Valley View students share culture
Berl Tiskus
Students have a plate with a number on it for the cake dance. When the announcer calls a number, the student with that number receives a cupcake.
Berl Tiskus
Nothing goes better on a piece of frybread than honey — unless it’s chokecherry jelly.
Berl Tiskus
Mason Sloan and Trapper McAllister concentrate on keeping the potato between their foreheads during the potato dance.
Berl Tiskus
Berl Tiskus
Berl Tiskus
Berl Tiskus
Berl Tiskus
Berl Tiskus
Berl Tiskus
Berl Tiskus
Berl Tiskus
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VALLEY VIEW — A bunch of black cows drifted down the road next to Valley View School, casting the occasional non-judgmental eye on the students as they danced at Valley View’s first ever powwow.
The powwow came about because teacher Carol Madden asked her student teacher Vanessa Sanchez what she was passionate about.
“I’m interested in Indian Education for All,” Sanchez said.
So Madden encouraged Sanchez to teach Native American studies and hold a powwow.
Sanchez, who belongs to the Shoshone Bannock tribe in Fort Hall, Idaho, taught the students about tribal flags, how to bead, how to make moccasins, some tribal history, cooking fry bread and dancing.
“All the kids know how to make their own pattern for moccasins,” Madden said.
Each student made a pair of moccasins for the powwow. The older students beaded theirs and helped the younger kids paint a design on the toes of their moccasins.
“Beading was great,” sixth-grader Esaie Kinsey said.
Classmate Lachlen Swan said he enjoyed making the moccasins and making the design he beaded.
Although traditionally moccasins are sewn together by hand, Madden had 26 pairs to stitch so she brought her sewing machine to school and completed them all.
The older children researched all the different Native American dances, too.
“I like the potato dance,” student Trapper McAllister said. “It was fun.”
For a potato dance, two people must face each other and keep a potato between them, for instance between foreheads or cheeks, as they face each other and dance to the drum. If they drop the potato, they’re out. The last couple on the floor wins.
The kids also learned the round dance and the cake dance, which is sort of like a cakewalk.
Sanchez’s family brought their drum group, Assiniboine Cree, for the powwow. Several of her family members wore their powwow regalia and danced for the students and their families.
It was busy week for Sanchez – wrapping up her student teaching and graduating from SKC on June 6. She also operates a beading shop, Apatura Beadwork and Supplies, on Fourth Avenue in Polson. Her shop donated all the beads and beading supplies, and she’s gearing up for summer beading classes for kids.
“The best part was just having the kids learn from a Native perspective — very authentic and genuine,” Madden said.
