Students Update Their View Of Native American Life

By Larissa Lytwyn

Though a half-century has passed since American popular culture depicted their native sons and daughters as native savages in need of a “civilized” touch, stereotypes concerning Native American life and culture still abound.

Marvin Clifford, founder of the Lakota dance troupe Deer Chaser, recently brought the authenticity of modern Native American life to Newtown schools, including Reed Intermediate and St Rose.

Deer Chaser is a group of adults and children, currently age 4 to 19, from the Pine Ridge Reservation of western South Dakota.

Many of the people living on the Pine Ridge Reservation are impoverished, and the proceeds from Deer Chaser go to support the members’ families and communities.

The children take a month off from school to participate in the tour.

“Many children think of modern-day Native Americans as they were over a hundred years ago, on horses and wearing skins,” said Mr Clifford, who has been a consultant on numerous Native American media and film projects, including 1990’s Academy Award-winning Dances With Wolves. “While that [image] is certainly a strong part of our cultural heritage, it is not our daily life.”

He was quick to note that the Lakota are often referred to by the derogatory term “Sioux.”

“The Sioux name was given by the French, and it translates to ‘Snake-in-the-Grass’ or ‘Savage,’” he said.

At the beginning of Deer Chaser’s performance at Reed Intermediate, Mr Clifford first introduced students to Native Americans’ version of creationism. The sky was the “father,” the earth the “mother,” and all the creatures of the earth were the “children,” including plants, animals, and humans.

“We are all interconnected,” explained Mr Clifford to the students. “This is what our story of creation tells us.”

He explained the significance of Native American dance, which is almost as a form of prayer. Dances were and are done to honor the animals for nourishment and the spirit of mother earth for shelter and resources.

“Many of the sounds your hear in the music are meant to replicate sounds of nature,” said Mr Clifford, “such as the sound of the wind sweeping across the prairie, or the sound of water crashing against rocks in a stream.”

Mr Clifford introduced each dance, which honored various aspects of the natural world, with a brief introduction relating to the spiritual interconnectness of the cosmos.

Wesley White Face, a musician and full-blooded Lakota, played a drum made from wood and buffalo skin, as well as a thick wooden, handmade flute.

His daughter, 12-year-old Jaime White Face, as well as 19-year-old Tony and father Church Wilcox, 11-year-olds Erica Yellow Hair and Lynssey New Holy, and Mr Clifford’s 4-year-old granddaughter Sieherra, performed the various dances.

They danced in the full regalia of their ancestors, including anklets made from deer hooves and massive headdresses of eagle, owl, and hawk feathers.

Each costume was handmade by the girls in Deer Chaser, with the assistance of their mothers, aunts, and grandmothers.

The final performance at Reed was a “Come Together” dance, in which Reed students danced in a circle with Deer Chaser.

The purpose of this exercise, explained Mr Clifford, was to promote unity and healing among all people.

After the performance, the Deer Chaser youth quickly reappeared in their regular street clothes, consisting of jeans, baggy sweaters and T-shirts, and sneakers.

“Outside of their performances, they are just like you and me,” Mr Clifford, himself dressed in jeans and a plain cotton shirt, told the students. “They like sports, they listen to the same music you do, they go to school, and many will go on to college.”

“I really learned a lot about how the Native Americans live now,” said Reed fifth grader Erin Bell. “I found the dancing interesting and exciting.”

Her friend, fellow fifth grader Sara Hetzer, said she was fascinated by the importance of dancing to Native American culture.

“I never realized its [spiritual] significance,” she said.

At St Rose, students in grades K–5 enjoyed the dance performance by Deer Chaser. Also enjoying the performance were residents of Ashlar, who attended with the help of a recently awarded Intergenerational Grant Fund, said Ashlar recreational manager Betty Naylor.

“Like many of these children, they are learning about the Native American, present as well as past, for the first time,” she said.

After the musical performance, Deer Chaser provided interactive student workshops in men and women’s costumes, dance, and music.

In the dance workshop, led by Jaime and Tony, students were able to engage in a winding “snake” dance, as well as a “Come Together” dance.

“I think the students really enjoy it, and we do, too,” said Jaime. “It’s nice to teach people about our lives the way they are now, and they learn that we are all very similar.”

“I really like history, and it was great to learn about Deer Chaser,” said St Rose sixth grader Scott Buchanan. “It was right up my ally!”

While staying in the Newtown area, the members of Deer Chaser stayed with some of the district’s Cultural Arts committee members, including Helen Benson and Carolyn Reiners.

“I’ve always had an interest in Native American culture, and this [event] was a wonderful realization of that,” said Ms Reiners. “Many activities about Native Americans are done by professionals. I believe that Deer Chaser provides a more authentic experience.”