marianajacobini

This is a book about "cowboys and Indians," from a very unique approach. It describes many of the 19th-century issues and battles that arose as the "white man" pushed the native Americans off their lands and onto reservations. I learned some things in this section that I was not aware of. But all of that is presented as context for a fascinating experiment - the idea of off-reservation boarding schools to educate the Indians. Particularly, the "Carlisle Indian Industrial School" in Pennsylvania is investigated in great detail, with a particular emphasis on the astonishingly successful football team that was formed there. This was during the formative years of college football (early 1900s) when the sport was pretty brutal - frequent serious injuries and even regular fatalities. The Carlisle Indians team was trained to be very disciplined and restrained, and then to be very innovative in the game - they "pioneered" the use of trick plays, misdirections, and the downfield passing game; and they dominated over the "ivy league" schools that were the college powerhouses of that era. We're introduced to one of the most remarkable athletes of all time, an Indian named Jim Thorpe. This is a fascinating look at both some very interesting aspects of American history that I had no idea were related in any way.

2022-10-29 03:40