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Student-led pow-wow honors S-B grads
Members of the Tribal Student Council at Suttons Bay High School organized a first-ever student-led pow-wow to honor the school’s 2010 graduates.
MARSHALL FUNMAKER (left), a 2006 Suttons Bay High School graduate, leads dancers around a pow-wow circle in the high school gym on Saturday afternoon during an event designed to honor the school’s 2010 graduates.
Dubbed “Take a Step in our Moccasins,” the event was held Saturday afternoon in the high school gymnasium and featured dozens of drummers, singers and dancers wearing colorful Native American regalia.
The chairman of the Grand Traverse Band (GTB) of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Derek Bailey, served as master of ceremonies of the pow-wow. He noted that the event was a collaborative effort of a number of local programs and sponsors.
Organizers included the coordinator of an after-school program for students at Suttons Bay, Marco Dedenbach of SEEDS, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting environmentalism and education. The federal Title VII Indian Education Program, which provides “homework labs” and other services to Native American students at Suttons Bay, also supported the event, along with the GTB “Biimaadiziwinaa Eyaawing” prevention program funded in part by the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency; plus a number of local businesses.
The head male dancer at the pow-wow was 2006 Suttons Bay High School graduate and former standout football player Marshall Funmaker. The head female dancer was 2008 Suttons Bay graduate Elaina Leaureaux, now a student at Michigan State University.
Host drum at the pow-wow was “Dusty Bear,” featuring lead singer La’Kota Raphael, a 2006 Suttons Bay graduate. The invited drum was the GTB’s own “Medicine Lodge Singers,” with Shocko Hall Sr. as lead singer.
Other tribal members playing key roles at the pow-wow were the student head male dancer, sixth-grader Jonathan Anderson; the student head female dancer, sixth-grader Vanessa Schocko; the student arena director, ninth-grader Zach Shomin; the student master of ceremonies, ninth-grader Elijah Shomin; and head veteran Jack Swanson.
MARSHALL FUNMAKER (left), a 2006 Suttons Bay High School graduate, leads dancers around a pow-wow circle in the high school gym on Saturday afternoon during an event designed to honor the school’s 2010 graduates.
Dubbed “Take a Step in our Moccasins,” the event was held Saturday afternoon in the high school gymnasium and featured dozens of drummers, singers and dancers wearing colorful Native American regalia.
The chairman of the Grand Traverse Band (GTB) of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Derek Bailey, served as master of ceremonies of the pow-wow. He noted that the event was a collaborative effort of a number of local programs and sponsors.
Organizers included the coordinator of an after-school program for students at Suttons Bay, Marco Dedenbach of SEEDS, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting environmentalism and education. The federal Title VII Indian Education Program, which provides “homework labs” and other services to Native American students at Suttons Bay, also supported the event, along with the GTB “Biimaadiziwinaa Eyaawing” prevention program funded in part by the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency; plus a number of local businesses.
The head male dancer at the pow-wow was 2006 Suttons Bay High School graduate and former standout football player Marshall Funmaker. The head female dancer was 2008 Suttons Bay graduate Elaina Leaureaux, now a student at Michigan State University.
Host drum at the pow-wow was “Dusty Bear,” featuring lead singer La’Kota Raphael, a 2006 Suttons Bay graduate. The invited drum was the GTB’s own “Medicine Lodge Singers,” with Shocko Hall Sr. as lead singer.
Other tribal members playing key roles at the pow-wow were the student head male dancer, sixth-grader Jonathan Anderson; the student head female dancer, sixth-grader Vanessa Schocko; the student arena director, ninth-grader Zach Shomin; the student master of ceremonies, ninth-grader Elijah Shomin; and head veteran Jack Swanson.
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