Native American students could wear feathers at high school graduations if NC bill OK’d

North Carolina lawmakers could allow Native American students to wear culturally significant objects such as bird feathers and plumes during graduation ceremonies.

The state House Federal Relations and American Indian Affairs Committee backed the “American Indians Graduating with Honors Act” on Thursday. Supporters of the legislation say it would address how some Native American students have been barred by their public school systems from wearing bird feathers during graduation.

“In most tribal communities, eagle and hawk feathers are sacred and to be gifted,” according to a statement from Rep. Jarrod Lowery, a Robeson County Republican and the bill’s primary sponsor. “Wearing one is a high honor. The issue of being able to wear such an object during high school graduation is a contentious issue in some counties.”

House Bill 166 says any public school student who is a member of a state or federally recognized Indian tribe will be allowed to wear objects of cultural significance as part of their regalia when they’re attending their graduation ceremony. The bill identifies bird feathers and plumes as examples of objects of cultural significance.

Lowery said schools have inconsistently decided on whether to allow Native American students to wear feathers during graduation. He said schools may allow it one year but deny it the next or deny it for some students but allow it for others.

Lowery was out of town Thursday, so his statement was read at the committee meeting by Rep. Kelly Hastings, a Gaston County Republican.

Sought by Native American community

North Carolina has the nation’s largest Native American population east of the Mississippi River. The state officially recognizes eight Native American tribes

The Eastern Band of Cherokee are the only officially federally recognized tribe in the state. But the state’s two U.S. senators are trying again to get full federal recognition for the Lumbee Tribe, The News & Observer reported.

The legislation permitting the wearing of feathers at graduations is the top legislative priority for the N.C. Commission of Indian Affairs. A companion bill was also introduced in the state Senate.

According to state records, there are 15,865 Native American students enrolled in public schools this school year.

“Less than 1,000 students a year will be eligible,” said Lowery, a member of the Lumbee Tribe “But it will mean a lot to the community that has the lowest graduation rate in the state.”