EDUCATING SAVAGES

From one vantage point, de education of Native Americans emerges from a narrative about how the members of a superior society constantly hav e extended themselves in their efforts to lead savages away from their quaint but untenable existence and toward salvation through civilizat ion. From another vantage point, there is a story here to be told abou t the nature and consequences of rhetorical and cultural transformatio n. In examining the latter narrative, this essay advances the thesis t hat rhetoric generated by Native Americans wire have experienced domin ant educational efforts in the United Stales reveals de contours of a form of mimesis dal has served and continues to serve as a potent stra tegy for hegemonic blocs that have sought and still seek to acculturat e and assimilate Native Americans (and others).