In the late 1800s, the United States’ federal government policy or planned action for Native communities was assimilation or integrating Native communities into the American way of life. One way the government set out to do this was by creating Indian schools for re-education. The federal government’s Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) established Indian schools where Native American students could be formally educated and “civilized” through a strict program of Western academics, vocational training in agriculture and manual labor jobs, and Christian religious teachings. Some were on reservations, some off-reservation, some were day schools, some boarding schools and others were church-run, supported by the federal government.

The U.S. government created and/or funded 408 federal Indian boarding schools where students were sent to (some by force) far away from their families and tribal communities.  In 1892, they opened an off reservation boarding school for Native children in Perris, California relocating it in 1903 to the nearby town of Riverside called Sherman Institute. Since then, Sherman Institute (now Sherman Indian High School) has been a school, a home, and at times, a prison. Of the twenty-five off reservation boarding schools established, Sherman is one of four that still remains today. The Autry exhibition Sherman Indian School: 100+ Years of Education and Resilience explores the complex history of one of the last federal off-reservation boarding schools and its influence on generations of Native people.

Educational resources for Sherman Indian School: 100+ Years of Education and Resilience exhibit include videos and primary sources from the exhibit with suggested teaching tips and additional resources from other institutions.