BHS Indigneous Club students share culture with 4th graders
Blackfoot High School students do a round dance song presentation for 4th grade students on February 27.
By ROSELYNN YAZZIE
Sho-Ban News
FORT HALL — Learning and teaching was a big part of the Blackfoot High School (BHS) Indigenous Club second annual Fourth Grade Field Trip on Tuesday, February 27.
District #55 students took part in a variety of activities including traditional games, dancing, storytelling, beading and visited the Fort Hall Museum.
Indigenous Club President, Yamni Chandler, is a senior at Blackfoot High School and the son of Shayna Martin and Benjamin Vermillion. He said the Indigenous Club’s purpose for sharing their culture is to educate the cultural history of the Shoshone-Bannock People.
Chandler said, “It’s something that a lot of people don’t know about. We’re seen as just kind of some people who still live in teepees and stuff like that, so it’s nice to bring these guys out here to have some fun and learn something new. It also give our kids who are from Fort Hall Elementary and all that stuff, to kind of show where they live, all this cool stuff they have, and it just gives them the chance to show their friends something cool about them and to be proud of being Indigenous.”
BHS Indigenous Club president Yamni Chandler
Chandler was happy to see the improvements made to the event from last year and said they’re continuing to learn as they go and hopes to see it continue. He was glad things were going good and they have lots of participation.
At Timbee Hall, Michelle Hernandez, an Indian Education EL Specialist, demonstrated games, like stick horse racing and spear throwing. Downstairs, high school students did a dancing exhibition and shared songs. The closed their session by inviting students to take part in the round dance.
Tribal Museum Manager Rosemary Devinney, talked to students about the history of Fort Hall and its people before students from Independence High School took over to present.
Wapello students at the Sho-Ban Tribal Museum eagle display.
Independence teacher, Parvaneh Christensen, really wanted her students to be a part of the event, as tribal history is something she teaches. She had six of her students sign up for different displays to explain in detail to the kids.
“For my students it was really about learning and getting to teach. I mean what better way for them to learn than taking the information that they’ve been taught and having to teach everyone else. So it was really a hands on way of learning,” she said. Adding it was a powerful moment for her to see her students rise into the leadership position and take control and teach the fellow generations.
“As tribal members, which they are, this is such an amazing thing to see them coming into the next generation of learners and leaders,” she said.
Students take part in a bungu race around Timbee Hall.
The event also provides the chance for BHS seniors to get involved and submit it for their senior project. Independence students can count the time spent at the event to go towards their required community service hours.
