Pipestone

by Fortunate Eagle

A renowned activist recalls his childhood years in an Indian boarding schoolBest known as a leader of the Indian takeover of Alcatraz Island in 1969, Adam Fortunate Eagle now offers an unforgettable memoir of his years as a young student at Pipestone Indian Boarding School in Minnesota. In this rare firsthand account, Fortunate Eagle lives up to his reputation as a Were all Indian boarding schools the dispiriting places that history has suggested? This book allows readers to decide for themselves.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, History, Indigenous, Biography, Native American, Cultural

212 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2010

Reviews

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading "This Tender Land" (historical fiction), I wanted to learn more about the Indian Boarding Schools. This book "Pipestone:...", is a memoir from a man who spent 10 years living in one of those homes. He and most of his siblings were sent to the school after his Swedish dad died and his mother has run off with another man. As Adam says in the beginning of the book, he has left out some of the more unsavory parts of the time he spent there. Overall, Adam paints a pretty nice picture of his time in the school--plenty of food, fresh air, exercise, friends, caring caretakers and teachers, and freedom to roam in the countryside and the nearby town. The main drawbacks to him were the leather strap punishments and the night time coldness due to the heat being turned off at 9pm every night. He learned many skills there, although it was extreme physical labor.
It seems that even someone with a 1/4 Indian blood could be sent to these reeducation camps. They were instituted to remove children from their homes if they became orphans, were abused, or came from financially destitute surroundings. The idea was to conform (assimilate) them to the White man's ways and to educate them to be able to have a good future. Later on the rules were changed to allow them to maintain their cultural and religious ways and their own languages. Many different tribes were represented there, and it seems they mostly all learned to get along and even enjoy each other's company and history.
Some people have speculated that Adam embellished his story to reflect only the good things there. Whatever--I really enjoyed this well written, informative, and entertaining book.
There is a historical record at the back of the book that gives credit to many of Adam's claims. His 4 older brothers did indeed serve valiantly (decorated) in the military during World War II. One of his brothers was in a PT boat that was sunk beside the one that the future President Kennedy was in. He and most of his siblings went on the have very fruitful lives.
Adam changed his name from Nordwall to Adam Fortunate Eagle and became a strong Native American activist--even being instrumental in the Alcatraz Island takeover in 1969 to showcase Indian rights.

[Rachel Jackson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm currently volunteering at a Native American educational nonprofit that either worked with Adam Fortunate Eagle in the past or still does, and although I've never met him, the owners deeply admire him. I knew next to nothing about him before picking up this book, other than what I found Googling around. Of course, most of it was about Alcatraz, and not much of anything at all since then. Still, I decided to give the book a chance and see if it was as interesting as the man behind it seems to be.

The thing about this book was that it could have been literally any other boarding school student's memoir — with only a few exceptions. Fortunate Eagle states straight up that he had a good experience in school in Pipestone, Minn., and he wasn't about to attack the system when it was good to him. I understand that. But the book barely seemed like a memoir of a Native American; very little of his early childhood or even later reflection was included. I would have liked to see much more about his thoughts coming from the reservation, or having an unstable family life, or anything like that. I can read about boarding school experiences for any white kids I want. But it's the unique and troubling situation of a systematic assimilation of Native Americans that interests me. And that story was lost here. It was a cute, fun story at times, thinking of this little boy's learning and adventures at school. But it wasn't all that interesting.

[Cathie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author spent 10 years of his childhood at the Indian boarding school in Pipestone, MN (1935-1945). Unlike many stories of neglect and abuse at these boarding schools, Adam had a positive experience that shaped the outcome of his life.

[Ashley Case · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting piece of history. I loved getting a new perspective on native American culture and world War II.

[Lindsay · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. This felt a bit in the same vein as The Glass Castle where a bad childhood is remembered through rose-colored glasses. I didn't like that either.

[norah grace deboer · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars, a memoir about native american boarding schools, specifically in pipestone, mn. i thought that this book was quite intriguing and very enlightening.

[Gin Jenny (Reading the End) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adam Fortunate Eagle's memoir of his time in Pipestone Indian Boarding School counters -- to some degree -- the typical stories of deprivation, misery, and cultural disenfranchisement in Indian boarding schools. It's a little surprising that he generalizes his own (rather rosy) memories of Pipestone to a belief that "the boarding school system has been unfairly criticized for allegedly destroying our languages and culture," but it's clear that his own time at Pipestone taught him mainly pride in his heritage.

That said, for a book that claims to serve as a counter to the stereotype of boarding school misery, Pipestone features a non-zero amount of misery. Fortunate Eagle's baby sister dies at the school after teachers initially refuse to take her illness seriously. The head cook at one point throws a butcher's knife at a naughty kid, hitting him in the back so that he has to have stitches. Plus there's this frankly horrifying anecdote:

Mr. Burns comes into the basement where a group of us our playing prisoner's base. He says, "We have some runaway girls, and I want ten boys to help round them up." . . . . Finally, we hear the sounds of bodies running into the cornstalks. We've found the girls. Now we have to catch them. With shouts and screams the boys tackle teh girls. The older boys take advantage of the situation, and they try to feel the girls as they wrestle them to the ground. In spite of their screaming it seems as though some of the girls are enjoying their first contact with boys.

Gross.

Pipestone is a fascinating first-hand account of one person's experience at one Indian boarding school, but it is just that: one person's account. Many of the things Fortunate Eagle remembers as having been fairly good fun -- like the above story! -- can easily be imagined as far worse experiences for a less resilient and good-natured kid.

Verdict: I do not know enough about Indian boarding schools! I must read more about them! Your recs, as ever, are appreciated.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this, as I was interested in learning more about the schools Indian children were sent to during the Depression. Fortunate Eagle relates his positive memories of his time at Pipestone Indian Boarding School. He and his siblings who attended the school, found it to be advantageous to them and it gave them the education and skills neededto have successful futures. Other accounts regarding these schools are very critical, specifically of the harsh treatment students were subjected to. However, the writing in this book is so poor that at times I felt like I was reading an elementary education book. It jumps all over, uses short choppy sentences, and the end becomes boring and redundant. Sorry, but I barely got through this.

[catie · Rating 2 out of 5]

i don’t know. it took me a long time to figure out my rating for this one bc there just isn’t much to it. i appreciate the perspective adam fortunate eagle brought, but i just don’t really care for personal memoirs, especially ones like this that didn’t involve any analysis looking back. it was akin to a diary; there were many events listed but not explored. i read this book for an ethnic studies project and had a really hard time completing the report because there just isn’t much to talk about. i think it’s a relatively interesting read, and maybe i just came at it from the wrong perspective, but there’s not much to be gained from it in terms of widening your perspective or understanding of the history of indian boarding schools.

[Daisy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not know very much about the government mandated boarding schools for the Native people of North American (and Australia and New Zealand). This autobiographical collection of stories and memories was a little all over the place, but rang so true to a child's perspective, and was very enlightening about this corner of American history.

[David Schwinghammer · Rating 4 out of 5]

PIPESTONE is different in a number of ways from most accounts describing Native American experiences in boarding schools.

For one thing author Adam Fortunate Eagle describes his experience as mostly beneficial. His brothers and sisters and Adam were sent there after the death of their father. His mother was pregnant with another man’s baby, and she was moving to Sisseton, South Dakota. Adam also arrived there during the thirties when a lot of Indian families struggled to put food on the table. Some children arrived at Pipestone suffering from malnutrition. Many of them existed on lard sandwiches or rice.

When Adam arrived at Pipestone he was only five years old. The woman in charge of the younger students was Mrs. Burns who would become a second mother to Adam as well as her other charges whom she loved.

As he grew older, Adam gained knowledge in his various assignments such as learning how to bake and work in the carpentry department. He and his fellow students became so proficient that they took an old barrel, separated the staves, heated them up to bend the tips and made themselves skis they used on a farmer’s hill close to the orphanage.

Adam and his fellow youngsters were sometimes quite mischievous as well. They once broke into a shed behind a bakery in Pipestone where second hand bread, sweet rolls, and pies and cakes were stored. The owner and the school administrator knew they were doing this but they looked the other way, feeling sorry for the boys who never really got enough to eat. Another time the boys were hired by the school administrator to apprehend some runaway girls. They surrounded them in a corn field and brought them back at twenty-five cents a head.

During Adam’s last years at Pipestone, WWII would begin and many of the boys, including his brothers, left when they turned seventeen to join the army. His brothers Stanley, Wally, Curtis, and Alton would serve honorably and heroically.

Adam himself was too young to serve by the time the war ended. He went on to become a voice for the American Indian and was the leader of a group that occupied Alcatraz. According to Laurence Hauptman, who wrote an afterword for the book, one difference between Adam and other Indian activists was his sense of humor.

[Kathleen M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a new topic for me, that I may have realized existed but it was not brought home to me until I read a book called THIS TENDER LAND by William Kent Krueger. Mr. Krueger said that he had read this book and it had inspired him. I needed to know more about these schools.

Our Author Adam Fortunate Eagle actually grew up in a Native American boarding school, though this was apparently after the time that they forbade Native American children to speak their tribes language, he has been told he painted to nice of a picture for these schools. In his opening, he dares anyone to contradict him, but only if they lived there too.

His whole family grew up there except for his half siblings, he was also allowed to go home for summer. But as his mother moved, there were times he stayed at the school. This is written in brief excerpts running his nine years at the school. It is his story and those of his family and friends. He did not mind the school and his brothers all became heroes in WWII which he ascribes to the discipline and the tasks they learned while at the school. Quite different from what the previous book described, but then again this is after they changed the schools to not beat up children when they did not speak English or were seen to follow the traditions they grew up with. Our author does mention a child who came from a school nearby who still used the method of hitting the children on the tips of their fingers, prompting Adam to ask " what happened to your fingers?"

I enjoyed this book, and am glad that we can look back at a time that was disagreeable but find that was kindness in places that were not known for that type of behavior. I enjoyed learning about the exploits of a small boy making the best of a situation he had no control over.

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pipestone Training School was established in 1894 to provide academic instruction and occupational training to Native children. The majority of the children were Ojibwa, but the student body became more diverse over the years. The author of this book is Chippewa and recounts his time as a student at Pipestone. It is clear that he did not have an easy life, but his outlook and recollections really show him to be a grateful and positive person.
 
This book is currently available to listen to on Audible Plus. It was around five hours long, and I completed it just after my lunch break today. The physical copy is less than 300 pages. I was actually quite surprised by this book. I assumed that it would be filled with horrific stories like those that came out of Carlisle survivors. The author of this book recounts many of his memories of his time at the school in a positive way. It goes to show you that people often have different perceptions of experiences. The author also gave an interesting perspective about how beneficial the school was for many children. I was genuinely surprised to learn that some people were grateful for the experience of these schools, and really saw the good that it was meant to accomplish. There are so many horror stories of the abuse, assault, murder and forced assimilation of Native children. I would never presume to tell someone how to feel about their own experience, though I am a firm believer that forced assimilation is an unacceptable practice of cultural genocide. I am glad that not everyone experienced the things that so many others have. This was a really good book, and I am glad I got to read it.

[Lizzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Low on analysis or reflection until later in the book, the storytelling format takes a minute to adjust to and is easier to read as Adam ages. The afterward adds valuable context. It’s a useful and interesting historical perspective, though somewhat choppy and a lot of it is just the Shenanigans and Tomfoolery of little boys and a litany of scars, wounds, and adventures. Often felt like a “good old days” type of tale, reminiscing about a seemingly carefree youth and putting on nostalgic rose-colored glasses. Maybe I just find the whipping and violence more disturbing that he does, maybe it’s a difference in generations and upbringing. Surprisingly a slow read, despite the simplicity. The most interesting parts were about his family life back home and about the running of the institution. The parts about peeing in shoes and trying to look at naked girls and electrocuting bull testicles…less so. But I guess these were important parts of growing up there, so I’m glad it wasn’t sanitized either. I read a book about a girl growing up in a TB ward in MN in the early 1900s and I loved the format of diary interspersed with analysis and context, and maybe that format would’ve worked for me better with this book.

[Tonya | The Cultivated Library Co · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not quite sure how I feel about this one. Pipestone: My Life in an Indian Boarding School by Adam Fortunate Eagle ended up being way different than I expected.

The book is about the ten years he spent attending Pipestone. Sometimes, it seems like a stream of consciousness. There's no hard dates for the stories shared, which kind of makes sense as he wrote this when he was much older. He talks about his family, other students at the school, and the faculty.

He does not seem bitter or resentful at all about the time he spent at the boarding school, and he has been accused of "white-washing" his story. I am not one to try and invalidate someone's experiences. I do believe it is hard to realize some of the bad things you've experienced when those are your ONLY experiences and the experiences of others around you.

As a mother, I would be horrified and heartbroken if my sons were away for ten years at a boarding school, especially during their formative years at such a young age.

It was interesting to read about his time at the school as I've never read a story quite like this before.

Read this if you like:
• Indigenous stories
• Memoirs
• Native American history

[Conner Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

Upon reading the synopsis about an indigenous child growing up in the boarding school in the early/mid 20th century, I made an assumption that this memoir would be a collection of horror stories, abuse, and eradication of Native culture.

I was pleasantly surprised that this one individual’s experience was fairly positive; he shares the success it gave him and his siblings, talks about the native role models who worked at the boarding school, as well as how the school had continued trying to keep traditions of the nations represented by their students.
While this was obviously one experience, it reminded me of my student teaching on the Navajo reservation, where their dorms were a supportive space that provided a lot of enrichment to the families and children they served.

That being said, the book itself was a collection of fond memories from a child’s diary ages 8-18; not necessarily any reflection of its impact on his life as an adult. I would have loved more about his life as an activist at Alcatraz

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book creates a well rounded narrative to the native American boarding school history. Many readers wanted this book to be dark and grim, full of torture and hatred for the Native population by the New Americans and are disappointed that it wasn't. Not realizing that they are wishing a horrible existence upon Adam Fortunate Eagle. Thus memoir has a nuance and voice that shows that, while we wish we knew exactly what is good and bad in life, it is impossible to do. Adam saw the boarding school as a home with a found family. It was a place where he was fed and cared for. It was not always done in the best way but his alternatives were not great. He also got an education and was able to hold on to traditions and was taught them by his Native teachers and caregivers.

His story does not make others stories false. Fortunate Eagle is allowed to share his experience, even if it was a positive one.

[Wayland Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's been a lot written about the boarding schools the American (and later Canadian) governments set up for Indians. Most of those stories have been horror stories of the worst kind- real ones. This is something very different.

Written from recollections bolstered by notes and interviews, and a few official documents, Adam recounts his ten years at the Pipestone boarding school, where he actually learned a lot and was as well cared for as budget allowed. It's a nice contract to a lot of what I've read, and proof that no system is all bad, just none are all good.

He doesn't sugarcoat it; there were a lot of injuries, discipline via leather belt, and some food issues. But he also talks openly about the poverty on the reservation.

It's an interesting point of view that's different from much of the literature and general perception about what happened. Not all the schools were good; they absolutely were not. But it's nice to see some of them weren't hell on Earth.

[Larissa Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent alternative to the boarding school experience that most are familiar with. I used this as a teaching tool for my senior high Native Topics class, discussing this alongside the traditional narrative of abuse, starvation, disease, and intolerance. Fortunate Eagle tells a story of a boarding school experience that was not positive, but was beneficial in the long run. His perspective that how each child experience boarding school had more to do with their outlook on the ordeal is helpful in explaining how his experience differs so greatly from other well known and public opponents who attended the same school at the same time, with far more negative experiences (Dennis Banks).

[Kathleen Brandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pipestone, Minnesota is where my grandmother grew up. I have 3 generations buried in the Pipestone cemeteries. I grew up visiting the quarries so much of what Adam Fortunate Eagle describes is very familiar to me. I had heard about the Indian School, although it had closed by the time U was born. There is still one building, the Superintendent's House, that still stands on the grounds of Minnesota West. My son attended Minnesota West. My great-aunt's sister was a teacher there at the Indian School. This book brought to life a part of the history of a place that is close to my heart. I recently found out that a colleague of mine is the son of George Skye, the young boy who lost his eye when boys were playing with bows and arrows.

[Yvette · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not rate this book a two because I was expecting a negative book about the authors experience in an Indian boarding school. Everyone has a different experience and this authors experience is valid. I could not rate this book higher because it was extremely difficult to finish. He did explain at the beginning that this was a book without chapters and just stories. The stories seemed very disjointed and they didn’t flow well together. It was just, a difficult read. He had so many interesting experiences. I think with a good editor they could’ve been more narrative and story like. I so appreciate his story but I wanted to stop reading so many times. I did not because I felt I needed to respect his story and keep moving towards the end.

[John Benson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a mostly positive memoir of the author's time from about age 5 to age 15 at Pipestone Indian Boarding School in Pipestone, MN in the 1930s and 1940s. The first 100 pages of the book are written in short and long snippets of memories. I found it hard to make sense of the first part but it grew stronger and more explanatory. The book ends with memories of his four brothers who served in World War II, several appendices, and an Afterward that place the book in context of other books written on the Native American Boarding School experience. I felt that the book strengthened as a it went along.

[Thea TR Reynolds · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the February bookclub selection for The James Museum. Another memoir written by someone that should not be writing. It jumps around a lot. There has been a lot said about these boarding schools for Native Americans mostly bad. Adam Fortunate Eagle has only good memories. And the reality is if it weren't for the school who knows where his life would have taken him. His mother basically left her children to run off with another man and start a new family and there was no family that could care for him or his siblings on a full time basis. Sadly, the family structure for him was not there and the school provided him and his siblings at least a roof and food.

[Debbie Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book after reading "This Tender Land" by William Kent Krueger. I wanted to know more about the facilities that Indian children were placed in early in our country's history. The story as told by Adam Fortunate Eagle summarizing his 10 years at Pipestone painted a relatively happy existence. (Not so in "This Tender Land.") I think he did a good job looking back at those 10 years and giving us a picture of what life was like. A very interesting look at how we tried to "Americanize" the Indians who were here long before us.

[Bethany Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book after reading William Kent Krueger’s “This Tender Land”. Krueger lists this book as a reference for his book. While I enjoyed the content of the book the structure was very hard for me to get past. The book was not organized in any fashion - it was what seemed to be random stories put to paper. The stories were enlightening to what was occurring in Indian boarding schools during Fortunate Eagle’s time at Pipestone. They showed discipline, hard work, training, and a lot of mischievous fun thrown in. I give content a 4 but the format a 2. I am glad I read it.

[Brandon Dillenback · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book very interesting. On one hand I really respect Adam Fortunate Eagle for his humor throughout the book. Trying to make hard times seem a little better. It’s hard cause he almost downplays the ways Native Americans were treated and how they suffered at the hands of Americans. I was reading the book for more insight in knowledge however I got more of a memoir of his childhood school days. That is what the book was about. I will be looking to educate myself on more Native American books.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not what I expected. There have been such horrible stories about Indian schools that I wasn’t prepared for Adam Fortunate Eagle’s fond reminiscences about his 10 years at the Pipestone Indian boarding school in Minnesota. He and some of his siblings went there after their father died and their mother remarried and started a new family. The school provided food and shelter, and taught usable life skills. Adam and the other boys had adventures and got into trouble just like young boys anywhere.

[Renee Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have really mixed feelings about this book. I disliked it and appreciated it at the same time. It didn’t fit the narrative that I had heard so often about Indian boarding school experiences. And it made me realize that both experiences can be true. I appreciated the first hand account that differs from so many others and also believe that these schools have a horrific history. It isn’t my job to judge others experiences and reality. To me, this is a story of resilience, and building a life with what you have.

[Nadine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't finish this, but I finally had to move on. I knew going in that this was supposed to be the "other side of the coin" regarding the Indian Boarding School experience - a positive tale according to the author. It was supposed to read from the perspective of the child and be light, but felt more like a never ending recounting of dangerous, and sometimes deadly, capers that apparently were hi-larious, but felt otherwise to me.

[Charlotte page · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and the almost short story style of it I think it gave a very interesting contrast to many of the overarching beliefs of the indian boarding school system while at large I still retain the belief that the intial model of the indian boarding school system was genonicide this book allows the reader a look into later era boarding schools that did have some significant differences to the carlisle indian industrial school.