A Brandon, Manitoba high school student says his school made him feel ashamed of his native heritage, but now he has a renewed pride and a lot of support in his fight with the school division over smudging.
17 year-old Stephan Bunn is still grieving the loss of his brother who committed suicide last June. As part of his healing, he often smudges before going to school in Brandon. School officials initially thought the smell was from marijuana, they questioned Stefan about it, then told him he could no longer smudge before coming to school.
“When they first told me I was not allowed to smudge it made me kind of ashamed and not want to do it anymore but once people started supporting me and I got my courage up I started smudging again and now its really, really good.”
Stephan’s mother Sandy was outraged when the school told her to keep her son home from school if he smudged before coming to classes. She says the school accommodates many different religious and cultural beliefs. Their idea of a compromise did not sit well with her.
“They said we needed to call ahead of time if he was going to smudge and then they will excuse him from school for the rest of the day. I just outright said NO, I am not going to accommodate them. They are making it about them and not trying to understand our situation.”
Stephan has posted his story on You-tube and he is getting national media attention. He is proud of what he has accomplished and proud of his heritage.
“I think I got my message out there pretty clear.”
The school division is not doing media interviews, but has issued a statement saying it has engaged its elder to work with staff, students and families to ensure the practice of smudging is carried out in such a way as to minimize any discomfort for students and staff.