Frazer Students Earn Honors At State Event

Frazer students Takoa Old Person, Elli Mail and Bethany Hotomanie were recently awarded by the National History Day in Montana program. The awards were sponsored by the Montana 250th Commission.

Old Person won the Montana 250 Excellence in Indigenous History and Culture special award at the National History Day in Montana state contest. This $500 award recognizes outstanding research in indigenous history and culture. It aims to inspire students to delve into the rich heritage and significant contributions of Indigenous peoples in Montana and beyond.

She wrote a paper that explores how the 1924 Snyder Act, also known as the Indian Citizenship Act, provided Native Americans with birthright citizenship, something denied to them by the 14th Amendment. Working in line with this year’s National History Day theme, “Rights & Responsibilities,” Old Person argues that although the act granted citizenship, the U.S. government’s responsibility to protect Native people’s full citizenship rights went unfulfilled for many years after granting Indian citizenship. Old Person qualified for the national contest in senior paper and will travel to compete at the University of Maryland in June.

Hotomanie and Mail, seventh and eighth graders in Frazer, won the Montana 250 Montana Achievers and Achievements special award at the National History Day in Montana state contest. This $500 award not only honors exceptional historical research but also encourages students to explore the contributions of Montanans to our shared American story. To be eligible for the award, projects must spotlight a notable Montanan (or groups of Montanans) whose achievements had a profound impact at the state, national or international level.

Mail and Hotomanie won with their exhibit board that explored how Chiefs Rocky Boy and Little Bear’s efforts led to the creation of Rocky Boy’s Reservation in 1916.