Delia school mural celebrates Potawatomi culture
On the east wall of the former Delia Grade School in southwestern Jackson County is a painted mural that features a depiction of two young members of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, Knowee Potts and Kiwe Miller, performing a Native American dance — a mural that was recently completed by Rossville High School art teacher Garrett Larson.
On Sunday afternoon, a crowd composed mainly of Potawatomi and Delia residents gathered in front of the mural to watch Potts and Miller dance in front of the mural that celebrates them and their people.
“It brought back memories of being there as a little kid, seeing all my nephews and nieces playing in the old Delia playground,” said Potts, who spent part of his childhood in Delia and graduated from Royal Valley High School in 2019. “It was an honor to dance my style in front of everyone in Jackson County.”
Miller, an eighth-grade student at Royal Valley Middle School, also expressed her gratitude for the depiction, as did Delia-area resident and musician Mshewe Hale, also depicted in the mural as part of a Native American drum group.
“It’s an honor,” said Hale, a 2022 graduate of Rossville High School and a former student of Larson’s. “I’m glad they thought of me.”
For Raphael Wahwassuck, a member of the Potawatomi Tribal Council, Sunday’s gathering — part of the annual Delia Days event — was a way to bring honor to the tribe, not just in the way that Potts, Miller and Hale are depicted in the mural but in the support that all present gave to the young Potawatomis in attendance, bringing their culture to life.
“I appreciate the opportunity to have our children represented in the community where they grew up and be recognized for the diversity that our communities hold,” Wahwassuck said. “It’s good to see that we’re coming to a point where we can share our culture with our neighbors.”
Wahwassuck also expressed pride in the work that Larson put together to honor the young people of the Potawatomi nation, some of whom worked with Larson to put the project together.
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