Opening the door to heritage

COEUR d'ALENE — Sarai Mays said when her grandson began school, he came home in tears because he didn't believe he was an American Indian unless he had a bow and arrows.

"He was very upset and convinced for a really long time that he had to have a bow and arrow, otherwise it just wasn't real," Mays said.

American Indian children frequently get mixed messages like her grandson did, Mays said, especially when they live outside a reservation. There are approximately 300 American Indians and Alaskan Natives enrolled in the Coeur d'Alene School District and, in an effort address stereotypes and provide culturally-accurate instruction, Mays became the district's Indian Education Liaison in 2013.

Funding for Mays' position comes from two grants that enable schools that are either on reservations or have large American Indian populations to bring cultural activities and education into schools. Mays is the only person with such a role in North Idaho, and told The Press that combatting stereotypes and inaccurate perceptions is a huge part of what she does.

"Most of us know Pocahontas and Sacajawea, but that's mostly myth. It's so built up that we see it more like Disneyland," she said. "I try to get in and add things that are important and really matter. Since our schools don't really teach native history viewed through an American Indian lens, and our standardized curriculum is from the perspective of white men, it's really hard to bring in other views. I just try to help and support that while providing opportunities where they will be able to connect."

Some of those opportunities, Mays said, are as simple as teaching loom-weaving to students, or bringing a storyteller to talk about the importance of oral history within Native American tribes. The stories she or a storyteller relates to the students are often the same regardless of grade level, but the older students are taught more about the themes and cultural importance behind what a youngster might see as a bedtime story.

"The kids always beg for more stories and it's hard to get away," Mays said. "I also teach them about pow-wows and let them know it's not like Halloween. We're not playing pretend with them; that's part of us. We're working on building a library so the teachers here can come and check out books and music that would be more culturally sensitive and correct."

There was no blueprint to follow when Mays began as the liaison and, with 62 tribes being represented in 16 schools, she said she knows she has a big job to do.

"Most things have to be presented in a real generalized way," Mays said. "But I try to also talk to teachers and get them to realize that you can't say an Indian is an Indian, sometimes you have to present things in a tribal context. I do some awareness training with teachers, which has to be very brief because unfortunately time is short."

One school might have five American Indian students, Mays said, while another has 40. Of the 40, only two students at a large school could be from the same tribe and not even know each other.

"It's hard to build that community," Mays said. "On the reservation, they see their extended families every day. There's a real disconnect that I run across and we just try to introduce people to each other and start building relationships and that community because those kids need that."

The program has come a long way since its inception, Mays said. An Indian Parent Education Committee has been established, and Mays said she works closely with them as they steer the program toward particular events and instruction.

Through events like handing out school supplies to American Indian students, Mays said, the community is also addressing trends of high poverty, poor healthcare and low graduation rates amongst Native American populations.

"It's an added boost — education is the goal," Mays said. "If they graduate and go on, that's what we hope for and we want to make the transition from high school to college or some kind of training easier. Hopefully then they can go back to the community and help with that poverty and give back. It's such a key thing."

Ultimately, Mays hopes she can help students find and open the door to their heritage.

"Kids all need that cultural community no matter where they're from," Mays said. "Our cultures are different, but we need to look at each other's culture from their standpoint too. If you can start when they're young, and they grow up with that, then it's just an accepted thing."

As the program continues to grow, Mays said she hopes to see more parental involvement and more cultural events that involve the entire community.

"I would like to see an emphasis on teaching our history," she added. "Then our kids might not grow up thinking they're not an American Indian if you don't have a bow and arrow."