{"id":22584,"date":"2022-03-29T16:26:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-29T20:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=22584"},"modified":"2022-03-29T16:26:01","modified_gmt":"2022-03-29T20:26:01","slug":"montana-free-press-fulfilling-the-promise-of-indian-education-for-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/03\/29\/montana-free-press-fulfilling-the-promise-of-indian-education-for-all\/","title":{"rendered":"Montana Free Press: Fulfilling the promise of ‘Indian Education for All’"},"content":{"rendered":"
\r\n
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Celebrating\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t
\n\t\t\n\t\t\tCelebrating the 50th Anniversary of Montana’s Constitution and its Legacy\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t
\n\t\t\n\t\t\t

Note to viewer: There is a brief period of the recording without sound from 25:40 to 27:24 during which President Cruzado reminds the live audience that they…<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

\n\t\t\"YouTube\"\t\tYouTube\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
Montana State University: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Montana’s Constitution and its Legacy<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n
Montana\u2019s long road to make good on Indian Education for All<\/div>\r\n
Integrating Native heritage into public education is a goal that\u2019s been ensconced in the Montana Constitution for 50 years. State and tribal leaders are still working to make it a reality.<\/div>\r\n
Tuesday, March 29, 2022<\/div>\r\n
By Alex Sakariassen<\/div>\r\n
Montana Free Press<\/DIV>\r\n
montanafreepress.org<\/A><\/DIV>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nOn March 22, 1972, all 100 delegates to the Montana Constitutional Convention gathered at the Capitol in Helena to sign off on a new state Constitution they\u2019d just spent months researching, debating, negotiating and writing \u2014 and which would be ratified by voters on June 6 of that year. In observance of the 50th anniversary of the delegates\u2019 adoption of the document, Montana Free Press presents a series of articles exploring the state Constitution\u2019s history, legacy, influence and future. Today: The impetus and implementation of Indian Education for All. <\/em>

<\/P>\r\n\r\n

\r\n\r\nArticle X, Section 1, Part 2:<\/em><\/strong> The state recognizes the distinct and unique cultural heritage of the American Indians and is committed in its educational goals to the preservation of their cultural integrity.<\/em>

<\/P>\r\n\r\nOn Jan. 31, 1972, two students from the Fort Peck Indian Reservation appeared in Helena with a request that, however brief, helped to fuel a lasting shift in Montana\u2019s public education system. Standing before the Constitutional Convention\u2019s Bill of Rights Committee, Mavis Scott and Diana Lueppe asked delegates to make classroom instruction relevant and sensitive<\/a> to the state\u2019s Native peoples.

<\/P>\r\n\r\n\u201cWe would like, very simply, our history, our culture, our identity,\u201d Scott said.

<\/P>\r\n\r\nNearly six weeks later, convention delegate Dorothy Eck referenced their testimony when introducing a constitutional amendment committing Montana to the recognition and preservation of Indigenous heritage. Though the phrase \u201cIndian Education for All<\/a>\u201d wouldn\u2019t officially enter the state\u2019s lexicon for another 27 years, the ensuing discussion<\/a> made it clear that the request wasn\u2019t just about teaching tribal culture to tribal students. Delegate Richard Champoux, a history and political science professor at Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell, likened the proposal to standard lessons on English or French history and to a particular celebration of Irish culture \u2014 St. Patrick\u2019s Day \u2014 popular in, among other places, Butte.

<\/P>\r\n\r\n\u201cAll of us are proud of our heritage, whether we be English, Irish, Jewish, or whatever,\u201d Champoux told his fellow delegates. \u201cWe are proud because we know about our history, our culture and our integrity \u2014 our heritage. Are we now to continue to deny this to these, the first citizens of the State of Montana?\u201d

<\/P>\r\n \"Tyerra<\/a>

MSU student Tyerra Roan reads the 1972 Constitutional Convention testimony of Mavis Scott and Diana Lueppe, two students from the Fort Peck Indian Reservation who helped fuel a lasting shift in Montana\u2019s public education system, at Montana State University on March 22, 2022. Credit: Image courtesy of Montana State University<\/figcaption>\r\n\r\n

And, Tyerra Roan, a student at MSU, read the testimony of 2 HS students from Fort Peck, Mavis Scott and Diana Leuppe, that was given at the convention. \u201cWe would like, very simply, our history, our culture and our identity,\u201d Roan said, reading from the testimony.\u201d #NextGen<\/a><\/p>— denisejuneau (@denisejuneau1) March 24, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote>