Anna Brokenleg from IPC received a Proud Grant for her proposal, “OSO Ribbon Skirt and Ribbon Medallion Making.”

Ann Robertson, Amanda Zephier, Mason Calhoun, Tim Easter, Zach Fenceroy, Haydn Daudt, Janet Fleming-Martin, Bruce Rekstad, Robert Johnson, and Arlene Smith are also recipients of this award. With the $5,000 grant, 120 middle schoolers will be able to sew a ribbon skirt or make ribbon medicine wheel medallions to attach to a shirt for their eighth grade honoring ceremony, marking a significant steppingstone in a culturally relevant way. In the application, they wrote, “OSO students will be involved in all aspects of the designing, measuring, creating, and sewing of their ribbon skirts or ribbon shirt medallions. This will be a culmination of their learning about Indigenous history, artists, cultural revitalization, resilience, and cultural pride studied throughout the OSO curriculum. While the skirts and medallions are intended for the honoring ceremony, they will also grow with students to assist them in other cultural representation events throughout future years. Many students do not have access to the materials or cultural mentors to assist them with regalia making at home or outside of the school environment. This grant aims to help fill this need for our Native student population. This opportunity will allow eighth grade students to increase participation in cultural events beyond the honoring ceremony and to positively celebrate their culture in the educational setting during their high school experiences.”