As
generations of residents learned, hair and costume were primary targets for
adults intent on socializing the younger generation to their customs. Usually
soon after entering a school, the males would have their hair cut, though
not always as short as some at the Brocket school. The ultimate reflection
of the 'civilizing' process was uniformity of grooming and dress. Frequently,
students wore a common uniform, he overall goal of which was to have young
adults groomed and dressed to look indistinguishable from middle-class adolescents
from urban Canada. The 1900 annual report of the Department of Indian Affairs
contained a poignant studio photograph of what was said to be an Indian father,
downcast and dressed in traditional style, and his three children, whose school
outfits and short hair left the message that the Oblate school at Lebret was
doing a good job of assimilating or 'civilizing' the Plains people.
"The Means of Wiping Out the Whole Indian Establishment"
Race and Assimilation
Page 4 of 13