Comanche Academy Charter School Hosts Cultural Night

On Wednesday, January 25, community members and Comanche Academy Charter School staff gathered to create belts at cultural night.

 

Language and Culture teacher Gail Burgess said the event began last year after Comanche Nation Vice Chairman Cornel Pewewardy wanted to do drum practice.

 

“He had to tend to other business and he asked my husband to help out with drum practice,” she said. “So that’s actually how we began last year. We decided to stay consistent, so we would get something to eat, whether it was just pizza or chicken. Most of the time we were just alternating one or the other. That was completely at our own expense. We wanted to make sure people that were coming, were getting fed. And we would spend the evenings just doing drum practice and then we did that all year long.”

 

She said they decided to add to the drum practice this year and have a potluck and culture crafting.

 

“My sister had posted pictures on Facebook of my aunt showing her to make some dresses, so we’ve seen a lot of interest in that and we thought ‘Well why not utilize the school?’ because we wanted it to be for our community so why not utilize the school and bring our family here,” Burgess said. “That’s how more of my family got involved with it; wanting to help teach how to make our dresses, ribbon shirts, ribbon skirts, shawls.”

 

She said her cousin Terry Pomeichia did the presentation for the belts. They were able to get enough to make 16 belts.

 

“That will be here at the school for our learners if they choose to use them, we have them here, of course, there will be a check-out system,” Burgess said. “But we wanted to make sure we have enough items here for our learners to be able to get involved in the culture.”

 

Burgess said these events are important for those wanting to create these items independently.

 

“We always say ‘I wish I could make my own stuff,’” she said. “We hear parents say ‘I wish I could find someone to do these for my kids,’ or some people maybe they just not have the time. We wanted to bring families together in trying to do this. We know how important it is for our own people to learn how to make dresses so that we can continue with our culture. And in order to make the regalia items, we need people to know how to do that so that they can continue on to teach others. It’s all about sharing knowledge, learning, teaching one another, so that way we can continue to produce and have our cultures continue.”

 

Future projects include making ribbon shirts and menswear.

 

“A lot of the items have been more on the female items,” Burgess said. “We need to get to the male items also. I think maybe some drumstick bags. We have drum practice here, so those who are collecting their drumsticks, they need bags to carry their drumsticks in. And so, that’s probably something else that we’ll be doing as well.”

 

Geno Lawson, manager of Buck’s Pawnshop, said Terry came to him asking about belts for a belt-making class.

 

“He was asking about they wanted to purchase outright buy the materials for the belt-making class and I was like ‘Sure absolutely,’” he said. “And he was telling me about what it was for that they pretty much have the kids and teach them how to make belts and everything and I said ‘Here’s what I’m going to do. For every one item that you buy, for every one piece of leather, every piece of sinew, every concho, I’ll match it. I’ll buy one, too. And we’ll just go in halves.’ And then we just worked through it and when it came down time to get it all out, we threw in some extra things and didn’t charge for the sinew or [anything] like that. So, it was really kind of a cool deal. But it was just him wanting to purchase it from us and then we wanted to give back.”

 

Lawson said it’s vital for these connections, mainly because they go back for generations.

 

“KCA has always been there for us…they’ve always welcomed us into their homes,” he said. “They’ve always…called us ‘brother, sister’…all that. They’ve always been very welcoming and it’s very important for the shop to give back because those kids that are going to learn how to make those belts, they’re going to be our customers later. They’re going to be the ones that come in do crafts, sell to us, trade with us. So, it’s very important that those young people learn that tradition and learn those crafts. For me, I grew up at Stoney Point, Oklahoma…so I’ve been surrounded by Comanches, Kiowas, Apaches my whole life, and at Stoney Point they used to do crafts. Once a year we would go into the gym and they would show us how to bead keychains, show us how drumsticks were made and that kind of reminded me of that…reminded me of my childhood. I still remember that to this day.”

 

Lawson said he once made a pair of moccasins.

 

“I enjoyed it,” he said. “Every time I made something, I was proud of it and I keep it and hopefully those kids get to experience that as well.”

 

He said it’s essential for kids to be close to their culture.

 

“I tell a lot of younger Native American kids when they come in and you know they’re looking at game systems…or the ones that are older looking at guns…I try to lead them back to the other side of the shop to where the beadwork is and the leather work,” Lawson said. “My culture…we gave away our culture for greed, conquest. We don’t have much culture left. It is so important that Native American kids learn their culture and keep it. Even if it’s not interesting…that’s to all the kids out there. Even if it’s not interesting to you right now, it is going to be so important later in life that you have your culture it’s a blessing to have your culture.”

 

He said the tribe and what they’re doing for the kids is awesome.

 

“As long as they do it, we’ll do it,” Lawson said. “Not just the Comanche tribe, the Kiowa tribe, the Apache tribe, pretty much any tribe that’s doing something with kids, crafting, learning the culture. We’re going to help to the best of our abilities; we are. Come to us. As long as we know that it’s going to a good place, we’re going to help. That’s because [you all] help us, you know you take care of us as much as we take care of you.”

 

The belts will be continued on Wednesday, Jan. 1.

 

Culture night’s potluck begins at 5:30 and ends around 6 p.m.; activities start and last until 8 p.m.

On Wednesday, Jan. 25, community members and Comanche Academy Charter School staff gathered to create belts at cultural night.

 

Language and Culture teacher Gail Burgess said the event began last year after Comanche Nation Vice Chairman Cornel Pewewardy wanted to do drum practice.

 

“He had to tend to other business and he asked my husband to help out with drum practice,” she said. “So that’s actually how we began last year. We decided to stay consistent, so we would get something to eat, whether it was just pizza or chicken. Most of the time we were just alternating one or the other. That was completely at our own expense. We wanted to make sure people that were coming, were getting fed. And we would spend the evenings just doing drum practice and then we did that all year long.”

 

She said they decided to add to the drum practice this year and have a potluck and culture crafting.

 

“My sister had posted pictures on Facebook of my aunt showing her to make some dresses, so we’ve seen a lot of interest in that and we thought ‘Well why not utilize the school?’ because we wanted it to be for our community so why not utilize the school and bring our family here,” Burgess said. “That’s how more of my family got involved with it; wanting to help teach how to make our dresses, ribbon shirts, ribbon skirts, shawls.”

 

She said her cousin Terry Pomeichia did the presentation for the belts. They were able to get enough to make 16 belts.

 

“That will be here at the school for our learners if they choose to use them, we have them here, of course, there will be a check-out system,” Burgess said. “But we wanted to make sure we have enough items here for our learners to be able to get involved in the culture.”

 

Burgess said these events are important for those wanting to create these items independently.

 

“We always say ‘I wish I could make my own stuff,’” she said. “We hear parents say ‘I wish I could find someone to do these for my kids,’ or some people maybe they just not have the time. We wanted to bring families together in trying to do this. We know how important it is for our own people to learn how to make dresses so that we can continue with our culture. And in order to make the regalia items, we need people to know how to do that so that they can continue on to teach others. It’s all about sharing knowledge, learning, teaching one another, so that way we can continue to produce and have our cultures continue.”

 

Future projects include making ribbon shirts and menswear.

 

“A lot of the items have been more on the female items,” Burgess said. “We need to get to the male items also. I think maybe some drumstick bags. We have drum practice here, so those who are collecting their drumsticks, they need bags to carry their drumsticks in. And so, that’s probably something else that we’ll be doing as well.”

 

Geno Lawson, manager of Buck’s Pawnshop, said Terry came to him asking about belts for a belt-making class.

 

“He was asking about they wanted to purchase outright buy the materials for the belt-making class and I was like ‘Sure absolutely,’” he said. “And he was telling me about what it was for that they pretty much have the kids and teach them how to make belts and everything and I said ‘Here’s what I’m going to do. For every one item that you buy, for every one piece of leather, every piece of sinew, every concho, I’ll match it. I’ll buy one, too. And we’ll just go in halves.’ And then we just worked through it and when it came down time to get it all out, we threw in some extra things and didn’t charge for the sinew or [anything] like that. So, it was really kind of a cool deal. But it was just him wanting to purchase it from us and then we wanted to give back.”

 

Lawson said it’s vital for these connections, mainly because they go back for generations.

 

“KCA has always been there for us…they’ve always welcomed us into their homes,” he said. “They’ve always…called us ‘brother, sister’…all that. They’ve always been very welcoming and it’s very important for the shop to give back because those kids that are going to learn how to make those belts, they’re going to be our customers later. They’re going to be the ones that come in do crafts, sell to us, trade with us. So, it’s very important that those young people learn that tradition and learn those crafts. For me, I grew up at Stoney Point, Oklahoma…so I’ve been surrounded by Comanches, Kiowas, Apaches my whole life, and at Stoney Point they used to do crafts. Once a year we would go into the gym and they would show us how to bead keychains, show us how drumsticks were made and that kind of reminded me of that…reminded me of my childhood. I still remember that to this day.”

 

Lawson said he once made a pair of moccasins.

 

“I enjoyed it,” he said. “Every time I made something, I was proud of it and I keep it and hopefully those kids get to experience that as well.”

 

He said it’s essential for kids to be close to their culture.

 

“I tell a lot of younger Native American kids when they come in and you know they’re looking at game systems…or the ones that are older looking at guns…I try to lead them back to the other side of the shop to where the beadwork is and the leather work,” Lawson said. “My culture…we gave away our culture for greed, conquest. We don’t have much culture left. It is so important that Native American kids learn their culture and keep it. Even if it’s not interesting…that’s to all the kids out there. Even if it’s not interesting to you right now, it is going to be so important later in life that you have your culture it’s a blessing to have your culture.”

 

He said the tribe and what they’re doing for the kids is awesome.

 

“As long as they do it, we’ll do it,” Lawson said. “Not just the Comanche tribe, the Kiowa tribe, the Apache tribe, pretty much any tribe that’s doing something with kids, crafting, learning the culture. We’re going to help to the best of our abilities; we are. Come to us. As long as we know that it’s going to a good place, we’re going to help. That’s because [you all] help us, you know you take care of us as much as we take care of you.”

 

The belts will be continued on Wednesday, January 1.

 

Culture night’s potluck begins at 5:30 and ends around 6 p.m.; activities start and last until 8 p.m.