|
Beau Jr., now in 6th grade, has become a student leader at OLL, often leading the entire school in traditional prayer through songs sung in the Lakota language. He started singing years ago, when he was basically still a toddler. Beau Sr. brought him along to community gatherings and ceremonies, and let him sit on his lap, hit the drum before him, and listen to the singing.
“And then one day,” said Beau Sr., “he started taking it up, singing loud, and getting better and better.”
From then on, Beau Jr. was always singing: Sawee and Beau Sr. even had to remind him now and then that he wasn’t supposed to sing during class. But his teachers and principal took notice, and he was asked him to sing on Friday mornings at OLL’s morning prayer service, and then at school Masses.
Being able to sing in that way has made it easy for him to love school and his experiences there. When he sings, Sawee says, “he’s so excited—and he feels like he’s accomplished something.”
Marella, too, has been excited to participate in celebrating spiritual gatherings on campus. One of OLL’s Lakota language teachers, who the family refers to as Unci (grandmother) Gloria, told Sawee recently that Marella had started helping during Mass, just as she had during a Sundance ceremony over the summer. Even though she was a little shy, looking back, she said she “really liked it.”
For both Sawee and Beau Sr., there’s a joy in their children’s eyes when they come home from a day at school. They are always so excited about what they did, and what they learned. During summer break, they drove past campus and Beau said “I can’t wait to go back to school!” And that spoke volumes about the impact Red Cloud has had in their lives.
“I worry a lot, not just about my own kids, but about all the kids on the reservation, and what they are exposed to,” said Sawee. “Here at OLL and Red Cloud, they have a whole other family that protects them. From a mother’s perspective, that’s how I feel.”
|