Counting coup through education
Counting Coup Through Education…
Counting coup often refers to an act of bravery committed by a warrior. This act would be done in battle, the warrior would get close enough to his adversary to touch and leave his mark of embarrassment without being touched or harmed. Counting Coup would leave the enemy shamefaced in the eyes of his tribe.
A Ktunaxa warrior stands before his adversary, his eyes fixated on the man in front of him. He lifts his spear and deliberately cuts his adversary’s cheek. He takes his spear and licks the blood from the tip. Arrows flying past, the battle going strong, he moves forward and says “I am Ktunaxa” and counts coup on the next adversary.
The mother looks through the house for her son. After searching the house, she looks outside, across the road she sees the buffalo moving and stomping. Running across the road, she sees her son in the middle of the buffalo with his toy spear. He is counting coup on the buffalo, he is determining his future. He is a warrior.
Today, a Ktunaxa Warrior sits at her desk. She is writing her testimony on a recent case before the courts. She thinks back to her ancestors, and to her culture. She uses this knowledge and education to focus on the task in front of her. As she finishes her paper, and saves her paper. She picks up the pen next to her and says “I am Ktunaxa.”
Today, our warriors use their pens, their computers, and their education to count coup upon our adversaries. As we were talking and discussing this year’s conference and themes. Many stories came to mind, those of my people, the buffalo and my friends. I am Ktunaxa, I am Red Earth Woman, I am Lucinda Michel and I am counting coup.
The 2017 Montana Indian Education Association’s (MIEA) Annual Conference theme: Counting Coup Through Education is a call to action for students & their families, elders, educators and educational institutions to come together for the purpose of promoting and advancing equitable educational opportunities that acknowledge, affirm and include the rich cultural heritage of American Indian students in every aspect of the schooling experience.
Counting coup often refers to an act of bravery committed by a warrior. This act would be done in battle, the warrior would get close enough to his adversary to touch and leave his mark of embarrassment without being touched or harmed. Counting Coup would leave the enemy shamefaced in the eyes of his tribe.
A Ktunaxa warrior stands before his adversary, his eyes fixated on the man in front of him. He lifts his spear and deliberately cuts his adversary’s cheek. He takes his spear and licks the blood from the tip. Arrows flying past, the battle going strong, he moves forward and says “I am Ktunaxa” and counts coup on the next adversary.
The mother looks through the house for her son. After searching the house, she looks outside, across the road she sees the buffalo moving and stomping. Running across the road, she sees her son in the middle of the buffalo with his toy spear. He is counting coup on the buffalo, he is determining his future. He is a warrior.
Today, a Ktunaxa Warrior sits at her desk. She is writing her testimony on a recent case before the courts. She thinks back to her ancestors, and to her culture. She uses this knowledge and education to focus on the task in front of her. As she finishes her paper, and saves her paper. She picks up the pen next to her and says “I am Ktunaxa.”
Today, our warriors use their pens, their computers, and their education to count coup upon our adversaries. As we were talking and discussing this year’s conference and themes. Many stories came to mind, those of my people, the buffalo and my friends. I am Ktunaxa, I am Red Earth Woman, I am Lucinda Michel and I am counting coup.
The 2017 Montana Indian Education Association’s (MIEA) Annual Conference theme: Counting Coup Through Education is a call to action for students & their families, elders, educators and educational institutions to come together for the purpose of promoting and advancing equitable educational opportunities that acknowledge, affirm and include the rich cultural heritage of American Indian students in every aspect of the schooling experience.
