Powwow honors graduation

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Head veteran Jack Swanson leads a dance at Saturday's powwow. Special to the Record-Eagle/Carol South

May 10, 2010

By CAROL SOUTH Special to the Record-Eagle The Record Eagle Mon May 10, 2010, 07:35 AM EDT

SUTTONS BAY — A powwow on Saturday celebrated Suttons Bay's graduating seniors, launching what student organizers hope is an annual tradition.

Held Saturday in the high school's gym, "Take A Step In Our Moccasins" honored the 81 members of the class of 2010. Working since October, students on a powwow committee created the event. The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians and the SEEDS After School program, powwow co-sponsors, helped as needed. Specifically, the Band's Biimaadiziwinaa Eyaawing Prevention Program was a partner.

The powwow included a special dance for seniors and their families and teachers midway through the afternoon. An estimated 100 attendees and participants were on hand at the time.

"I thought it was cool how we could share our culture and honor the graduates, both native and non-native at the school," said senior Marci Gould, who along with her twin sister, Marcia, joined the powwow committee in January. "It was our first year so we had to start from scratch."

Dusty Bear was the powwow's host drum, led by 2006 Suttons Bay graduate La'Kota Raphael as the lead singer. The Medicine Lodge singers were the invited drum. Both groups, situated at the center of the powwow's circle, provided the characteristic "heartbeat of Mother Earth" as participants danced clockwise around the drum.

Tapping a tradition to launch a new tradition, the "Take A Step In Our Moccasins" powwow melded the past with the future. Graduates represent future community leaders while elders are their mentors and teachers. The event included Suttons Bay students as well as two recent grads: Elaina Leaureaux, class of 2008, as head female dancer, and Marshall Funmaker, class of 2006, as head male dancer.

"It's an honor to be asked to come back and hopefully set a good example for all the graduates to go on and get a higher education," said Leaureaux, a student at Michigan State University.

The powwow, which was open to the community, showcased the cultural opportunities available for Suttons Bay students thanks to the Grand Traverse Band.

"We have a unique part of our community helping us celebrate, that makes us who we are," said Mike Murray, superintendent of the Suttons Bay Public Schools.

Noting that he and the Tribal Council are proud of all the students' successes, Derek Bailey, chairman of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, also appreciated the school personnel and administrators' vision — both in general and by welcoming the powwow.

"This is a wonderful support and demonstration of us all working together to celebrate the graduates of Suttons Bay High School," he said.

During the school year, Marco Dedenbach's room at the high school hummed with activity weekly. The Suttons Bay site coordinator for SEEDS, Dedenbach hosted the student committee as they met to plan, problem solve and create.

"The whole idea here is to bring some of the native culture into the school," he said. "The students from the get go wanted to make sure we were honoring all graduates, not just native graduates."