Great Falls Public Schools hosted its annual Eagle Feather Ceremony, honoring Native American students who completed their graduation requirements with a traditional feather presentation.
Dugan Coburn, director of Indigenous education for Great Falls Public Schools, said the ceremony carries deep cultural and spiritual significance.
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"It marks people becoming warriors. We do a transfer ceremony of the feather to them, and give them some guidance and talk about what spirituality of that feather means and where it comes from."
Coburn said the ceremony is meant to awaken the spirit of the eagle, passing that guidance on to each student who receives a feather.
"We awaken the spirit of the eagle in that feather and then present that to that person, so that they have it in their life to help guide them so that if they ever have something troubling them, they can use it. They can, hold it, meditate with it, do prayers with it, and let it help guide them with that spirit," said Coburn.
Students described receiving the feather as an emotional and deeply personal experience.
Great Falls High School senior Brooklin Duff said the blessing resonated even without understanding every word.
"It feels super intimate. When they're blessing you, it's not in English. So you don't know - but you know the feeling. And you know what they're doing for you, and that means a lot," said Duff.
CMR High School senior Jaxon Dixon said the ceremony is something that sets Great Falls apart.
"I don't really think there's any other schools that really do this except for the Great Falls Public Schools. So it feels good to be one of the chosen people to get an eagle feather and, get rewarded for something," said Dixon.
Coburn said ceremonies like this help keep Indigenous culture alive while also helping students feel connected, supported, and successful.
"Great Falls has a large Native American community. One in six kids in our school system are Native American, and to keep our culture alive, it will help our kids do better in school and in life. By being able to show them a ceremony, have them participate in that, is going to help guide them better. They'll be better citizens in our in our world," said Coburn.
This year, 85 students from Paris Gibson Education Center, CMR High School, and Great Falls High earned eagle feathers.
