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Date: 03/26/2002 8:22:39 AM Eastern Standard Time
NORTHERN CHEYENNE TRIBAL SCHOOL- Update.
A few months ago I put out a call for assistance to be directed to the
Northern Cheyenne Tribal School
in Busby, MT. Since that time, there have been several donations
sent in to
the school. I have been told that Christmas presents, usable winter
clothing in good condition, as well as some funds have been sent to
the
school. On March 20th, I and fellow Texas AIM (formerly South East
Texas
AIM) co-founder Lawrence Sampson (Delaware/ Eastern Band Cherokee)
returned
from a trip to the
campus. We went there to drop-off clothing donations as well as some
computers.
While there, we were taken on a tour that provided an extensive view
of the
specific needs of these 202 school children. One of the first things
that
stood out in our minds was the art department. It's no secret that
we, as
Native people, seem to be blessed with artistic creativity. These
children
are no
exception. We saw amazing pieces of art work. The most noticeable
of all
the pieces of art work was on the ceiling. At some point, being
badly under
funded, the teacher instructed the children to take down the ceiling
tiles
to paint on. They had run out of all other materials and were left
with
this last resort.
Nevertheless, they painted some of the most amazing art work I've
seen... on
ceiling tiles. One of the art students was having two pieces sent
of to a
museum in Arizona, another had just won a nation-wide contest that
drew over
700 contestants. There, amongst drastic conditions, were true signs
of
cultural pride and hope. This is all the more remarkable when
you take into consideration the art teacher's
testimony that, in her 26 years of teaching, 77
students have died. Died from suicides, died from
drug abuse, died from alcoholism, died from car
wrecks,... dead and gone forever before they could
even finish High School. The one thing that gets many
of them through the day is art class. It is one of
the only places where they can express themselves in a
positive way. That is, when they have the materials
to use. They badly need art supplies.
Another thing that we noticed was the sparse
"Library". The library which served the entire school
was nothing but bare shelves with minimal paperback
volumes. I couldn't believe how empty those
shelves were. There is a great need for books in good
condition. There is a sharpness to a lot of these
kids. Despite all the handicaps, they are some
extremely intelligent children. I'd like to see that
nurtured by additional resources, such as books. In
the cafeteria, two women were all that was left after
budget cuts to cook, clean, and serve the kids.
Leonard told us that the lunchtime meal that was
served was sometimes the best meal of the entire day
for some of those kids. He made a statement that
Monday's were the most depressing. Some of those kids
come in from the weekends very hungry, he told us.
We spent the day with Leonard Elkshoulder. He not
only showed us around the school, introducing us
to faculty and students alike, but he gave us a good
breakdown of the history of the school. Up until the
early 1970's, it served as one of the areas boarding
schools. He showed us were the barracks once
stood. Not far from there, across the street from the
school, he pointed out a house known as the
"Rosebud House". This has nothing to do with the
Rosebud reservation, it is named after the Rosebud
Valley which is where Busby is located. He told us
that it was a home for abandoned children.
Somewhere around eighteen children are presently
housed there. Some of those were students at the
school. I can think of few things as tragic, as
deeply moving, and as depressing as the necessity of a
"abandoned children's home".
The following day, we were able to again meet with
Leonard Elkshoulder, as well as the basketball
coaches, and the school's superintendent Bonnie
Granboise. Mrs. Granboise assured us that
"everything sent to the school is given to the
children." Furthermore, Leonard Elkshoulder added
that
they were taken off to the side, to Mr. Elkshoulder's
office space where the items are stored, to take
what's available in complete discretion. This
alleviates other children feeling left out, or the
recipients
feeling embarrassed. The clothes have been coming in,
but need to continue to do so. Fortunately, we
have good prospects for providing the kids with "Back
to School" clothes.
The March/ April issue of Native Peoples magazine (on
shelves now) features an article on the Native
owned and operated clothing company Native Threads (on
page 14). This article provides a brief
mention of the school. On page 16, however, there is
a full page ad dedicated to their new "Heartbeat
of Native America" T-shirt. The following is an
excerpt from that ad:
"Native Threads will donate a portion of the
proceeds from this special edition, "Heartbeat of
Native
America" T-shirt to benefit more than 200 children
at the Northern Cheyenne Tribal School in Busby,
Montana."
This same ad will be featured in their new catalogue.
The proceeds will go to cover the cost of back to
school clothes, that Native Threads has agreed to
supply. It goes without saying that we are very
excited to announce this development.
I want to think everyone whose helped in sending what
they could to the school. They have told us
many times just how appreciative they are. Further, I
would ask everyone to continue to do what you
can to support these impoverished children. They need
all the assistance they can get. Art supplies, library
books, winter weather clothing,
funds, and much more are badly needed, and greatly
appreciated. I thank you all for your continued
interest, and ask for your continued support. Once
again, the address and contact information are:
Northern Cheyenne Tribal School
c/o Leonard Elkshoulder or Bonnie Granboise
1 Campus Drive
P.O. Box 150
Busby, MT. 59016
Aho/ Nea'ese
Dave Bailey
Northern Cheyenne
Spokesperson
Texas AIM (formerly South East Texas AIM)
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