Yesterday afternoon I sat thru another tedious staff meeting where we discussed yet again the school policy regarding holidays. "Separation of church and state" kept coming up again and again- but the policy has always been that it is appropriate for young children to learn about many other cultures in order to promote tolerance and understanding. In other words, we are expected to provide a balance, and the watchdogs will be counting to make sure that for every Christmas song we teach, we also teach a Chanukah song (of which there are many lovely ones) a Kwanzaa song, something about Divali, Ramadan, Lucia Day, St. Nicholas Day, Solstice, New Year, and any other event we can think of at this time of year. As an educational program promoting diversity, tolerance, peace on earth, and so forth, I can see the value of American Indians in a holiday celebration. However, I urge you Penny to do some careful research (which you are doing!) and learn as much as you can about the group you're portraying, so it won't smack of tokenism.
Here's a web page to get you started:
Multicultural Resources on the Internet
http://jupiter.lang.osaka-u.ac.jp/~krkvls/index.html
And best of luck with your program!
Allison