Hi! Aimee here- one of the first things I got to do after I arrived was attend the Lodge Grass High School Graduation here on the Crow Reservation. I do not know exactly what I was expecting, but I assumed it would be a lot different from my graduation. However, it was relatively similar to my own graduation (except I had about 430 more kids in my class!) except for a few things.
The first thing I noticed was the decoration on the caps and gowns. When I graduated college, some students wrote things on their caps like “Hi Mom!” but the caps at Lodge Grass were decorated in a different sense. Most of the 24 students had decorative beading both on the cap and the gown. One boy even had eagle feathers on the back of his. We found out after the ceremony that this is tradition within the Crow community. Some of the beading was so incredibly intricate that it must have taken days to do.
Another difference I noted was a presentation of gifts throughout the ceremony. Each time someone special was mentioned, like the retiring teachers, they were called to the stage and given a blanket. As it turns out, these Pendleton blankets are very significant. They are given as a symbol of warmth, friendship and respect during important occasions, like a graduation. I was excited when I finally got to hear the Crow language spoken at the end of the ceremony; one prayer was said in the native Crow language. I had never heard this language spoken before and it was really cool to finally hear it! I really enjoyed my time at the graduation ceremony; it was a good look into educational aspects of Crow culture.
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