AUGUST 29:

1991 Winnipeg Manitoba Manitoba's aboriginal justice inquiry says legal system systematically discriminates against Canadian natives; recommends universal self-government and separate justice system run by natives.

1990 Montreal Quebec Canadian Army dismantles the Mercier Bridge barricades at Kanawake; put up by Mohawks to protest Oka standoff.

1844 Montreal Quebec Kahnawake Mohawks win the first White-Indian lacrosse game on record.

August 29, 1759:  On this date Samson Occom, Mohegan, was ordained as a minister by the Suffolk presbytery of Long Island, New York.  While living with Reverend Eleazar Wheelock he had studied numerous foreign languages including Hebrew and Greek.  Eventually he was sent to England to help raise funds for Wheelock's Indian "Charity" School.  Occom was the first Indian minister to deliver a sermon in England.  His fundraising efforts were so outstanding that Wheelock's school could afford to move to New Hampshire, and would eventually become Dartmouth College.
 

BACKGROUND:

An excellent biographical text on Samson Occom, entitled "The Betrayal of Samson Occom" (by Bernd Peyer) is to be found at:  http://www.borg.com/%7Ewpl/samson.htm

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From: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~nas/html/historymain.html
 

Native American Studies at Dartmouth College

Dartmouth's steadfast commitment to Native American Studies, began with the founding of the College, the grant for the college in 1769 by King George III of England, highlighted Native American education as the purpose of the institution: "... for the education and instruction of Youth of the Indian Tribes in the Land in reading, writing and all parts of Learning which shall appear necessary and expedient ...".  Unfortunately no more than 71 Indians attended in the years 1770-1865, and in the century between 1865-1965, only 28 Indians enrolled at Dartmouth.

Dartmouth's commitment to Native American education was re-affirmed on March 2, 1970 by Dartmouth's 13th President, John G. Kemeny, during his inauguration. President Kemeny promised to enrol a "significantly greater" number of Indians than at any time since the College's beginnings. This commitment is shared by our current College President, James Wright.

The Native American Studies Program at Dartmouth College is an academic program open to all Dartmouth students. NAS strives to develop interdisciplinary teaching and research that bridges academic and Native perspectives on the cultures, histories, and futures of Native individuals and communities in North America. We aim to provide a more accurate understanding of traditional roots, modern adaptations, and the full range of conflict and interaction with Euroamericans in Indigenous thought, accomplishments, and expressive arts.

The mission of the Native American Studies program is to increase understanding of the historical experiences, cultural traditions and innovations, and political status of Indian peoples in the United States and Canada. Our courses explore Native American ways of living, understanding the world, and organizing their societies; they also examine the impact of invasion and colonization on Indian America, and the intersection of Indian and European histories and systems of knowledge.

Our faculty  consists of scholar-teachers with a broad range of expertise from diverse backgrounds, including Native faculty members from the United States and Canada and non-Native faculty from the United States, Russia, and Britain. The Native American Studies program depends upon attracting a varied body of students who bring their own perspectives to the classroom setting. Our students build upon their individual experiences and understandings in a shared learning environment.

Dartmouth College offers both a Major and Minor in Native American Studies. The initial course offerings begun in 1972 were organized around the study of Native American ethnology, literature, and history. We have since expanded the agenda with new courses, reflecting the important commitment Dartmouth places on excellence in education and staying current with recent developments in the various fields of Native American scholarship ...

... Since 1970, Dartmouth has graduated over 400 American Indian students. Our alumni hail from many different nations and a variety of areas of professional life. Many of them remain in close contact with their Alma Mater, making the trip to the Hanover Plain each spring for the annual Dartmouth College Powwow.