Harlem High School Hosts Powwow

Harlem High School (HHS) Gymnasium served as the venue for a powwow celebrating the culmination of American Indian Heritage Week on September 26. The Wildcats welcomed students from both Hays-Lodgepole and Turner Public Schools for a day to celebrate American Indian culture and heritage.

The event opened at approximately 1:30 p.m. with a grand processional during which the United States, Canadian, and Tribal Flag for the Belknap Reservation representing the Assiniboine and Gros Ventre Tribes were presented, followed by a number of youth dancers.

Three drum groups were represented at the event, as were a variety of opportunities for dancers to showcase their talents in the arena. Students from the crowd were also invited to dance. Various gifts, ranging from ball caps to blankets, insulated drinking vessels and flip flops, were tossed into the crowd. So, several spectators walked away with prizes.

Around 3:00 p.m., the colors were retired as students boarded buses to return to their respective schools.

The Montana Constitution recognizes the unique cultural heritage of American Indians and mandates that all public school students learn about it in a culturally responsive manner. Events like that hosted by HHS meet the Constitutional mandate "to conduct appropriate exercises during the school day."