Indigenous Day is October 10th, Here is What I Learned This Weekend
Hello SAISD Parents,
We have a school holiday coming up on October 10th, which is Indigenous Day. This week I would like to share my experience that took place on Sunday under a large tent in San Marcos at the Sacred Springs. A friend invited me to a Powwow, giving me a different perspective about what it means to be Indigenous. All my life, my education about the Indian tribes was few and far in between, and they always described them as savages. But this weekend, as I entered the big tent, I saw tribes from all over Texas, Oklahoma, Montana, and Mexico. The event was put together by Native Americans indigenous to Texas, collectively known as Coahuiltecans. This is a place where many tribal nations come together to celebrate their traditional dance and songs.
As the drums started to beat and the singing began, we saw all the dancers enter the tent. As each one passed, I could see each one’s garments with many colors of beads embroidered with different symbols. Some had bells all over their dresses or shells around their ankles. The Aztec dancers wore ayoyotes or bells, making it sound like it was raining. Then as they were dancing and singing, we saw the Aztec male dancers blow their Conch Shells, and suddenly, all these children came into the tent.
All day we saw a dance contest for the males: grass dance, chicken dance, fancy and traditional, Straight Dance. As the males began, the Grass Dancers wore outfits with a shirt and pants, beaded belts, armbands, cuffs, and back aprons. So, each of these dances consists of different outfits with lots of beading, headdresses, and feathers. The woman started with the Buckskin dance, one of the oldest forms of dance where each wears delicate, hand-crafted buckskin dresses with beaded designs. The other dances were called the cloth, jingle, and fancy shawl; each female wore beautiful garments with various colors and long beaded jewelry. The best moment was when I saw history made as the head male dancer and his family danced for the first time to a song written by his mother and wife for him. It touched my heart as I watched the entire family dance around their father, and I began to cry. This weekend was a unique educational experience that made me wonder if our children ever see or learn about these Indian tribes.
Two weeks ago, the State Board of Education put our Social Studies framework off for two more years. Now I wonder whether our state would include all these native tribes that once lived in Texas. If we want our children to learn more about Texas history, we must teach them about all the people that once lived among us. I encourage you to attend a Powwow so our children can see a different perspective of what it means to an indigenous person. If the state doesn’t want to teach our children the truth, then we will. Lastly, all the information you need is at this website https://calendar.powwows.com.
If anyone has any questions or concerns, please email me at lena.lopez@saobserver.com.
Have a Blessed Week, Lena Lopez
