St. Joseph's Indian School 1957 Tribal Calendar

[Chamberlain, S.D., 1956. About very good.. [16]pp., printed in full color. Original self wrappers, stapled, 5.5 x 5.25 inches. Moderate staining and soiling to outer wrappers. Some dates in July and August circled in pencil. A handsomely produced calendar issued at Christmas-time in 1956 by the Catholic authorities in charge of the St. Joseph Indian School, sent to the tribal members of the school's community. The calendar opens with a message from Father Peter, in which he calls the calendar an "act of friendship" for the "children of the Dakota prairies" and reminding them that the faculty and staff of the school "month after month are praying for you." Each month includes a photographic portrait of a student in various school settings, including two months showing the student or students in conversation with a nun or priest. The former carries the caption: "At St. Joseph's Indian School, the Sisters provide the hour of enchantment in which a child discovers that no matter how difficult the past, the happiness of tomorrow can begin today. The joy in the Heart of Christ for these His little ones is best demonstrated through their constant sacrifices. Truly a sobering relic of Native American assimilation. Accompanied by a 1954 prayer card issued by the school, containing the text of the Marian Year Prayer; on the last page of this prayer, the school describes itself as "Home for more than 200 Poor Indian Boys and Girls.