From the State News (video of interview with Don Lyons):
The slow, repetitive rhythm of the drum provided the background for the closing event at Michigan Indian Day Friday evening in the Union.
After a day that exposed many MSU students to the trials and hardships of Michigan’s Native American population, students and American Indians from around the state gathered in the Union Ballroom to close out the day with a drum circle complete with traditional dances and songs.
MSU’s School of Social Work hosted 10 symposiums on the state-honored day, which centered on Native American boarding schools and the damage they caused the culture, MSU’s Michigan Indian Day co-chair Suzanne Cross said.
“Sometimes in textbooks the American Indian … is a general overview of the population,” Cross said before the event. “Being in the room with a lot of American Indians — including elders — can give a different perspective and (you) can hear some of their lived stories. (You can) actually hear it from them what happened and how their lives have been impacted by this.”
The powwow concluded with a particularly significant song considering the context of the day, said Don Lyons, drum circle member and social work graduate student.
Turtle Talk 