Open to public research.
It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.
Permission to publish material from the Jenny M. Smith's Indian Student Placement Program oral histories must be obtained from the
The materials for this collection were donated to USU Special Collections and Archives by Jenny M. Smith in 2003.
Jenny M. Smith's Indian Student Placement Program oral histories, 1999. (COLL MSS 294). Utah State University. Special Collections and Archives Department.
In 1947, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began what became known as the Indian Student Placement Program (ISPP). Encouraged and funded by the leadership of the Latter-day Saints' church, the objective of this program was to assimilate local Native Americans into the LDS culture. Assimilation was to be accomplished by having members of the LDS church offer to act as foster parents to Native American youths, thereby providing the opportunity for a better education, LDS religious influence, and life away from the reservation. In 1954, the ISPP was formally instituted by the LDS church. During the 1960s and 1970s, the program had high enrollment, but by the 1980s the program was in decline and subject to mounting public criticism. With the 1985 death of the ISPP's strongest advocate, LDS President Spencer W. Kimball, the program lost much of its momentum. In 1990, the program was officially discontinued by the LDS church.
Source: Smith, Jenny M., "Beyond the Statistics: Indian Experiences in the Indian Student Placement Program", USU MA Thesis, 2003. (Available in USU Special Collections and Archives.)
This single box collection contains the typescripts and cassette recordings of six oral history interviews conducted in 1999 by Jenny M. Smith for her M.A. thesis, "Beyond the Statistics: Indian Experiences in the Indian Student Placement Program." Those interviewed for Smith's thesis were all Native Americans who had been involved in the ISPP. Interview subjects were: Alvia J. Brown, Celina Jake, Edmond Jake, Durinda Tom, Orlando Tsosie, and one interviewee who wished to remain anonymous.
Arranged alphabetically by interviewee.