Connecting Indigenous Students To Their Heritage

Story and photos by Norah Hutchison

Epic is helping Indigenous students reconnect with their heritage through hands-on art workshops ranging from traditional crafts like loom and ornament beading to contemporary blends like cap beading and Indigenous sneaker art, bridging traditions with the present.

Epic’s Native American Programs empower students by providing a range of support, including academic help, financial aid with ACT vouchers, and college and career counseling. And to keep connections to students’ heritage alive, they offer cultural workshops. 

These workshops aim to preserve cultural traditions while making them accessible and relevant to younger generations. By learning the traditional techniques used by their ancestors, students not only gain artistic skills but also develop a deeper understanding of their cultural identities. At the same time, incorporating Indigenous designs into modern art forms allows them to express their heritage in new and creative ways.

One cultural enrichment activity that Native American Programs offer every year is graduation cap beading. During this activity, Epic seniors who are registered with NAP can personalize their graduation caps with beadwork to celebrate their cultural heritage. 

Jay Hester, an Epic academic and cultural support specialist, oversees a variety of activities offered by NAP, from cultural enriching activities to workshops such as ribbon skirts.

 “As Native Americans, our culture, our people, our way of life was decimated when the Europeans came in, and (in) boarding schools, there was a saying, ‘Save the man, kill the Indian,’” Hester said. “But we are still here ... we are telling students where they came from. We are teaching them their Native language. We are showing them their regalia. We have a lot we are showing and teaching, and it just helps them connect.”

Hester said everyone wants to know where they came from. Workshops like those with NAP offer students a unique way to connect with their past during a very significant moment of their life: graduation. 

 “Beading is important. It is ceremonial and symbolic for a lot of tribes,” she said. “It helps them connect to their culture because you got to sit down, you got to listen, you got to be patient. It isn't something you can just go buy. You have to learn it. It drives home the point that life wasn’t always as we have it now. We had to make what we have. When you see your elders or you go to stomp dances or powwows and you see their beautiful, intricate beadwork, people made that by hand.”  

Hester said the workshops teach patience and history, strengthening students’ knowledge of and respect for their histories. 

“It makes them know and respect where they came from so they can know who they are moving forward,” she said.  

The idea of moving forward at graduation harkens back to a common Native American way of celebrating great accomplishments through beadwork, a marrying of past and present.  

Another cultural enrichment activity is the Indigenous Sneaker Workshop. This blend of cultural tradition and contemporary art is especially popular with students. And students can even wear their culturally inspired artwork, should they so choose. 

The workshop walked students through the different patterns various tribes — Seminole, Cherokee, Choctaw — traditionally use. Students learned the process of selecting a pattern, selecting their colors, preparing the shoe, painting their pattern and applying finishing touches. 

NAP brought in Native American artist Jeremy Thompson, who made sneaker art along with his brother, Chris Thompson, for 18 years. They have won awards, notably during the Trail of Tears art show in 2023, where the Thompson brothers received the Trail of Tears award. 

“Once students learn about the patterns and what they mean, it is a way of storytelling,” Thompson explained. 

Thompson further explained how his work is filled with symbolic meaning, as he employs traditional patterns from his culture to tell stories, such as the stories of his ancestors in relation to the Trail of Tears, or using the symbol called the “two brothers” to represent him and his brother showing the team they have become. These deliberate uses of symbols further emphasize the storytelling element in this craft. 

“It’s how you use it, and you can tell a story with it,” Thompson added.

Epic 10th-grader Clara Pewitt was among those in attendance at the Indigenous Sneaker Workshop. Like most students there, she designed her shoes with her tribe in mind, selecting patterns to honor her Cherokee heritage, such as using the Cherokee star. 

“I get my Cherokee heritage from my dad, and growing up he didn’t have a lot of connections to learning about his tribe and his culture, and I want to learn about my tribe and my culture … so I wanted to come here to have some kind of learning experience,” Pewitt said.

When asked why workshops like these are important, Pewitt noted: “It keeps cultures alive, and it keeps people learning about them. Even when there are people out there who aren’t learning about them (their culture), it keeps it from just completely going away.” 

Not only were students able to create stunning art in a unique way, but they were also able to customize their designs to connect them to their culture.

Asa Thompson (no relation to Jeremy Thompson) wears many hats within NAP, including organizing and overseeing workshops and leading other cultural enrichment activities for students such as NASO, Epic’s Native American Student Organization, and acting as a liaison between students and their tribes to help them get in touch and learn about available resources.

“I think it's vital for our Native students to connect with their culture. One thing I notice is that there is such a big gap between a student knowing their tribe and knowing their culture; some students don’t even know what tribe they are,” Asa Thompson said. “That’s part of my job, to help students bridge that gap to not only introduce them to their tribe but also their language, their culture and their history.” 

She emphasized how NAP is very purposeful with what they offer their students to build connections to their heritage. They offer a variety of crafts from a range of tribes, so every student has the opportunity to connect to their culture.

Through these workshops, NAP is not only preserving Indigenous traditions but also empowering students to embrace their heritage with confidence and creativity. As students bead their graduation caps, make Indigenous sneakers or take part in any of the workshops offered by NAP, they are not just making art — they are telling stories and keeping their culture alive for generations to come.