Meneley Elementary School students participate in Washoe Day.
A group of fourth-grade Meneley Elementary students looked at a pinecone collecting basket, pine nuts, cooking baskets, and a grinding stone.
Student leader Lillyanna Roach conducted a step-by-step demonstration on how to make pine nut soup.
After eating his sample, fourth-grader Owen Lundquist encouraged others to try it as well.
“It kinda tastes like gravy!” Lundquist exclaimed. The demonstration was one of six significant cultural practices of the Washoe people that Meneley Elementary students experienced during a special event on May 20 at the school.
The event marked the first Washoe Day at school since 2019.
Prior to COVID-19, Douglas County elementary schools hosted Wa-Pai-Shone Day on a rotational basis to learn about tribes in Northern Nevada. This year, students and the Washoe Tribe’s Native TANF Program partnered to rethink how students are taught about the local Washoe culture and heritage.
The day began with a whole school assembly in which students were able to hear about the historical significance and importance of caring for the land.
Many of the school’s students are Washoe, ranging from kindergarten to fifth grade, participated in a fashion show. Students modeled traditional dress and tools used for fishing. The intricate hand-made clothing designs and remarkable size of fishing spears - towering well above the students’ height - drew impressed reactions from the student body in attendance.
Principal Blaine Spires said it is important to ensure all of the school’s students feel connected.
“Watching our students who are Washoe light up as they walked across the stage wearing traditional clothing and highlighting fishing spears was powerful,” Spires said.
The assembly ended with Washoe Tribe’s Cultural Resources Director Herman Fillmore, who spoke about, “Boys with Braids.” The presentation recognized the importance of hair in the Washoe culture and why some boys grow their hair long. The boys felt empowered to highlight their culture and were able to talk to their schoolmates about why their hair is long.
“It felt good to share with people to tell about my elders and my hair,” third grader Jarrett Burtt said. “It feels good to honor my family members.” Burtt, 9 years old, shared that he last cut his hair about two years ago when a close family friend passed away.
Afterward, the school’s fourth-graders participated in group rotations.
Nevada State standards for fourth grade focus on Nevada’s past and present, specifically how Native Americans have had an impact on the culture of Nevada. Learning from students, Washoe Elders, Washoe Tribal Health Clinic’s Good Health and Wellness in Indian Country staff, the Dresslerville Red Bear Youth Council, and the Washoe Tribe Native TANF Program’s Culture and Language experts, the 4th graders experienced a variety of practices of the Washoe people. In addition to the pine nut soup, students also learned about hunting and fishing practices, story telling, played traditional Washoe games, sang music, and viewed historic basket making.
“It felt like I was with my people, and it felt very exciting to share what my culture is like,” Roach said.
At the end of the day, students received a book about the story they heard and additional activities to complete at home and with their families. Spires shared that he is excited to have connected with the Washoe Tribe in this capacity. Nearly 20% of the school’s student population are Washoe.
The students felt empowered about their culture and other students were able to connect in new ways with their peers. It is the school’s hope to bring Washoe days to additional schools in the district.
