A critical examination of the colonial education of American Indians unearths the roots of many stereotypical beliefs about the culture and capabilities of Native Americans. Deep-seated ideas and practices that were accepted as natural by past colonizers continue to undergird contemporary stereotypes about American Indians. The tenets of colonial education were not based on natural truths but were culturally constructed to serve specific agendas of the colonizing nations. These tenets were that Native Americans were savages and had to be civilized; that civilization required Christian conversion; that civilization required subordination of Native communities, frequently through resettlement; and that Native peoples had mental, moral, physical, or cultural deficiencies that made certain pedagogical methods necessary for their education. Each of these tenets is analyzed along with its legacies in today's classrooms and communities. Particular attention is given to the repeated relocations of Native communities, children, workers, and families under the political control and legal jurisdiction of the colonizing nations, and to the special pedagogical methods used to overcome Native peoples'"deficits." Contains 94 references and notes. (SV)