Although textbooks explain how stars are comprised of burning hydrogen and helium, one American-Indian legend describes how a coyote etched a pattern into the night sky with flower petals.
Shirley Brauker, Moon Bear Pottery store owner in Coldwater and an Odawa tribe member, told the legend to a classroom of American-Indian high school students Tuesday afternoon at Berkey Hall. She pointed out the scenes on a bronze pot she recently crafted.
As a guest speaker at the Michigan Indian Leadership Program, Brauker highlighted how she thought it's of great importance to learn about one's background.
"It's very important, especially if they're not getting the information at home," she said.
The university hosts the six-day program each summer, providing exposure to pre-college youth about American-Indian culture and higher education opportunities. Participants are contacted through their high school counselors and related programs. MSU has hosted events similar to the camp for about 20 years, according to program officials.
Students take practice standardized tests, live in the residence halls and participate in different American-Indian activities, including a small powwow and pottery crafting.
Brauker did hands-on demonstrations of her craft. She said whenever she hears an American-Indian legend she likes, she tries to carve it into clay or bronze pots.
"When I hear a neat image, like a bear floating above the stars, I like to try to recreate the story to tell others," Brauker said.
Besides learning about cultural traditions, the program intends to show how higher education benefits students and their families directly, said program coordinator and MSU graduate student Michaelina Magnuson, who is a tribe member of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi.
"The only way to improve any situation is through education," Magnuson said. "Many of these students most likely will be first generation college students."
As a past participant, Magnuson said she wouldn't have attended MSU, let alone go on to any kind of higher education, if she hadn't gone through the leadership program.
"I never even thought about college until I was a high school student in this program," she said.
Journalism junior Holly Newland became a camp counselor for the program for the first time this year. As a part of the Ojibwe tribe, she lived at Brimley's Bay Mills Reservation most of her life. She said attending the program allows American-Indian teenagers to connect with others they wouldn't get the chance to meet in their hometowns.
"It exposes a lot of people who don't know about their culture by being around people who look and talk like you," Newland said. "A lot are not exposed to reservation kids."
As a ninth grader at Carman-Ainsworth High School in Flint, Mariel Adolph said she came to the program needing to learn more about her background and wanting to meet people of similar background. She is a member of the Blackfoot and Cherokee tribes.
"I want to know more about my culture now and how they lived 1,000 years ago," Adolph said. "It seems like there are just not as many Native Americans in Flint."
Jose Lozano, Comanche tribe member, and an 11th grader at Kalamazoo Central High School, returned to the camp for the second year in a row.
"It's just a bunch of Native Americans getting together and having fun," he said. "I like meeting people of the same ethnic background, and this also gives me college preparation."
