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Lummi stories from high school: an ethnohistory of the fishing wars of the 1970s

University of British Columbia

This study focuses on the stories and experiences of Lummi students and their teachers at Ferndale High School from 1970 to 1980. The conditions of schooling for Lummis were affected by the climate of anti-Indian hostility which was fueled by the attitudes about Native fishing rights. This conflict, referred to as the "fishing wars," culminated in the landmark 1974 Boldt Decision. Throughout the 1970s the school was a site where the cultural and political conflicts of the community were played out. This study examines the ways that Lummi students saw the school and the choices they made for survival and resistance in a complex and adverse environment. It is also a study of the teachers who were at Ferndale during the 70s and how they conducted themselves in an explosive crosscultural educational setting. Utilizing an ethnohistorical perspective, this study brings forth the stories of both Lummi students and non- Native teachers and sets them within the context of the culture-conflict climate of Whatcom County in the 1970s. This study shows how political issues were inextricably welded to cultural issues for Indian students in the 1970s.

Ferndale (Wash.)

Text

eng

Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library

10.14288/1.0055528

Doctor of Philosophy - PhD

Education, Faculty of; Educational Studies (EDST), Department of

1995-11

Graduate