"What a great grace to have died in the Church": A Case Study in Death Culture and Ars Moriendi at a Native American Catholic Boarding School

Key Points

• This research aims to explore the understanding of death among Native American students at Catholic boarding schools, particularly in relation to white missionary perspectives.
• Analysis of historical documents from the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus' school.
• Contextual comparison of student deaths to nineteenth-century societal views on death.
• Examination of the ars moriendi concept as reflected in missionary practices.
• The deaths of two students in 1889 are seen as part of a broader assimilation process.
• White missionaries interpreted these deaths within the framework of a 'good death' as per Catholic doctrine.
• Native students were taught the cultural practices associated with dying according to Catholic beliefs.