Learning Indian, Teaching Indian

This letter is written from a 1940s 12 year old Boy Scout to his parents while he is visiting cousins for the summer who are not a part of scout programs.

Dear Mom and Dad,

            I’m having so much fun at Aunt Cindy and Uncle Tim’s house! I spend almost all my time outside with Jake, Randy, and Carl. We go to the lake a lot and play games and teach each other things that we learned at school. I keep teaching them about all the things I learned at Scouts and they thought it was all really fun, but they’re not as good at those things as I am.

But my Scout Leader Dan told me it was important that all of us knew how to do things like that because it made us good warriors and it was how to be truly strong. He said that even though the Indians didn’t know how to do all the stuff we do they know how to be tough and brutal but also they can be healers. He called them traditional and said sometimes it’s good to be traditional. Jake, Randy, and Carl didn’t really understand, and they just really didn’t wanna be Indians. Jake told me that they learned at school that that Indians were different from Americans, even though we all live here, and he really wants to be American. I don’t know if that’s true, since we’re all here, but I guess it makes sense, because they are really different from me and Jake and Randy and Carl. It was OK though that they didn’t want to be Indians with me and I was the only one because I knew how to make tools and they didn’t. I think everyone should be a Scout- you should tell Aunt Cindy and Uncle Tim that they should do it to. They’ll learn how to do a bunch of really natural, old stuff, which is pretty fun.

I have to finish this letter now because Carl is asking me how to make an arrow and I’m the only one here who knows how. I miss you and I’ll write soon.

Johnny

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