Autumn Mitchell, linguistics senior and president of American Indian Science & Engineering Society, participates in the Jingle Dress Dance Friday at the Union, concluding Michigan Indian Day.
The slow, repetitive rhythm of the drum provided the background for the closing event at Michigan Indian Day Friday evening in the Union.
After a day that exposed many MSU students to the trials and hardships of Michigan’s Native American population, students and American Indians from around the state gathered in the Union Ballroom to close out the day with a drum circle complete with traditional dances and songs.
MSU’s School of Social Work hosted 10 symposiums on the state-honored day, which centered on Native American boarding schools and the damage they caused the culture, MSU’s Michigan Indian Day co-chair Suzanne Cross said.
“Sometimes in textbooks the American Indian … is a general overview of the population,” Cross said before the event. “Being in the room with a lot of American Indians — including elders — can give a different perspective and (you) can hear some of their lived stories. (You can) actually hear it from them what happened and how their lives have been impacted by this.”
The powwow concluded with a particularly significant song considering the context of the day, said Don Lyons, drum circle member and social work graduate student.
The “American Indian Movement,” or AIM, is a decades-old song dedicated to preserving the ideals and customs of indigenous people, said Lyons, a member of the Anishinabeg tribe.
“(The song) has grown where it symbolizes indigenous resistance — and I mean that as protecting our identity and trying to continue to speak our language and practice our culture,” he said.
The lectures included speakers from throughout the region to discuss topics like boarding schools, health care and mental health. Although the topics varied, they all were still part of the day’s larger theme of healing wounds from a troubled history, Cross said.
Linguistics sophomore Sean Patrick is a descendent of American Indians, and said he has been trying to become more involved in the culture since he began attending college. One year ago, Patrick witnessed his first drum circle and said he was instantly engrossed.
“The drumming and the dancing is just something that took me in a very powerful way,” he said. “It’s just extremely powerful and an extremely positive experience. I never experienced anything like it and I can’t get enough of it.”
Lyons, who grew up in Detroit, said knowing the history of his people, he’s proud to continue practicing their centuries-old customs.
“For me, it’s important every day to wake up and be able to say a few words in the language, because the boarding schools did a lot to our language,” Lyons said. “Every day I wake up and I know I’m Anishinabeg. That word, for me, just means I’m a human being.”
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
