Making culture a part of graduation

Sometimes you just have to ask. But it never hurts to do a little homework first.

That's pretty much what happened with Cloquet High School senior Maya Fairbanks this spring, when she decided to ask that her school allow students to honor their American Indian culture during graduation ceremonies.

Fairbanks, a member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, and her mother, Sheila Lamb, wanted to do more with decorated mortar boards or sashes. They initially found from talking to others that American Indian students were allowed to wear only an eagle feather. That wasn't good enough, said Fairbanks.

Other schools allow more creative expressions of culture, why not all schools?

She and her mother talked to a representative of the American Civil Liberties Union, so they were ready to argue their case. But in the end, CHS principal Steve Battaglia had no objections. In fact, he was supportive of the idea.

"I am very, very happy that it was so easy," Fairbanks said. "Even though it seemed like a very small thing, it's still important that we're able to show how proud of our heritage we are."

The perception of what kids could and couldn't wear wasn't necessarily any kind of rule, just past practice, Battaglia told the Pine Knot earlier this week.

"We are 25-percent Native American students some years - it's important to honor their wishes," Battaglia said. "From a school perspective, we're happy to accommodate whatever our Native American students want to wear that's culturally significant to them."

Cloquet is not unique. Battaglia pointed out a bill (HF 217) is currently working its way through the Minnesota House that would require - along with many other actions - a school district or charter school to allow an American Indian student to wear American Indian regalia, tribal regalia or objects of social significance at a graduation ceremony.

"It's pretty much there, there's a national education association that supports this kind of move," Battaglia said.

Battaglia said Indian Ed director Teresa Angell and a few others will work with the students to come up with some guidelines for the graduation ceremony on May 28. Because of Covid, the ceremony will take place on the football field, with probably four guests per student. The ceremony will also be livestreamed.

Fairbanks is planning to have her cap and sash beaded, probably with an Ojibwe floral design, and wear an eagle feather. "The eagle feather is just really significant in our culture and beading is one of those things where we connect to each other, even if it's not all the same," she said, adding that the decoration on her sash will be a surprise because a family friend is making it.

Fairbanks knows of other Native American students who are planning to do the same.

Fairbanks said she could see a lesson in her story: "Probably if it's something that you find important and it's important to other people, if it's not allowed, just try to get it so it is," she said. Then she turned and headed back toward the school in her bright red ribbon skirt.