LUMBERTON — A controversy in Scotland County concerning students who want to wear American Indian cultural and religious items during their high school graduation ceremonies spilled over into the Lumbee Tribal Council’s chamber.

At issue is a petition drawn up by students in Scotland County in May asking the school board to allow them to wear ceremonial American Indian items, such as eagle feathers, during Saturday’s graduation ceremonies. The request was denied.

Mike Smith, chairman of the Board of Education for the Public Schools of Robeson County, said Friday he is not aware of any policy addressing the matter.

The Lumbee Tribal Council addressed the issue on June 4 when its members approved a resolution in support of American Indian students wearing tribal ceremonial items.

The resolution is not in support of only students in Scotland County, said Frank Cooper, chairman of the Tribal Council’s Education, Culture and Public Relations Committee.

“This resolution is for any and all Native American students. It covers all counties,” he said.

It is to support the idea that students should be able to celebrate their accomplishments and cultures, he said.

“People don’t understand the difference between decorations and ceremonial items,” Cooper said.

Students in Scotland, Hoke and Robeson counties can attach decorations to their caps and gowns, he said. These can be salutes to relatives and other innocent items.

“I know there has to be limits,” Cooper said, adding that he understands gang signs and vulgarity mst be prohibited. He said the feather is about culture and religion.

The feather is not given to all students, he said. The student has to go “above and beyond,” Cooper said. It is presented to the student during a ceremony of blessing.

“If the feather is not allowed then you are infringing on the students’ exercising of their religion,” Cooper said.

The resolution cites Article 4 of the United Nations proclamation, which reads “1. All States shall take effective measures to prevent and eliminate discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief in the recognition, exercise and enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms in all fields of civil, economic, political, social and cultural life.

“2. All States shall make all efforts to enact or rescind legislation where necessary to prohibit any such discrimination, and to take all appropriate measures to combat intolerance on the grounds of religion or other beliefs in this matter.”

The idea of students wearing eagle feathers during graduation is supported by Lynn Bruce Jacobs, senior pastor at Crying Spirits Ministries in Orrum.

These students work hard for the feathers starting in middle school, Jacobs said. They can be earned through a variety of ways, including work in their communities, helping their elders, receiving good grades and keeping their tribal history and culture alive by participating in cultural activities.

The feather that is the highest honor is the eagle’s, he said. The eagle feather, which is presented by the tribe, is earned through a combination of accomplishments throughout the student’s life.

The resolution approved by the Lumbee Tribal Council reads in part, “Whereas, graduation from high school is an especially significant occasion for Native students and families, considering that the American Indian and Alaska Native high school graduation rate is 67 percent, the lowest of any racial or ethnic demographic across all schools; and

“Whereas, from time immemorial, many tribal nations have viewed ceremonial items as sacred elements of their religious and cultural traditions; and

“Whereas, according to many Native religious and spiritual traditions, certain ceremonial items are given only in times of great honor and often to mark significant personal achievement, and

“Whereas, for many Native students, receiving a ceremonial item in recognition of high school graduation is as significant as earning the diploma.”

Reach T.C. Hunter by calling 910-816-1974 or via email at [email protected]. Rachel Horrell, an intern at The Robesonian, contributed to this report.

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T.C. Hunter

The Robesonian