NAY AY SHING CELEBRATES HERITAGE
Photos and story by Tiamat Gustafson, Nay Ah Shing Librarian
November was a month of celebration at Nay Ah Shing Schools. Students participated in several events and activities honoring Native American Heritage Month. Highlights included the annual royalty powwow, the Rock Your Mocs dance, and engaging classroom lessons focused on Native art and story telling.
The royalty powwow took place on November 8 and crowned a Junior Brave, Senior Brave, and Junior Princess. Amanda Nikaboine-Meyer, Ojibwe Language teacher, spoke to the event’s tradition. “The royalty powwow is something that we do every year, and students have the opportunity to run as royalty. We have a junior princess and a senior princess. The junior princess represents the K-5 student body, and the senior princess and senior brave represent the 6th to 12th grade students. Then, they're judged on their dancing capabilities, their regalia, even their attitudes and behaviors in schools are taken into consideration during the judging process,” said Nickaboine-Meyer.
For many, the event is an emotional and inspiring experience. “It's really exciting watching them,” Nikaboine-Meyer added. “I love seeing their faces when they win and their dedication and motivation to represent our school makes me feel proud of them as well.”
In addition to the powwow, students participated in Rock Your Mocs, a nationwide celebration of Indigenous identity and pride. Students from both the upper and lower schools joined in a round dance on November 15. Teachers also included educational activities that spotlight Native artists and traditions. Elementary teacher Linda Stevens introduced students to the work of Travis Zimmerman and Sam Zimmerman through their book, How the Birds Got Their Songs. The project combined storytelling with art, focusing on the Woodland Art style. “We read the book, and now we're going to do an art project with Woodland Art,” Stevens shared. “I showed the kids what Woodland Art was. And we're all gonna pick out one bird, and then we're gonna fill in inside the bird with the Woodlands art, which is cool,” said Stevens.
Nay Ah Shing 4th grade teacher Ray Jackson also commented on November’s celebrations. "The idea of celebrating for a month just the Mille Lacs Band or the Native American heritage is a wonderful idea. What I would rather see is maybe it's celebrated all year round, that the kids can take pride in that, and they do,” said Jackson. The month-long celebration of Native American heritage at Nay Ah Shing Schools recognizes cultural traditions and fosters a sense of pride and identity among students.
