Totem Poles, Teepees, and Token Traditions: 'Playing Indian' at Ontario Summer Camps, 1920-1955

Abstract

In a broad sense, summer camp was hailed as a recreation of 'the Indian way of life,' a place where (mainly) white children learned 'to live like Indians' during the summer months. This article explores this curious cultural phenomenon and concludes that the camp's Indian programming had little to do with honouring or even understanding Aboriginal peoples and more to do with seeking a balm for the non-Native experience of modernity. Drawing on recent scholarship on antimodernism, 'playing Indian,' and child-rearing, it suggests that a racialized form of antimodernism expressed itself at camp, as did modern infatuation with questions of childhood, identity, and race. Dans un sens large, le camp d'été était acclamé comme un retour au mode de vie des Indiens, un lieu où des enfants blancs (pour la plupart) apprenaient à vivre comme des Indiens pendant les mois d'été. Cet article explore ce curieux phénomène culturel et conclut que la thématique indienne des camps d'été n'avait pas grand chose à voir avec la commémoration ni même la compréhension des peuples autochtones, mais qu'il s'agissait plutôt de la recherche d'un remède à l'expérience vécue par les non-autochtones à l'égard de la modernité. À la lumière d'études récentes sur l'antimodernisme, la tendance à « jouer aux indiens » et l'éducation des enfants, cet article révèle qu'une forme d'antimodernisme axée sur la race s'est exprimée à travers les camps d'été, parallèlement à l'engouement moderne pour des questions comme l'enfance, l'identité et la race.

Decolonizing youth development: re-imagining youthwork for indigenous youth futures

“…Arrival at the program, with its rituals and solemn council circles, transported the participant into the realm of the Indian past. There, boy participants were provided an opportunity to wear breech cloths and face-paint, build teepees and indulge savage instincts through “games of scalping” (Wall, 2005, p. 525). They engaged in the production of Indian crafts like instruments of war and drums (YMCA, 1936, pp.…”

“…Programs like the Woodcraft Indians, YMCA summer camps, Indian Guides, Boy Scouts and Campfire Girls 3 sought to develop boys and girls by playing Indian (P. J. DeLoria, 1998) -mimicking pan-Indian activities like: dressing up in costume, making camp, learning Indian nature lore and enacting tribal ceremonies (Campfire Girls, 1920;Seton, 1907). These programs often borrowed carelessly and at times, simply invented tribal culture and practices (Wall, 2005). Arrival at the program, with its rituals and solemn council circles, transported the participant into the realm of the Indian past.…”