Ninety-six students from Fairview attended the Cultural Fair in Poplar on Sept. 24. They learned about 'Emma's Dress', worn by Emma Sansaver, a member of the girls' basketball team that won the state and national championships in 1901 and 1904.
Students participate in a traditional game of holding a potato between foreheads for as long as possible at the Cultural Fair in Poplar.
Fairview students from 4th-8th grade, (96 in all), had the amazing opportunity to attend the Cultural Fair and Youth Symposium on Tuesday, Sept. 24 in Poplar, hosted by the Fort Peck Tribes Cultural Resources Department as part of Native American Week. The invitation stated that they wanted to share the many areas of significance throughout their aboriginal homelands and educate how they are connected to shared lands beyond their reservation lands. 'The tribal people are living cultures that are fundamentally different in character from other components of American society, that can continue to be strengthened only through the practice of these traditions. We will commemorate common undertakings of recollecting, land preservation, cultural resource awareness and enhancement of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux heritage.'
Presentations were given by representatives of Fort Union Trading Post, Pipestone National Park, Battle of Little Bighorn NPS, Fish, Wildlife & State Parks, Lewis & Clark Historic Trail, and included Tribal Department booths, Fort Peck Tribal history and more.
The students were able to see Fire Jumper equipment and learn how to prevent fires; hear about caves and their unique formations, sample some Juneberry soup, explore a real tepee and learn about fossils and dinosaurs. They were also shown a buffalo hide boat from Fort Union. The firing of a muzzle loader gun was a highlight for many of the boys. Traditional singing and dancing, which the kids were able to get involved in, was also fun for the students.
The students learned about the first girls' basketball team in Montana which was from the Fort Shaw Indian School near Great Falls. Those girls were state and national champions in 1901 and 1904. When they were invited to the World's Fair in St. Louis in 1904, they were allowed to make native buckskin dresses and show them off during half time of their games in order to make money, even though they were not allowed to wear native dress at the school. The students were shown "Emma's dress" which belonged to basketball player Emma Sansaver, and is now preserved in Missoula.
Fairview Elementary Principal Mark Thompson said it was a great experience for the kids, and adults alike. "It was neat to see the different culture. The students really learned a lot," he said.
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