WELCOME TO NATIVE AMERICAN DAY AT ST. LABRE!
The annual celebration of our cultures and traditions
Well, in reality, every day is Native American Day at St. Labre, but on this special day, Northern Cheyenne and Crow people gather to proudly celebrate their cultures and traditions with a powwow, feast, teepee-raising races, and a parade. Our children dance in full regalia and adults of every generation gather to express pride in their cultures and traditions.
Of course, you make it possible for St. Labre to curate events and offer a curriculum that honors the rich cultures of our students. They learn their tribal languages, stay connected to their history and are strengthened in their identities as members of the Northern Cheyenne and Crow nations.
We share these images of Native American Day and invite you to celebrate with us, even if only in spirit.
Students waiting for the parade.
Parade participants throwing candy.
Hand Games
Students participate in a Hand Game tournament where two teams face each other, one team hiding and one team guessing. Two players on the hiding team each conceal a marked and unmarked stick (called bones) in their hands, while their teammates distract the guesser with drumming, singing, waving of arms and clapping. The guesser tries to locate the two marked sticks (bones). Points are only scored by the hiding team.
Arrow Throwing Contest
Males use large arrows (similar to javelins) in a contest of accuracy (possibly used to practice hunting back in the day) by throwing arrows at a target arrow further down the field. The closest to the target wins.
St. Labre Drum Group
Student drum group sings for the pow wow which is held at the Native American Day celebration.
Making hand drums in class.
Teepee-raising Race
Flag bearer running the field & students assembling the teepee.
Pow Wow
All dancers entering the dance arena at the pow wow Grand Entry
The Fancy Shawl dancer performs a graceful, fast-paced dance in regalia featuring a colorful shawl decorated with ribbons or yarn. The shawl itself is often said to symbolize the wings of a butterfly, with the dancer’s movements mimicking its flight.
Traditional dance regalia varies from tribe to tribe.
The regalia of a Traditional dancer is adorned with elk teeth, which are now often imitations. Historically, real teeth symbolized the wealth of the dancer’s family and the hunting skills of the male relatives who provided them.
Jingle dress dancers. Female regalia has cones on them that clink together causing a jingle sound, hence the name.
Grass Dancer regalia has yarn or ribbon fringes that mimic the swaying of tall grass in the wind as they dance.