Nearly 350 Students Participate in Native American Heritage Day at the Two Mississippi Museums
Nearly 350 students were welcomed Thursday, Nov. 13, to the Two Mississippi Museums, where they learned about Native American culture by watching dance performances, playing stickball and listening to storytellers from the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.
Students from John Hopkins Elementary School, Smilow Prep, and Kirksey Middle School participated in Native American Heritage Day activities led by museum educators and Choctaw Indians. The national observance of Native American Heritage Day is Nov. 28.
Before their performances on Thursday in the Craig H. Neilsen Auditorium, the Mystic Wind Choctaw Social Dancers explained how Choctaw tribes are located in places beyond Mississippi, including Louisiana and Chicago.
Elements of their dances carried meaning. For instance, the drum at the baseline of each dance was representative of the heartbeat found in each of the dancers. Students and teachers watched before joining in the dance.
Trey Cotton, a social studies teacher from Kirksey Middle School, said he recently taught his students about the three major Native American tribes in Mississippi.
“Teaching them about stickball and then being able to come out here in real life to have them participate just solidifies the lessons so much more to them and the importance it has in Mississippi heritage and Native American culture,” Cotton said. “I think it just directly links them to the studies that we’ve been going over. This was a really good day.”
Simon Isaac, a member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, told the students about a style of stickball that originated in Mississippi, explaining that stickball was “essentially a replacement for war.”
Isaac said some Northern tribes carry a staff with a bend at the top.
“What that represents is the turning away of war because what we believe as Native Americans is that it is against the laws of nature to take another life,” Isaac said. “(Stickball) gave us a chance to fight for our rights, but to do it in a more civil manner.”
Drew Gardner, director of programs at the Two Mississippi Museums, emphasized the importance of the day’s event.
“We get a chance to partner with our Native communities,” Gardner said. “The Mississippi Band of Choctaws is the only federally recognized tribe in Mississippi, and we are so proud to demonstrate and show the legacy of the tribe and share that with students across the state.”
