Indianz.Com > News > Tim Giago: Bartering for butter at the Indian boarding school

Notes from Indian Country
Bartering for butter
Monday, November 1, 2021
As the years pass there are not too many of the boys and girls forced to attend boarding schools still living. As one of the survivors I write these columns to give some of those still alive a chuckle and to educate the younger generation about what their parents or grandparents went through at the boarding schools. Here is another memory story.
At the old Holy Rosary Mission boarding school we didn’t have a heck of a lot to barter with, but being the industrious Indian boys we were, we found our ways.
It is in the nature of the Indian boys to be horse traders. It was in our blood. And since we didn’t have money, that is hard cash, we found that one of the most valuable commodities at the school to barter with was the small cubes of butter we got at our meals.
Nearly all of the toys we had as boys were the toys we made for ourselves. Wire cowboys, horses and Indians were our favorites. The talented boys would take bailing wire and twist it into the shape of a cowboy or horse and then they would somehow get balls of pretty colored yarn and wind the yarn around the wire cowboys or Indians to fashion clothing. They even made small hats and feathers out of other materials that were quite realistic.


Contact Tim Giago at najournalist1@gmail.com
Note: Content © Tim Giago
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