"Quite a lot of people expressed concern about [the Brimley School powwow] being an idol worship situation. These kinds of things...need to be rethought." - Cindy Ojala, Brimley School Board
These comments are a disgrace. They are a disgrace to all of the people, including my parents and grandparents, who have worked so hard over the years to bridge the cultural divide between the Bay Mills Indian Community and Brimley.
But the greater disgrace is that too many people who live in the Brimley School District share the sentiments of Ms. Ojala that "those people" from Bay Mills are inferior idol worshipers.
In discussing this issue with a friend recently, I was told that Ms. Ojala's comments "reinforce what most of us [at Bay Mills] already know." As a proud alumnus of Brimley High School, I really wanted to disagree. But I couldn't.
Here is what I know:
I know that some esteemed citizens in the Brimley community have discouraged their children from dating "those people" from the rez, or from visiting their friends "out there."
I know that I have had history teachers who chose to teach the history of the Protestant religion in lieu of the history of Indigenous Americans because "we only teach the important stuff."
I know that a former Brimley High School principal prohibited Indigenous students from leaving their classes on National Prayer Day to make a tobacco offering while Christian students were excused for a 30-minute teacher-led prayer session around the flagpole.
I know that many of my fellow students in the class of 1999 voted to have a Baptist minister preach at our graduation ceremony right before they voted against allowing an Anishnaabe elder to give a prayer at that same graduation.
I know that some teachers at Brimley have used their positions of influence to try to push their Christianity on "those people" from Bay Mills during school.
I also know that the most recent Standard & Poor's report on graduation rates shows that white students graduate from Brimley High School at a rate three times higher than Indigenous students (74.4 percent and 26.3 percent, respectively, for 2002).
Many people from Bay Mills know similar things.
There are a number of factors that go into the generally poor performance of Anishnaabe students at Brimley. Certainly personal responsibility on the part of parents and students is a big factor.
But you are only fooling yourself if you think that the ignorant attitude exhibited by Ms. Ojala, and shared by many others in the greater Brimley community, doesn't play a role in that dreadful statistic.
To be fair, there are a great deal of teachers, administrators, and parents at Brimley who make a strong effort to overcome some of the cultural barriers that divide our communities.
And there are also many tribal citizens who share responsibility for reinforcing those barriers.
The administration at Brimley Schools should be commended for standing by the pow wow and making an effort to reach out. It is a good step toward building an understanding of Indigenous culture for students who are not familiar with it. It also provides a source of pride for Anishnaabe students who too often have little reason to feel that way inside the school.
But as my friend stated, Ms. Ojala's comments simply cement the perception that, while they comprise half of the student body at Brimley Schools, Anishnaabe students are made to feel like a shamed minority by many in the Brimley community.
Ms. Ojala should immediately and publicly apologize for her comments. The apology should be sincere, as opposed to one of those "I'm sorry if I offended anybody" apologies.
If she doesn't or can't, then she should be removed from her position on the school board, along with any teachers who share her "concerns."
There should be no place inside the school for board members, administrators, teachers, coaches, and staff members who have such contempt for the culture of members of the student body as to demean it as "idol worshipping," either publicly or privately.
That kind of ignorance and bigotry is dangerous to the future of those children, and it is ultimately those children who pay the heavy price.
Again, as a proud alumnus of Brimley High School, I am hoping that Ms. Ojala, and those people who "expressed their concern" to her, prove that what myself and many others from Bay Mills "know" about Brimley is wrong.
If not, I hope the rest of the citizens in our respective communities will.
Bryan Newland is a Bay Mills Indian Community Member and a student at Michigan State University College of Law in East Lansing. He is the oldest son of Gordon and Vickie Newland of Bay Mills. He has written columns and letters that have appeared in local, regional, and national publications. You can respond to his column at 517-420-0808 or tikro6@yahoo.com.
