A COMMON problem faced by parents living in the Pacific islands is getting access to quality education for their children. Every parent wants to give their child the opportunity to succeed in life, and more than ever, success is directly related to getting an education that prepares young people for the larger world. On the islands that can be difficult. Resources only stretch so far, and schools can be very expensive to build and operate.
In remote communities, families often must send their children away for a proper education, but that denies them access to their own families and communities at a critical stage in their development. A compelling court case developed in Alaska that addressed these challenges, and even though it took place on the mainland, questions of education in an isolated environment, cultural isolation far from home, and how best to use resources apply to the islands as much as the Alaskan wilderness.
Molly Hootch, a 15-year-old Yupik Eskimo, lived in the remote village of Emmonak. Her village had an elementary school, but like so many rural villages, it had no high school. So, Molly faced the choice as most indigenous children: move to the city or drop out of school. Molly travelled 500 miles to Anchorage and lived with a family who treated her like a servant. She was teased by other students for her clothing and speech, and had a rough time in the large school, whose student body outnumbered the entire population of her village. It was a bewildering and intimidating environment for Molly, who rarely met others like herself. Not surprisingly, her education suffered.
A case can be made that, sooner or later, Molly must face that situation. Unless we choose to live our life in a cave, we all go through a moment when we encounter the larger world and are intimidated by the changes. It can be argued that it is part of the growing process. But most of us would agree that fifteen is a terrible age for that experience to happen.
In 1972, Eskimo parents gathered and hired a lawyer, Chris Cooke, to take their concerns to the state government. Cooke chose Molly Hootch as the face and name of the case, so Molly Hootch v. Alaska State Operated School System came to be. The case battled through the court system until it was decided in 1976 that even children in small villages deserve access to a full education. In the settlement, each of the 125 villages represented by Cooke could choose whether they wanted a high school, and 105 villages requested and received one.
The relevance of the Molly Hootch case to Pacific communities is evident. Islands with small populations face a similar problem. How to teach children the language and culture of their ancestors while also giving them a good education that prepares them for adulthood in the modern world? The reality is, like it or not, a great many island children leave home for the mainland, and they often face the same stresses as Molly.
For islands under the jurisdiction of the United States, the Molly Hootch case stands as a promising precedent. For other island groups, although it is not legally binding, it is a beacon of hope.
BC Cook, PhD taught history for over 20 years. He lived on Saipan and travels the Pacific but currently lives on the mainland U.S.
BC Cook
