left of the page, the school colors of blue and white are listed. On the bottom right, the motto “WE WIN BY LABOR AND SACRIFICE” is listed.
Analysis of Content
The audience would be presumed to be those in attendance of the year’s graduation and perhaps memorabilia for the graduates. The front-page illustration depicts a change or transformation that had occurred in the students in their time at the school, which was a celebratory matter for onlookers and supporters. Because graduation and commencement are such standards in the United States education system, these assumptions are based on the meaning of the rituals or how we perceive them in the present. According to multiple other documents found in the archives, some people who were on the invite list to commencement were those who helped facilitate the student’s “integration” in the outing system. These people were those who housed students when learning about living in what was perceived the correct and productive way in American society. There are also invitations sent by Pratt to writers and various others, encouraging them to come and visit on commencement to see the work that has been done. However, there are no formal guest sheets or precedents that had been set that would tell us who was without a doubt at graduation. This is clearly one of many ways which Pratt used the school and the students to advertise his ideology and strategy for “killing the Indian and saving the man” as he famously said. These programs would have been distributed for those attending most likely upon arrival to the school. The commencement programs allowed for attendees to be able to bear witness to what the graduates had been doing over the course of their enrollment along with honoring and congratulating the seniors. It also kept them on a schedule for the celebrated days; and of course, celebrate Pratt and his administration.
The commencement program worked as an itinerary for the commencement weekend but also worked to show the work that had been done; it works like what we now use yearbooks for. The programs differ from the standard programs that are passed out at such events in current times. It not only included a schedule but also commemorates events from the year and also the seniors and their completion. The program demonstrated a celebratory tone with the language used but also the inclusion of aspects such as the class motto, “we win by labor and sacrifice” (2). While the programs were likely given to those attending commencement, it could have also been a keepsake for a graduate to commemorate their time at the school and even more so their graduation from the school. It could have also been kept for the school’s collection.
When looking at the pages of agenda, it is notable to look at the types of events taking place during commencement. The events were very traditional and remain to be perceived as American. There are basketball games, military showcasing, prayer (most likely aligning with Christian doctrine), along with common living practices like housekeeping and farming. The music included is also a way that American ideology was imposed on the students. The school song titled, “Hail to Thee Carlisle”, “The Star-Spangled Banner”, and “America” are a few songs that have blatant assimilation intention. They each portray a pride in nationality, while the graduates come from their own nations, along with a pride of the school. This use of song and language was common at the school as a forced mode of assimilation. If these songs were accompanied by the school band, this would have added yet another layer to the presentation. This very idea did make us wonder about other aspects of the packet. On the same page as the song “America” a song titled, “Why I am Proud of My Race”. This among other inclusions such as the images of representation day, which was a photo displaying student in traditional native garb, seems to be embrace of indigeneity which challenges many of our thoughts of the school. In their introduction, Fear-Segal and Rose write that “The force and suggestion of drowning contained in Pratt’s metaphor were not accidental; he believed every necessary measure should be taken to impose “civilization” through total immersion. (Fear-Segal and Rose, 6). Assilmilation was happening at all levels at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School and the music that was learned no exception and calls to the full “drowning”.
This image is titled “THURSDAY AFTERNOON” and includes a list of presentations, speeches, and songs along with the “PRESENTATION OF DIPLOMAS”.
TThis image is titled “COMMENCEMENT PROGRAM 1906”. It is broken into two columns, one titled “WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON” and the other “WEDNESDAY EVENING”. The afternoon activities listed includes drills of various sports and a basketball game. The evening sections includes military calisthenics, a basketball game and a list of music played by the band.
Song and Yells 1910
Its a red cover with a thin rectangular outline. In the rectangle, the title reads “Songs and Yells: U.S. Indian School, Carlisle, Pa.”. Bellow the words is an image of a head with long black hair and a fathered head band.
Physical Description
“Songs and Yells” was published around 1910 (“‘Songs and Yells U. S. Indian School,’ Circa 1910.”). The booklet is small, with only 12 pages. It is 16.2 by 9.9 cm and has a red front and back cover. It is bound by two staples. The front cover is decorated with a thinly outlined rectangle and a stereotypical image of a Native American head with long black hair and feathers. The title, “Songs and Yells: U.S. Indian School, Carlisle, Pa.”, is typed in a serifed font. This font continues to be used throughout the booklet to title songs and denote the “Yells” section. Its possible that this font was chosen to exude an air of importance and age. Immediately inside the the cover is a stamp that is commonly found on prints from CIIS. In side the stamp ar the letters U.S.I.S, which stand for United States Indian School. It is unclear if this stamp was created by the Office of Indian Affairs or the CIIS printing department (Gerencser). The title page credits Claude Maxwell Stauffer, the band director at the time, as the compiler (“Band on Sightseeing Bus in Philadelphia, c. 1910.”). Before the first song, an inscription lists the Carlisle Indian Press, a department of the United State Indian School, as having “executed” of booklet. The booklet includes 10 songs and 6 yells, the lyrics of which are typed in the same font as the inside cover page. Each yell is separated by a letter and the title of each song is followed by the song’s author.
While Claude Maxwell Stauffer compiled the book, he did not author every song. 2 songs are listed as written by Stauffer, 7 were adapted by Stauffer, and one song was written by Glen S Warner. Glen S Warner was an influential football coach at CIIS (“Personnel Folder of Glenn S. Warner.”). The booklet was printed in the school print shop.
We chose this object because it provides insight into how the school wanted to present itself in sports and in front of other schools. It also provides clues into the sounds students were exposed to at school events and is a glimpse into the role of the school band at such events.
Analysis of Content
The songbooks’ intended audience were the people present at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School football games. All students who attended the games were expected to memorize and sing the songs during games so that both their team, the opposing team, and the opposing teams audience could hear it. Numerous school newspapers referenced the school’s songs and yells in connection to football games. The school newspaper “The Red Man and Helper” wrote a piece published in 1907 about the importance and purpose of the songs and yells:
“Those who have not yet learned our school songs and yells had better do so at once for the football season is on again and since it is impossible for all of us to play on the team we can help a great deal by showing our interest in our players; and the best way to do this is by singing and cheering them to victory” (“The Red Man and Helper” 2).
As supported by the evidence from the school newspaper above, the song’s and yell’s purpose was to raise school spirit in the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. This general purpose is articulated in the “Yells” which is a cheer for a player and the CIIS football team which says “Don’t let them through! Don’t let them through! E: Three Rays and [name of player once]” ( Songs and Yells U. S. Indian School). This lyric demonstrates how the yells were mainly used as a way to cheer the football team on to victory, similar to how cheerleaders and cheers function now.
Three yells arranged in alphabetical order from D to F, including lyrics and repetition signals.
It is a song titled “Hail to Thee, Carlisle.”. The booklet lists the C. M. Stauffer as the author.
Other songs were dedicated to the Carlisle Indian Industrial School such as the song “Hail to Thee, Carlisle” In “Hail to Thee, Carlisle” begins with the lyric “Carlisle we love you, yes we do!” (Songs and Yells U. S. Indian School). When the song uses the word “Carlisle” they have shortened the name of the school and are not talking about the town. These lyrics demonstrate how the song expressed admiration towards the school and points to a larger aim of fostering pride and unity in the school. Notably, any reference to the students Native heritage is absent in the song. The song presents a unified and positive view of school and is symbolic of the schools purpose to erase their native identity by replacing it with an identity tied to the school.
Three yells arranged in alphabetical order from A to B, including lyrics, repetition signals, and instrument cues.
Additionally, some of the songs and yells shine a light on the school’s non-Indian perspective that perpetuated “expectations of Indian people that confined these individuals to roles suited more to perpetuating colonial dominance than to transcending it” (Troutman, Introduction 14). The school’s yell takes a different approach to the CIIS’s assimilative purposes by enforcing racial hierarchies. The “Yell” which begins with the shouts “Min-ni-wa-ka! Ka-wa-wi” (Songs and Yells U. S. Indian School) Historically, yells string random syllables together to fit a specific rhyme and meter. These yells are not real words but instead are imitations of Native languages and sounds to fit the yells rhyme (Gerenscer). This appropriation and misrepresentation of Indigenous languages shows how even though Carlisle occasionally did acknowledge indigenous people, it was stereotypical and inaccurate.
It is song titled ” My Wife’s Gone to the Country”. The booklet lists C.M. Stauffer as having adapted the words.
Another example of a harmful stereotype of Indianness is within the song “My Wife’s Gone to Country”. The last lyric says “We aim to take Penn’s scalp today” (Songs and Yells U. S. Indian School). Scalping is the process of removing a human scalp during war and is often solely associated with indigenous scalping of white colonizers. When the song invokes this racialized expectation of indigeneity, it is reinforcing the stereotype of Indigenous “barbarity” and the need to civilize the students at CIIS.
This object was distributed within the students of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School so that everyone in the school could attend the games and cheer on the football team. Everybody in the school was expected to memorize the songs, so it can be assumed that everyone had access to it to be able to learn them. At the beginning of the book it says “This book was executed at The Carlisle Indian Press, a department of the United States Indian School.” The first part of the sentence shows that the book was distributed by the school’s printing press. The second part of this sentence further highlights that the Carlisle Indian Industrial school was a specific part of a larger federal initiative to assimilate Native Americans and how widespread the message was.
This item was saved because it is such a relevant part of the schools culture and school spirit since the songs were sung at every football game and there are multiple references to the songs and yells in different newspapers. It is studied because the songs are written evidence of how the school used music as propaganda to force native students to assimilate Native students through erasing their culture and replacing it with white American culture. This can be seen in the many songs about the school and town which are painted in a celebratory and positive light.
Bibliography
“1906 Commencement Program.” 1906 Commencement Program | Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center, carlisleindian.dickinson.edu/index.php/documents/1906-commencement-program. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
“Band on Sightseeing Bus in Philadelphia, c. 1910.” Band on Sightseeing Bus in Philadelphia, c. 1910 | Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center, carlisleindian.dickinson.edu/images/band-sightseeing-bus-philadelphia-c-1910. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Fear- Segal, Jacqueline, and Susan D. Rose. Carlisle Indian Industrial School : Indigenous Histories, Memories, and Reclamations. University of Nebraska Press, 2016. JacquelineFearS_2016_Introduction_CarlisleIndianIndustr-1.pdf. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
Gerencser, Jim. Personal interview to the archivist. 8 Apr. 2025.
Gerencser, Jim. Email to the archivist. 22 Apr. 2025.
“Invitation to 1902 Commencement for Outing Patrons.” Invitation to 1902 Commencement for Outing Patrons | Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center, carlisleindian.dickinson.edu/documents/invitation-1902-commencement-outing-patrons. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
“Invitation to the 1898 Carlisle Indian School Commencement Exercises.” Invitation to the 1898 Carlisle Indian School Commencement Exercises | Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center, carlisleindian.dickinson.edu/documents/invitation-1898-carlisle-indian-school-commencement-exercises. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
“Personnel Folder of Glenn S. Warner.” Personnel Folder of Glenn S. Warner | Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center, carlisleindian.dickinson.edu/documents/personnel-folder-glenn-s-warner. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
“The Red Man and Helper (Vol. 4, No. 4).” The Red Man and Helper (Vol. 4, No. 4) | Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center, 18 Sept. 1903, carlisleindian.dickinson.edu/publications/red-man-and-helper-vol-4-no-4.
“‘Songs and Yells U. S. Indian School,’ Circa 1910.” “Songs and Yells U. S. Indian School,” circa 1910 | Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center, carlisleindian.dickinson.edu/documents/songs-and-yells-u-s-indian-school-circa-1910. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Troutman, John William. Indian Blues : American Indians and the Politics of Music, 1879-1934.
University of Oklahoma Press, 2009.