St. Joseph's Indian School prepares to drum at Chamberlain pow wow.
Chamberlain school shuns honor song
By Christina Rose
Native Sun News Associate Editor CHAMBERLAIN—For the last five years, James Cadwell has been trying to get administrators of the Chamberlain Schools to understand why the Native community seeks to have an honor song at the graduation ceremonies. “They are really struggling with understanding our traditions,” Cadwell explained. In the last decade, there has been an increase in the enrollment of Native students in Chamberlain. When Cadwell attended the school, there were only ten Native students in the school. This year, according to the Chamberlain School District Superintendent, 39 percent of the high school students are Native American, with 38 percent in middle school, and 29 percent in the graduating class. Cadwell said, “Three of my kids graduated from Chamberlain and I was determined they would be honored when they graduated. But the honor song is not just for the Native kids, it’s for all of the kids. Why not have a song that honors all the kids?” A statement issued by the Chamberlain School District’s superintendent Debra Johnson is almost identical to last year’s statement. “The board wanted to keep the tradition as it had been. There have been other times when other groups have asked to have another speaker, and we declined,” she said in a telephone interview with Native Sun News. However, Cadwell believes that the school’s explanation of maintaining tradition is not viable. “Are you telling us our traditions and our culture is not as important as yours? This song is the way the Native community celebrates all the students. It’s about reconciliation.” Jesse Abernathy graduated from Chamberlain and applauds Cadwell and the Native students for even broaching the subject to the all-white school board. Abernathy said that after having endured and survived the discrimination that thrives within the small, sheltered community, “Seeking to convince the school board that a non-religious Lakota/Dakota honor song for all graduates is not just a celebration of a particular culture but a celebration of the diversity that is Chamberlain is powerful and symbolic for me,” he said. In defense of the school’s resistance to changing the policy, Superintendent Johnson noted that students held a pow wow this year and have long been allowed to wear an eagle feather on their graduation caps and this year the Native American Club has been invited to come up with an idea for the graduation ceremony. Their idea has not yet been submitted. Johnson said that there will be no songs that are either patriotic or religious and no group would be allowed to request a change in policy. She further stated that this has always been the way the graduation ceremony has been held and provided the Native Sun with last year’s Commencement program. The two songs listed were “Stand Up and Make A Change” and “El Cholco,” though the ceremony will feature different songs this year. According to a report by KSFY in Sioux Falls, several schools in South Dakota, including Rapid City, do incorporate honor songs in graduation ceremonies and other events, including basketball games. Rapid City high schools have a much smaller Native population with only about an 18 percent Native students. Abernathy said that requesting an honor song of the school board was unheard of during his time at Chamberlain High, which he said was not all that long ago. “I applaud, support and respect the newfound courage of the large Native community in Chamberlain and the surrounding areas of the Crow Creek and Lower Brule reservations,” he said. “It's well beyond time for the school board and the rest of the district's administration to move into the 21st century and realize that cultural unity, as well as recognition of cultural diversity, is the way to go,” Abernathy added, and said that “an honor song at graduation does not contribute to cultural divisiveness as some school board members might pretend to believe.” On the contrary, Abernathy said that not holding an honor song at graduation will go further in widening the gaping cultural divide that he believes the school board members know exists in Chamberlain. “This really should be a non-issue," he said. (Contact Christina Rose at Christinarose.sd@gmail.com) Copyright permission by Native Sun News
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