SD: Navajo leaders outraged after a Lakota student's tribal regalia was removed at graduation [View all]
On May 13, Genesis White Bull, a Hunkpapa Lakota of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, was standing for the national anthem alongside her graduating class at the Farmington High School graduation ceremony when two unidentified school faculty members approached her to confiscate her graduation cap.
In video footage shared across social media, White Bull is seen being instructed to remove her graduation cap, which was embellished with an eagle plume and beaded around the rim.
Brenda White Bull, Genesis mother, shared the experience with the Navajo Nation Council and reported that school officials later cut the plume from her daughters cap using scissors.
The Navajo Nation Council stated in a press release that Brenda emphasized the sacred significance of the plume, which symbolizes achievement and cultural identity, marking Genesis transition into new phases of her life.
https://southdakotasearchlight.com/2024/05/17/navajo-leaders-outraged-after-a-lakota-students-tribal-regalia-was-removed-at-graduation/