Brittany Brownotter runs cross country for North Dakota State University. Photo from NDSU
Sports columnist Jeff Kolpack talks to Brittany Brownotter, a young member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe who credits her years of powwow dancing with helping her excel in cross country at North Dakota State University:
Motivating? Inspiring? That could just as well describe what she is or at least could be to the younger members of her Standing Rock Sioux tribe. If there is a little Native American girl out there looking for somebody to be like when she grows up, Brittany Brownotter would be an ideal role model. She loves her school. She loves her family. She loves her heritage. There are pictures in the Brownotter home of a baby Brittany dancing in her Native American regalia, an art that she still does today and will always do in the future. Every weekend in the summer, she dances in a powwow as a way to represent her ancestors. "We just go out there and dance for those who cannot," she said. "It's an amazing experience that I'm glad is part of my culture and I'm proud of it." She's good at it, too. In 2007, for example, she won the Junior Girls Jingle at the United Tribes International Powwow in Bismarck. There are times, Brittany said, when a competition goes from noon to midnight, if not later, while wearing a dress with around 350 jingles on it. It's not easy.Get the Story:
Jeff Kolpack: Brownotter is role model worth following (The Fargo Forum 10/30)
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