Staff Writer

 The thundering drums reverberated throughout the school as two dancers in full regalia twisted and twirled past a rapt audience. 

As the drumming slowed and again picked up pace for another song, students joined the dancing, twisting their way through the gym of C.K. Burns School in Saco.

The music and dancing, while an entertaining way for students to celebrate the end of the week, was a unique educational opportunity for fourth-grade students studying American Indians. The Metis of Maine traveled to Saco May 13 for an educational powwow.

Bob Brawn, also known as Chief Silver Eagle, said he and other Metis wanted to show students “Indians are still alive and well, and our culture is still alive and well.”

Metis means “mixed blood” in French. The Metis people are descended from American Indians and Europeans.

Richard Hogue, a foster grandparent at Burns School, said he organized the powwow so students could learn about another culture. State law mandates students learn about the role of American Indians in Maine history.

Hogue said many students see street names every day that come from native cultures. Saco is an Indian name and the Abenaki populated the area before Europeans settled here.

“They need to know where they come from,” Hogue said. “The kids are coming to school in a city where they didn’t even know where the name comes from.”

Wilma Leinonen, a fourth-grade special education teacher, said students recently traveled to Augusta to view Indian artifacts at the state museum. In class, they watched videos and read stories about American Indians, she said.

“The kids are just fascinated. They better understand the place they live in. It gives them a real sense of the importance of the Saco River,” she said. “They also understand many of us have native ancestry. It’s a rediscovery.”

Teacher Renee Libby said students were “very excited” to experience a powwow.

“It’s a cultural experience they normally wouldn’t get. It gives them a more worldly view,” she said.

Ella Anderson, 17, of Limerick, and her sister, 19-year-old Whitley Gagnon, performed a shawl dance for students. Anderson, also known as Little Sky, said she enjoys educating children about her culture.

“Sometimes they don’t fully understand what it’s really about,” she said.

“It’s important for people to realize that what’s told in the textbooks isn’t all there is,” added Gagnon. “Native people respect their Mother Earth.”

Little Dove, wife of Chief Silver Eagle, said going to schools is a great opportunity to talk about her way of life.

“Our culture is being lost,” she said. “I think it’s important for young people to realize Indians still exist. I love to hear their input and how they feel about it. I think it guides them and gives them another outlook on life.”

Before students arrived at the assembly, John Gray of Parsonsfield and others participated in smudging, which cleanses the aura of negativity, Little Dove said. Photographs normally are not allowed of smudging, but were last week because it was a teaching event.

After students filed into the gym and sat around the drum circle led by Bill Pelkey, the Metis danced into the gym to the rhythmic drumming. Pelkey, also known as Stonehawk, is keeper of the drum and explained the drum is Mother Earth’s heartbeat.

Chief Silver Eagle explained the history of the Metis of Maine and the differences in regalia. He said regalia made of buckskin was common before the arrival of Europeans, who introduced other textiles to the area.

Chief Silver Eagle invited students and teachers to learn how to dance. Holding hands, students circled the gym in a snake dance before Chief Silver Eagle led a dance in honor of Hogue and the teachers. After the powwow, students looked at artifacts and items made by the Metis people.

Students Kailey Poirier and Megan Cairns spent several minutes carefully examining a beaded necklace made of beads collected at powwows.

“I’d never been to a powwow. It was amazing,” Poirier said.

Both Poirier and Cairns said the especially enjoyed watching the shawl dance because it was a competition between two sisters.

“I really liked the powwow because there was a lot of dancing,” Cairns said. “It was really cool.”

Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.