Fourteen students from Charles Red Hawk Elementary School and their teacher Debra Moccasin stand in front of the brick school wearing colourful regalia designs they created.
Students from Charles Red Hawk Elementary School on the Whitecap Dakota First Nation model regalia they created through a workshop series organized by Remai Modern. Photos: Eyes of Echo Photography.

“Gaining a sense of self, feeling part of their community and enjoying school”: Program has powerful impact

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Since 2016, Remai Modern has worked with Charles Red Hawk Elementary School on the Whitecap Dakota First Nation to provide weekly art programs. In 2024, the museum also coordinated an eight-week project with the school aimed at reinforcing and revitalizing the Dakota culture, language and art forms. This project was taught by local artists from Whitecap and Whitecap Traditional Knowledge Keepers (TKK). Both projects are supported in part by Dakota Dunes Community Development Corporation.

Two side-by-side photos show Elmer Eagle doing equine therapy with students from the Charles Red Hawk Elementary School. Photos by Remai Modern.
Elmer Eagle does equine-assisted learning with students from Charles Red Hawk Elementary School. Photos: Remai Modern.

Several different workshops were offered to their grade 2-5 students:

  • Equine-assisted learning workshops with Elmer Eagle
  • Beading regalia workshops with Raina Buffalo
  • Regalia design workshops with Debra Moccasin
  • Hoop making and dance workshops with Terra Bear

“The pieces the students are working on are all so beautiful! This is one of the best projects … Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

  • Roberta Bear, Director of Education, Whitecap Dakota First Nation

Remai Modern supports Whitecap Dakota First Nation as they continue to decolonize the traditional education system and welcome community members/TKK into the education realm. The children learn valuable lessons that contribute to the well-being of the entire child, focusing on the Spiritual, Emotional, Physical and Mental domains while incorporating Dakota values that are taught all year long. This project not only impacts the children as they learn Dakota art and histories that they will one day pass on, but it also positively impacts Dakota Traditional Knowledge Keepers as it enhances their interpersonal and entrepreneurial skills. 

“The success of this project is wrapped in the happiness the students feel when making their own regalia.  For most of these students this is the only opportunity they will have to join Whitecap’s powwow this year and years moving forward,” said Kim Bird, Indigenous Programs Coordinator at Remai Modern. “It is important because with this project, the students are gaining a sense of self, feeling part of their community and enjoying school which are all very powerful outcomes.”

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A note from the students at Charles Red Hawk Elementary School.
A note from the students at Charles Red Hawk Elementary School.

On June 11, Whitecap Dakota First Nation hosted a fashion show featuring all the hard work the students put into their regalia design, beading and hoop making. Highlights included a display of beaded pieces, a stage performance by each student showcasing their designs and a young hoop dancer performance. As each student took the stage to exhibit what they had made, Roberta Bear, Director of Education on Whitecap Dakota First Nation, read their individual statements aloud which explained their colour and symbol choices and the story of what influenced their designs.

A group of students is shown wearing pow wow regalia that glows in black light.
The students even showed what their regalia and hoops looked like with a black light.