Honor Your Ancestors and “Rock Your Mocs.”

During the week of November 16, St. Joseph’s Indian School 4-6^th grade students and Native Hope are participating in this year’s national Rock Your Mocs event. This annual event creates a positive cultural experience that promotes unity and celebration of tribal individuality by wearing moccasins.

Jessica “Jaylyn” Atsye of Laguna Pueblo is the founder of Rock Your Mocs (RYM), which began in 2011. It started as a social media event. One day in November, Native American Heritage Month, Jessica encouraged all Indigenous people worldwide to wear their moccasins in unity and post the images on social media. Since then, RYM has grown into a weeklong celebration of unity and diversity with organizations holding events worldwide. This year RYM falls between November 15-21.

The Rock Your Mocs event continues to gain national attention as more and more youth have put on their moccasins with pride and great honor. This event strives to teach youth about the importance of remembering their ancestors and how they can honor them in the way they live their lives.

The event kicked off on Monday, November 16, with a cultural lesson plan that encouraged students to think about the ancestors in their lives and encourage them to live in a way that makes them proud. Students also received “Rock your Mocs” turquoise awareness ribbons to honor ancestors and indigenous people worldwide.

Respect in Lakota is “waóhola” which means respect for self, higher power, family, community and all life. This is one of the seven Lakota values and a core value emphasized in the Circle of Courage®, a model of positive youth development based on traditional tribal values that students at St. Joseph’s Indian School follow. Through this event and many others on campus, students are able to experience lessons that show respect for their ancestors and reflect on ancestral wisdom.

You can participate in this national event by using the hashtag #ROCKYOURMOCS and posting your photo to your Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram etc.).   Visit the Rock Your Mocs website for more information on this annual event.