(WXMI) — A cap and gown are the traditional garb on Graduation Day, and sometimes these outfits are accessorized. Think special cords, honor stoles, and even a decorated cap.
Now in Michigan, a new law signed into place earlier this month is on the books, protecting a graduate's right to represent their culture when they walk across the stage.
For certain Indigenous communities, regalia like beadwork and eagle feathers carry spiritual, religious and cultural significance.
But nationwide some school districts have stopped graduates from wearing them, but not here in Michigan, and that's a win for groups like the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi.
They have been fighting and dealing with this issue for some time now, experiencing emotions that should not be common on Graduation Day.
“There's been a lot of general fear of wearing your regalia to graduation,” said Jordan Morseau, a Youth Council leader in the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi. “There's these horror stories where school administrative staff would confiscate them, and usually it's not because it's a malicious intent but it's really just they're ignorant of Indigenous cultural protocols."
Julie Dye, secretary for the Anishinaabek Caucus of the Michigan Democratic Party, has been advocating for this change for years now, but she believes this issue has a root cause.
“The reason there's so much misunderstanding and ignorance about our cultures is that we've never been written about in the history books or as current living people,” Dye said.
But change is on the way. House Bill 4854 was signed into law, requiring that Michigan schools ensure Native American students can wear their regalia to ceremonies of honor.
That regalia comes in many different forms, from beaded sashes, jewelry, caps, eagle feathers and more.
The significance of the regalia cannot go understated, especially for those like Morseau who didn't get their moment.
“Whenever I wear my regalia, it sort of calms me and it calms my mind, body and soul, centers me, and it kind of helps put things into perspective," Morseau said. "And this is sort of reflecting now; I was not able to wear my regalia for any of my graduation ceremonies. ”
For Dye, it was a full-circle moment getting the law changed, as she thinks back on the dark and bloodied history for Natives.
“It's wonderful; it's very emotional, obviously," Dye said. "My parents and my grandparents weren't allowed to [wear regalia]; they would have been jailed for having a ceremony of such.”
Dye believes there's still work to be done to ensure better understanding of Native American culture, through education.
"People know very little about our history," Dye said. "They can't name one or two tribes of Michigan. They don't know about the boarding school era, some of the atrocities that have been committed, the genocidal policies that the government initiated. It's a narrative that needs to change."
Dye hopes this law change can be the start to learning more about Indigenous culture.
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