Few artifacts marked the persistence of pupils to retain the identity they brought with them from home. Practicing aboriginal religion, defining oneself in traditional ways, and practicing traditional technology such as stone working were aspects of the "home identity" expressed by students at school. The practice of aboriginal religion was forbidden. Religious objects such as effigies or fetishes had to be brought from home and hidden because if discovered by school employees, the objects would have been confiscated and discarded. While historic records make no mention of the practice of native religion on campus, the archaeological recovery of miniature clay representations of animals and a small smoothed non-local pebble that could have been a fetish indicate some pupils might have continued their Native practices in secret.

Defining oneself in traditional ways may be another expression of home identity. Southwestern pottery marks tribal affiliation by distinctions in color and form. Since pottery making was not one of the industrial arts initially taught at the school, the discovery of sherds of historic Indian pottery was unexpected. Pupils probably brought sherds with them from home. Distinct colors and patterns on the sherds would have reminded the child of home.

The final way some pupils expressed their home identity was by practicing traditional stone working technology. Vocational classes comprised half the curriculum and shops existed that were stockedwith the most modern tools and mechanical equipment. Practicing traditional technology could have been a response to the domination of modern technology in shop classes. Traditional Native American woodworking tools found in the trash were probably fashioned by students for their own use. Obtaining suitable stone raw material probably was difficult but there were more easily obtainable materials that could be flaked or worked in the same manner as stone. Fashioning tools of their own making, such as glass scrapers, provided students with a connection to home. The most unusual of these artifacts were several bifacially flaked dinner plates that were not used as tools, but simply reflected the practice of traditional tool making technology.