COLLEGE STATION, TX — One Aggie is standing out for what he stands up for. It took George Hass years to hand-make his Native American regalia and Aggie's are embracing his message of diversity.
Hass is a third-generation Aggie and member of the Corps of Cadets but one social media post thrust him into the spotlight.
"I've never gotten more than 200 likes on Instagram and I look on Facebook and I've gotten more than 10,000 likes on the A&M page. I was astounded," said Hass.
The moment was years in the making.
"It was that drive to want to be a participant rather than an observer that was continuing to keep me going," said Hass.
George didn't grow up surrounded by his Native American culture.
"I'm a military kid. Both of my parents were in the Air Force. My dad is a retired Col. and my mom is a retired Lt. Col. We moved around a lot. To come back here is a little bit of a homecoming because I was born in Bryan. I was born at St. Joe's hospital down the road and to come back here was amazing," he said.
His dad is German and his mother is African American and Native American.
"He's the color of the inside of my hand. And then you have my mom who is the color of the outside of my hand," said Hass.
George pays homage to each influence in his art. The hare or "Hass" represents his last name in German.
"You can take a DNA test and that can only tell you one of the facts of the case if you're not living the whole life you're missing out on a great portion of what it is," he said.
He took us through the process step-by-step, starting with the traditional ribbon shirt and pants. A physical and spiritual transformation.
"I actually hold an incredible amount of responsibility inherent in my preservation of the culture. Which is why I want to keep the craft alive. I learned how to do basket weaving. I learned how to do applique. I learned how to work with leather. I was trying my darndest to keep that skill set alive. There are some skills that are lost to the annals of time. doing your part in the preservation of the culture as a whole," said George.
You can watch more of George's story on "Texas Voices" on Saturday, January 23rd at 6:30 pm right after 25 News.
