Sioux Valley friends make journey together

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/06/2024 (497 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Clinking metal overpowers the chatter of the crowd gathered on the field of the Riverbank Discovery Centre. It’s the day of Our Journey, an annual May celebration of Indigenous graduates across western Manitoba.

The sound is coming from Oceanna Hall. The metal spirals hanging off her jingle dress reflect the sunlight as she walks to the line of graduates waiting to be presented. Her longtime friend Tiara Bell walks beside her, furs hanging around her neck.

In a sea of students largely dressed in ribbon skirts or regular school clothes, Bell and Hall stand out. Their respective bright ceremonial dresses of blue and pink, the braids and beads, demand observation — people seated on the bleachers have heard them coming and comment on their beauty.

The grand presentation of students begins and they stream into the powwow circle with their schools. When Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School is announced, Bell and Hall lead the way. They twirl and dance, moving forward slowly with their peers. Their faces are focused but joyful as they tap their feet to the rhythm of the drums.

Most people disperse to the barbecue and food trucks after the presentation. Drum circles hailing from First Nations across Westman have come to perform and as they begin, Hall and Bell re-enter the circle. Hall has her hands on her hips as she moves her feet, her jingle dress announcing every movement. Bell is swinging the furs around her neck in tune with the music.

These two girls, proud of their culture and celebrating it just as much as they are there to be celebrated, have worked hard to be in this moment. Both girls graduated from high school in four years.

They represent the second generation of Indigenous students from their families who could attend regular schools, as opposed to residential schools. As of June 2023, 91.3 per cent of non-Indigenous students in Manitoba graduated secondary school in four years, according to provincial statistics. For Indigenous students, the rate is 50.7 per cent.

Bell’s grandparents were both survivors of the Pine Creek Residential School operated by the Catholic church. The impact of their time away from their communities and in the school is undeniable. Both of Bell’s parents did not graduate on time due to difficulties related to the intergenerational trauma caused by the residential school system.

“It was very hard being the first generation actually able to attend school and do all these things that they were finally able to do. My dad, his one goal was for me to graduate on time,” Bell said.

She and Hall grew up together in Sioux Valley Dakota Nation. They went to the reserve school together until Grade 9, when they transferred to Crocus Plains. The culture shock of switching to a majority non-Indigenous high school after spending most of their lives with their own was palpable, but they were thankful to have each other.

The girls transferred to Crocus Plains during the COVID-19 pandemic, making a tough adjustment that much harder. But they knew some others who had also transferred from Sioux Valley High School and were able to support one another.

“I learned to embrace my culture with them to, you know, accept my diversity… Having Tiara with me, it helped a lot because I wasn’t alone,” Hall said.

Bell echoed those sentiments.

“I just tried to be myself as much as I could and always remember where I came from … Transferring with Oshi (Hall) did also make it much easier as well,” she said.

They found ways to stay connected with their culture at school. Culinary classes were Hall’s favourite because she could integrate her culture into the work. For her school’s culture days, she taught her class a couple of different ways to make the traditional Indigenous bread bannock, either oven baked or fried and with all kinds of accompaniments.

Bell was initially most attracted to the school’s hairstyling program before she found photography, her overall favourite subject. She was thankful she was able to explore different things, also enjoying culinary horticulture and business classes.

Beyond school, Bell and Hall have many similar interests. Both girls are experienced dancers and began at a young age. Hall’s father was part of the Dakota Hotain drum circle and played on the powwow trail during the summertime before Hall was born. He sang at Sioux Valley’s annual powwow while she was growing up. Her grandmother was quite involved with medicine as well, so Hall was often invited to sundances as a kid. She said that was always an honour.

“I got raised into dancing. I’ve being doing it my whole childhood,” she said.

The same goes for Bell. As she got older, she became more and more serious about dancing.

“I wanted to really push for other people to dance … When you’re dancing out there, it’s like your mind just clears. It’s just you and a bunch of other dancers. It’s a very heartfelt moment being out there,” Bell said.

Bell is set to start classes at Assiniboine College in the fall. Hall wants to go into a university music program — she’s a singer and plays some instruments. They’re planning on moving into an apartment in Brandon together, ready to support each other through whatever comes next.

But for now, they just want to celebrate their community and each other.

“We’ve come so far. I’ve known (Hall) for so long now. It’s a very happy time,” Bell said.

» cmcconkey@brandonsun.com