'Kill the Indian, Save the Man': Indigenous Representation in South Dakota Education

South Dakota is a state with deep ties to Indigenous history and culture. Despite this, most K-12 educators do not teach much about Indigenous traditions and values, and there are few options for Native American students to learn about their own heritage outside of tribal-run schools. The state also has a history of boarding and residential schools meant to assimilate Indigenous children into white society through the erasure of their history, in what some boarding school supporters called an attempt to "kill the Indian, save the man," a phrase coined by Brigadier General Richard Henry Pratt, the founder of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in the late 19th century.

In this project, Jordan Rusche explores how both Native and non-Native educators are addressing the historic and modern roadblocks to better representation and working to preserve Indigenous values and culture for students. She also looks at what these roadblocks are and the roles they play in public schools, education departments, and the state legislature.