The Chamberlain School Board won't even talk about allowing the Lakota members of its student body and community present a Lakota/Dakota honor song at its high school graduation ceremonies.
Fine. Let's take it outside. Chamberlain alumnus, now doctoral student Nick Estes posts this video of the Lakota/Dakota honor song presented to graduates as they left the official Euro-ceremony at Chamberlain High School on Saturday, May 17, 2014.
We marginalize our Lakota and Dakota neighbors, yet they still come, as close as their oppressors will allow, and raise their voices in song for all the children, ours and theirs, in the strange red robes. We can learn much about honor from this gesture.
And not to facilitate the racist resistance, but we may make an argument that the honor song sounds better outside, where it may rise unbound to the sky.
p.s.: In a March 2013 essay, Estes contends that our state does not deserve the name Dakota. He thus refers to his education at the University of South X and his home as Chamberlain, SX.
Well good on those people who provided an honor song anyway. It looked like a nice crowd gathered as they were leaving the building and I am sure both the graduates and the parents appreciated it.
I hope they did it in some fat cat administrator's reserved parking spot.
I agree with Estes. The way the Chamberlain school board acted makes me ashamed, very ashamed.
The Chamberlain School Board has brought the ultimate shame to South Dakota Native American students and their classmates.
Students teach administrators a lesson in life. A proud moment for the graduates, good for them.
One of the best posts CH has put out there. Seeing this takes me back to younger years and a skewed head. A pow pow at the Civic Center in RC circa 1982 snapped any prediduce that festered in my young mind at the time. What moved me then is what moves now. Absolutely beautiful!
They still have huge wacipis at the Civic Center, Mr. Jim. It is a very large event and you should come back and visit.
Hope the school board went into hiding in the building so no culture rubbed off on them. Wonder when the wingnuts will proclaim Native Americanism a "lifestyle choice"?
Beautiful. Love the pentatonic melody. Listen close and you can hear the blues.
I am so glad they did this. It would be my guess most non-natives in Chamberlain would agree. Why the school board felt threaten by this I will never understand.
Well, it's plain to see how dangerous that song would have been inside. Note how quickly all the graduation attendees ran for cover and/or put noise-canceling headphones on. (Sarcasm off now.)
Seriously, I did notice that the crowd around them continued to grow through the duration. Nice. I'm so glad they did the song. It was simply - nice. Very, very nice.
I still don't understand why they ruled against this. 5 minutes to support a culture that is firmly engrained in SD's history. It might not be someone's cup of tea...But how about the songs they play for the the slideshows, etc?
When I taught, I included SD Nativec American lit in my coursework. Why? We learn about Lewis & Clark, why not learn about the cultures they helped to supplant?
I am glad to see and hear the honor song it makes me ashamed of being part white Iam glad to part Native American Indian have no roll number but I was raised to honor my Indian Ancestry always be proud of who are and of your family heritage Howa
Because they're racist, CK.
It's not that they're merely racist: they are christianists and white nationalists.
wik-see the rapid city journal, front page photo spread and article? looks like the city is hell-bent on relieving its reputation for regional racism and fostering friendship, diversity and economic development. kudos to central high and the editors.
Estes is onto something. We don't deserve to use any Native American names for evil white guys government and geography. It is time to wipe out every one of them here to prevent exploitation of those good names. "Sioux Falls" can become "Bank Falls", "South Dakota" can become "South Carbuncle", etc. Time for revision of history is upon us. Why didn't white dakota er X think of helping Native Americans by honoring them by doing away with exploitation of good names before?
Sioux Falls should really be Sanford Falls. Everybody knows that, if you pay attention KELO news.
As lesliengland pointed out, the Rapid City Journal provided excellent coverage of the feathering ceremony and honor song in today's paper.
Rapid City is known for its racism and prejudice, however in recent years some institutions and organizations are working to understand and respect Lakota culture. The ceremony is but a small part of healing the hatred, it is not earth shattering news, but it is a start.
The May 13th edition of the Journal reprinted an editorial first published in the Mitchell Daily Republic titled, "Policy Violates the Spirit of the 1st Amendment".
Not only does the editorial call for the honor song to be played, it seriously questions the Chamberlain School Board actions to shut down all future discussions, ignoring the rights of citizens to question a governments that muzzles its minority citizens.
Boycott Chamberlain and fire the school board!! I know of no good reason to dig their heels in on this issue other than power, racism and just plain meanness.
And, we need to rename the White River too. Calling that stream of mud a "white" is an insult to every white South Carbuncler.
Changing names of geographic locations that are offensive is not revising history, it is righting it.
Nick Estes has his beliefs and I have mine. As long as Indian names are used for geographical names and treated with respect and dignity, they should be left alone.
It would be easy to engage in derogatory name changes in South Dakota, but that would be insulting to all but one of Madville Times readers, so I won't do it.
The Missouri should be renamed the Arikara River. The were apparently South Dakota's first "farmers".
Wiken, I will not engage in your childish games.
It is not logical or realistic to believe that Sioux Falls or the White River will ever be renamed.
Roger, are Arikara and Ree the same people? I think that might be so.
The miniscule town of Ree Heights, between Miller and Highmore, is named after the Rees, as are the diminutive Ree Hills in the same location.
When I was attending St. Lawrence Grade School in the early 1960s, we went to Ree Heights on a field trip. We went to the home of a man who had a display of points and other artifacts he had found in the Ree Hills. I was fascinated. I'd never seen such things before. All I knew about Indians was the Westerns I'd seen on tv and a little in my history textbook.
One thing I've never forgotten in that book, was an illustration depicting Columbus discovering America. There was CC, looking courageous and commanding, standing in the prow of the ship as it came in to shore. The view was from the shore. In fact, it looked over the shoulder of the two American Indian men who were watching the ship. The caption read, "Christopher Columbus, first man to discover America."
Even then, I wondered why the two people who were clearly already in America didn't count. Good old American history.
Deb,
The Arikara and Ree are one in the same, it has been said that the name Arikara is Spanish.
The Sioux forced the Arikara from Dakota territory when it was discovered many were traitors by scouting for Custer. They eventually settle in Fort Berthold where they were given protection by other tribes.
Years ago I traveled to Ft. Berthold with an Oglala delegation where we were treated with great friendship and respect. It surprised me given our historical relationship with them
Interestingly, their claim to ownership of the Dakota Territory has never been an issue as many white historians would have liked it to be.
Obviously, Columbus is myth. It is ridiculous to discover something that has been there. He was an invader, but history will not tell you that.
More and more governments are no longer buying into the Columbus story. Many Columbus Day celebrations are being renamed to something more accurate and appropriate.
We know those hard core, redneck dominated states will hang onto Columbus so they can make themselves feel better. I'd hate to be one of the open minded, liberal people in those states, counties or cities. Argh.
Going to public school in Pine Ridge in the 1950's we taught so much of the mythical American history most perceive as fact. It never occurred to us to even challenge what a non-Native teacher taught.
We weren't taught that Washington was actually an invader or that Lincoln was responsible for some of the greatest attacks and land grabs Native ever experienced.
We were taught they were the greatest presidents because one chopped down a cherry tree and the other split rails.
While I have had the pleasure of reading Nick's essay, the word Dakota (or Lakota and Nakota) means "ally." My first thought was how right he is that the state hasn't earned that distinction even yet if being allies with the Oceti Sakowin Oyate via the IRA tribal governments.
"We were taught they were the greatest presidents because one chopped down a cherry tree and the other split rails."
Nope, the myth about Washington implied he told the truth even if costly to himself and the Lincoln story was to indicate the value of hard work as an asset toward personal progress. The chopping per se did not make them great presidents.