Second grader preserves rare art form while navigating loss

Second grader preserves rare art form while navigating loss

By Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield Click here for updates on this story     Minnesota (WCCO) — A North Branch, Minnesota second grader is in the national spotlight. He’s preserving a rare art form and gaining accolades as he navigates loss. When Mattias Big Bear was just a toddler, his grandpa Joe introduced him to the rare Native art of hoop dance. He says there are only about 20 hoop dancers in the state. “He’d wake up with a hoop and he’d go to s…