Examines the origin and development of Indian orphanages, showing how the concept of orphan-entirely foreign to traditional native kinship networks-found a place in native culture as tribally supported orphanages became just one of the many profound changes brought by Euro-American contact. The first book to deal exclusively with Indian orphanages.
"A well-written, interesting, and important contribution to the fields of Indian history and Indian education." - American Historical Review "A major contribution to the understanding of how Indian orphanages came to exist and why Native American families turned to them. A must read for all Native American scholars and students." - American Studies "A sensitive and pathbreaking contribution." - Great Plains Quarterly "An original and well-written account." - David Wallace Adams, author of Education for Extinction: American Indians and the Boarding School Experience, 1875-1928"
