Inside and Out: The Sisters of St. Joseph, Chief Pasqual, and the Education of Native Children in Yuma

As female celibate Catholic educators, the Sisters of St. Joseph who traveled to Yuma in 1886 to establish a school for the Quechan children stood apart from the cultural norms of the majority Protestant culture. In Yuma, Chief Pasqual of the Quechan nation decided to support the school and to work together with the sisters to maintain his political power, preserve the autonomy of his people, and secure much-needed government aid. In telling the story of their cooperative relationship, this article contextualizes the complex story of Catholic missionary work among native peoples in the nineteenth century.