By Shannon K. Jones
Staff Reporter
BRIMLEY - Members of the Bay Mills Indian Community as well as Brimley area residents packed the regularly scheduled board meeting of the Brimley Board of Education on Monday, Feb. 20, in anticipation of an apology from board member Cindy Ojala.
Ojala has been in the forefront of controversy within the community over comments she made at the Jan. 16 board meeting concerning the issue of pow wows being held in the school district. Ojala told the board at the time her concern stemmed from phone calls she received from parents asking if a pow wow resembled idol worship. At the time Indian Education Coordinator Adel Easterday had just made a presentation to the board to dispel the myths associated with the event.
Ojala thanked Easterday for her presentation, saying it would better allow her to answer the questions of parents. But when it came time to address the place of a pow wow being held in school, Ojala said "these things...such as all day Halloween parties, need to be rethought," reasoning that with the 180 days allocated to educate the children, these activities are not a priority. She later went on to state that she did not support pow wows being held during school hours and the priority of the school system is academic achievement.
Upon publication of her comments in the Jan. 26 issue of Bay Mills News, a firestorm erupted amongst community members and tribal members statewide who were angered over her words.
More than 40 people attended the Feb. 20 meeting to express themselves, both Natives and non-Natives. Of those 40, 12 addressed the board.
Bay Mills elder Irma Parrish kicked off the hour-long public comment period.
"A pow wow is not a celebration of idol worship nor to be likened to Halloween," she said. "You, as a representative of the public are supposed to be looking out for all children, not just white children."
Parrish was the first to ask Ojala to apologize for her comments.
Bay Mills Executive Council Treasurer Mike Willis informed the board that the problem of bridging the gap between Bay Mills Indian Community and Brimley Schools was ongoing for quite some time.
"I just hope past efforts have not been jeopardized because of these comments," said Willis, who also asked for an apology.
Non-Native Brimley resident Frank Breen spoke from his perspective as a practicing Catholic who is also raising his children Catholic.
"The Bay Mills Indian Community is generous and welcoming," said Breen. "Public institutions should reflect and embrace the community they serve."
Breen went on to ask the board to embrace the culture of the tribe.
While Ojala's comments first made the record at the Jan. 16 meeting, an individual identifying herself as Tracy Ailing and Ojala's cousin said that their differences in beliefs have caused a rift in their relationship as a family.
"You thought you were doing the right thing," she said. "Because of this very thing, we don't even speak. You didn't even come to my wedding. You should never speak about what you don't understand."
Ailing is married to Sault Tribe member Joe Ailing and recognizes and participates in traditional Native practices.
Those in attendance eagerly awaited an apology during Ojala's response, although one was not uttered from her lips, as she stated her words were taken out of context.
"In some ways, if anything good has come out of all the discussion of this, is that people have had the chance to talk about pain and tell their stories tonight; I appreciate that," said Ojala in her opening statement.
She went on to say that her comments were taken out of context and that the opinion she stated was hers, not that of the school board.
"Mrs. Easterday had brought a presentation for us at the last board meeting about pow wows. The emphasis of her report was that the pow wow held in Bay Mills and to be held at the school would be non-religious in nature," said Ojala. "She presented that the pow wows will be non-spiritual, non-religious, and that they would be social in nature, comparable to a square dance.
"Some of the things that they [concerned parents] were curious about is that in the Internet material that they got, it talked about things that they didn't understand. Like, what did it mean that an object was sacred? And was an object attributed a spirit with a mind and soul?" she said. "And if that is true, if that's what happens at a pow wow, being non-Native, and they did not know, they were very afraid that their questions would seem to be disrespectful."
" And they wanted to know if this was something that would conflict with our spiritual teachings, because if an item is presented as having a spirit and soul, would that be like an idol? That was the context, because I noticed in many times it [her comments] has been referred to as idol worship."
In regards to the division that both elders and Brimley alumni have acknowledged exists between the communities of Bay Mills and Brimley Area Schools, Ojala said she does not see that.
"I do not see the great division that a lot of you do and I can see that you have suffered and my heart is sad about that," she said. "But I don't see that. I see every human being alive, born and unborn, is created of God, of absolutely infinite value and that is straight across the board. No matter where you come from."
Her comments went on to include the impact of the article on her life.
"Maybe if you can just imagine if your family heard the things said about you that have been said about me. What if I had a career? And my whole neighborhood was saying 'she is a bigoted racist,' she asked. "What I want to say is I feel I have been treated unjustly in that when these rumors started, nobody called me, nobody stopped me in the post office. Nobody said to me, 'did you say this?'"
And despite calls from the crowd for an apology, and even some asking her to resign, neither happened.
She simply said, "I have decided that at least I get to choose how to respond. And how I respond is just that I absolutely forgive it. I just plain forgive it."
Following her statement, Brimley Superintendent Alan Kantola addressed the crowd, inviting them to attend the next Indian Education meeting, which is set to take place on March 13.
"One of our board goals is to promote cultural awareness," said Kantola. "A lot more can be done. I guarantee as long as I'm here, we will continue to work towards that goal."
Prior to the meeting being adjourned, the item of new business on the agenda was a recommendation concerning the pow wow at the school.
Ojala stuck to her word of voting against it as the only dissenting vote to continue holding a pow wow during school hours at the discretion of the administration.
The pow wow is scheduled to take place on May 12. Brimley Area Schools is currently more than 50 percent Native American.
The next Brimley School Board meeting will be held on Monday, March 20 at 7 p.m.
CLICK HERE for comments from Bay Mills tribal members regarding this issue.
