And Our Mothers Cried

Season 1 • Episode 1

A Chickasaw Storytellers' Series

Winner of a Regional Emmy® award for outstanding historical documentary. For several generations of Native American children, including Chickasaws, the reality of the late 19th and early 20th centuries meant separation from their families and indoctrination into a culture that wasn't their own. This was the boarding school era, with the infamous slogan, "Kill the Indian. Save the Man." Children were sent to distant boarding schools to learn skills that would assimilate them into white culture. The schools emphasized labor-intensive trades and a basic education focused on English, with most students prohibited from speaking their native language. Separation from family and community supported the goal to erase their way of life. In this documentary, you'll meet some of the Chickasaws who lived through the boarding school era. Now tribal elders, they say the boarding school experience was filled with unforgettable moments – some good and some they wish they could forget.

EPISODES

25m

And Our Mothers Cried

EPISODES

And Our Mothers Cried

The Voices of Our Ancestors

Traditional Medicine

Arrival In Indian Territory—Fort Washita

Ethnobotany

Clans to Constitutions

Chickasaw Explorers 2018

Chickasaw Explorers 2019

Tribal Resurgence

Chickasaw Warriors

Chickasaw Lawmen in Indian Territory

The Ancient Game of Stickball