Teens report on Kyiyo Pow Wow for local newspaper
Written by Montana Media Lab Intern Lotus Porte-Moyel
During the Montana Media Lab’s High School Reporting Workshop at the UM School of Journalism, high school students from Harrison, Deer Lodge, Dillon, and Alberton worked alongside the Montana Media Lab and guest journalist instructors to hone their audio reporting and photojournalism skills.
They worked with reporters from Montana Public Radio, Char-Koosta News, and the freelance photojournalism world, and went into the field to practice interviewing and photography around campus. The workshop culminated as the students reported on the 56th Kyiyo Pow Wow.
It was many of the students’ first experience attending a Pow Wow and reporting on an event. They pitched story angles and prepared interview questions, wanting to learn more about the significance of dancers’ individual regalia and what the Pow Wow meant to attendees. They photographed and talked with dancers, vendors, artists, and more. The students gathered their best photos and quotes, and have now been published in Char-Koosta News, the official publication of the Flathead Indian Reservation. Check out some of the student photos, and a written piece below.
Alberton student, Raeleen Czerp-Davis wrote this article for the Char-Koosta piece:
“Beaded moccasins tapped against the drumbeat as ribbons swirled through the air at the Kyiyo Pow Wow this weekend. Each dancer’s regalia told a story of culture, memory, and pride. It was a living history passed down through generations.
The 56th Annual Kyiyo Pow Wow is student-run and located on the University of Montana’s Campus in Missoula, Montana. This year the Pow Wow brought nearly 1,000 dancers from all over the country.
13-year-old Lena Killsback, Northern Cheyenne, was one of those dancers. ‘I’m so happy I’m able to dance. I’m so happy I get to represent my culture more often because most of my ceremonies and spirituality was taken away from most of my tribes and family,’ she said. ‘So being able to dance for my tribe and being able to dance for the University of Montana is also really good.'”
We are so proud of these students and their dedication! Thank you to the Kyiyo Pow Wow, Char-Koosta News and The Hearst Foundations for making these young journalists’ work possible.