Anthropology teacher Gary Scholl attempted to pick up a fish with a line and paper clip hook in the Brown Room on Wednesday, Nov. 30 when the Culture Shock Club held the first Native American Culture Fair.
Culture Shock tried “to spread awareness of the Native American culture and most importantly get students involved and see different cultures,” senior and President of Culture Shock Monique Romain said.
Scholl lent Native American artifacts, which are sold each year at the Annual Benefit Pow-Wow, to the Culture Shock Club to display. Participants at the fair were also offered various Native American foods.
Culture Shock is planning to have events similar to the Native American Culture Fair every month. According to Romain, the goal of having these Culture Shock events is so that the “student body can have fun and be informed [of a culture] each month.”
However, in January, JC will focus on Native American culture again during the 12th Annual Benefit Pow-Wow.
The Pow-Wow will take place on Saturday, Jan. 14. All the proceeds made will benefit St. Labre Indian School in Ashland, Montana. According to Scholl this year’s goal is to “raise $5,000 in one day.”
St. Labre Indian School is the main school on the Crow Reservation, offering grades pre-kindergarten through twelfth. St. Labre runs St. Charles Mission School and Pretty Eagle Catholic Academy, two other schools on the reservation.
It took Scholl a total of 21 years to connect with St. Labre Indian School. He initially made contact with the Cheyenne culture in college when he decided to do service on a reservation in Oklahoma.
“I came away after two years with the feeling I hadn’t really helped a whole lot of people, but that they helped me a great deal,” Scholl said.
Scholl decided he wanted to visit a Northern Cheyenne reservation in Montana after the Northern Cheyenne Breakout, when the Cheyenne tribe separated because the Northern Cheyenne people could not stand the southern heat.
“I went up to a house and knocked on the door. A little kid opened the door a crack and yelled ‘Mom, Grandma, there’s a white man at the door,’ I bought some barrettes and some of their bead work and that was my in,” Scholl said.
Starting with that initial connection, he attended a Pow-Wow and noticed St. Labre Indian School. While there, Scholl recognized people from Oklahoma that he previously knew and he kept making connections with others until he met people from the school.
The connection with St. Labre has blossomed since, and this year for the JC Pow-Wow they are sending in students, vendors, and a “good drum group who should make people want to dance,” Scholl said.
Since the inception of the Pow-Wow, JC has sent over $50,000 to St. Labre. This money not only included the proceeds from the Pow-Wow but generous donations from anonymous donors.
“The Pow-Wow is just an authentic cultural experience to help students get a taste of Native American culture,” Scholl said.
Sarah Kearby is a Lifestlyes Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.