The YMCA at Dickinson and the Carlisle Indian School

Among the various methods used to convert Indians into civilized white citizens at the Carlisle Indian School was “Christianizing” the Indian students by instilling traditional Christian values into all students in the program. A good deal of the student’s religious training was spent attempting to give the students an understanding of the Bible’s stories and messages and to emphasize the value of virtue to the students. Many students seemingly took these messages and values to heart and changed their lives to live in accordance with the Christian values they had learned at the Indian School. Some students took part in the Indian School Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) during their time in Carlisle. At around the same time of the Indian School’s inception, the YMCA at Dickinson College was slowly starting to expand and cater to the spiritual needs and desires of Dickinson students.

During the time of the Indian Industrial Schools, the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) viewed the Indians at these schools in the same light as they viewed American college students. That is, to make young Indian boys into strong men with an endowed sense of self and connections that will help him succeed in the futures. The Association sought to strengthen its member’s moral and religious fiber and help the Indian Schools meet their educational and social assimilation goals. At the Carlisle Indian School (CIS), the YMCA’s influence was lauded by school Superintendent Friedman who wished that the YMCA’s activities could be expanded. As evidence of the YMCA’s positive influence on the students of the CIS, Friedman highlights a number of successful graduates of the school that were active members in the YMCA during there time at the CIS. These graduates include prominent business individuals as well as important government officials. These facts demonstrate that the YMCA at the school was able to positively shape the future of almost three hundred graduates of the CIS by 1910.

Photos of the YMCA at the Carlisle Indian School

Members of the Carlisle Indian School YMCA in 1910 Link title