Comanche Academy Celebrates Native American Month with Powwow
On Friday, November 21, Comanche Academy Charter School held its Native American Month Powwow after morning ceremonies.
Comanche Academy Charter School Education Assistant Keeno Gallegos was MC of the powwow. He is also a part of the Native American Language grant.
“Since the beginning of the school year, we've been trying to teach kids about powwow dances and powwow etiquette,” Gallegos said. “So, this is kind of…marks…sort of the middle of the school year. So, all the things that we've learned and taught them about conducting themselves in the arena, in the circle, and being respectful and teaching them the different dance styles and the songs. It's something we've been working on…since the beginning of the year. So, for Native American Heritage Month, we kind of wanted to display everything that we've learned and how far we've come.”
He said a lot of planning went into the mock powwow.
“We planned this along with one of my colleagues, Melanie Motah, and she helps teach our music classes, which we focus on Native music and culture and dances in that form,” Gallegos said.
He said it’s fulfilling to see how fast the students learn and be a part of their culture.
“We also like to implement the language as part of the process, so we teach them the words for the certain dances and stuff like that in Comanche language,” Gallegos said.
According to him, students learning their culture is a key aspect at the charter school.
“One of the things that Comanche Academy is founded on is…teaching language and culture to our students so that they have a place where they can be proud of who they are and they can know where they come from,” Gallegos said. “And that in itself will empower them throughout their education journey as they grow older.”
He said he wants the students to continue their work in the culture and keep it alive, including the preservation of the Comanche language.
“As they grow older, they can…continue passing it down to their children and so on and so forth and…it's all about community, really,” Gallegos said.
He is thankful for everyone who supports the charter school and its students.
