Wisconsin Native students will now have the legal right to wear tribal regalia at graduation ceremonies and school-sponsored events under a new state law signed by Gov. Tony Evers earlier this month.

     The new law, known as Wisconsin Act 222, prevents public school districts and charter schools from prohibiting Native students from wearing traditional tribal regalia during graduation ceremonies and other school events.

     The law applies to students who are enrolled members of a federally recognized tribe, descendants of tribal members, or those eligible for enrollment.

     Gov. Evers signed the legislation into law April 9, marking what many tribal leaders and advocates say is an important step toward protecting Native identity, cultural expression, and religious freedom in schools across the state.

     The law comes after years of conversations nationwide surrounding Native students being told they could not wear eagle feathers, beadwork, moccasins, ribbon skirts, traditional stoles, or other culturally significant items during graduation ceremonies.

     According to the Oneida Nation, the legislation “clarifies earlier protections that were often unclear and led to uncertainty for Indigenous students and families.” The Nation noted that schools can no longer prohibit students from wearing traditional dress, beads, feathers, and other culturally significant regalia.

     Tribal leaders across Wisconsin say the law is about more than graduation attire, it represents visibility, healing, and cultural survival.

     “I think this is a monumental moment for tribal children all over the state,” said Araia Breedlove of Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians in an interview with WXPR and WAOW Television.

     Breedlove said the law is especially meaningful for Native students living outside reservation communities who may not have previously felt supported in expressing their identity publicly.

     “To just walk across that stage representing their culture and their identity,  it’s huge,” Breedlove said.

     She also connected the legislation to the legacy of boarding schools and generations of cultural suppression faced by Native people.

     “Now we’re taking culture on a bigger stage,” Breedlove said.

     Some Wisconsin school districts have already allowed students to wear tribal regalia at graduation ceremonies, but supporters of the bill said statewide protections were needed to ensure Native students had equal rights regardless of where they attended school.