Stealing Little Moon: The Legacy of the American Indian Boarding Schools

Gr 4-6–The Jones family was present through the entire existence of the Chilocco Indian Agricultural School, from the 1885 opening to its 1985 closing. Covering four generations of a Native Ponca Nation family, memories and accounts are recited from the family’s painful boarding school legacy. Each generation had to adjust to its new life of rules, punishments, and loneliness, taken miles away from their homes. Over the course of the century, what was permissible in standards for this schooling had changed for the better with efforts led by Native advocates. With content and themes of assault and colonial violence, Jones respectfully portrays the lived and intense experience inflicted on his and so many other Native families. Embedded through the chapters are short snapshots of a mentioned key event or person, giving larger context and details. Black-and-white photographs provide a visual element, from Tribal Leaders and Heroes to Chilocco’s campus over the years. With this book, readers will enhance their critical thinking skills, reflect on systemic mistreatment, develop diverse discussions, and appreciate the power of culture and family.