Moorhead students learn about Native American culture
October 18, 2019
As part of Moorhead’s Indigenous People’s Day celebration, students in Moorhead Area Public Schools learned about Native American culture during the day.
Students at Horizon Middle School East and West Campus learned about dancing and drumming, Horizon West sixth-grade students had Lakota language lessons, and students at Moorhead High School heard a presentation about Indigenous history.
Delores Gabbard, a Native American liaison for Moorhead Area Public Schools, provided background about the dances during the presentations for Horizon students.
“Each tribe has certain cultural things they do,” Gabbard said. “Powwow is the one universal.”
Gabbard described how the men’s grass dance includes movements like swaying grass. The jingle dress dance originated before modern medicine to support an ill child. The women’s traditional represents the strength of women, while the fancy shawl dance has movements like a butterfly. The men’s fancy dance is a more contemporary dance.
Photos: During a presentation at Horizon Middle School, Delores Gabbard shares the fancy shawl dance. Tyrel Iron Eyes teaches Horizon West students how to say “hello” during a Lakota language lesson. Allan Demaray plays the flute during a presentation about Indigenous history for Moorhead High students. Horizon East student Tim Gabbard dances the men’s fancy dance during presentations at Horizon Middle School as part of Moorhead’s Indigenous People’s Day.
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