November is Native American Heritage Month, and a South Dakota organization is working to help establish leadership skills for Indigenous youth.

Data compiled by the Center for Native American Youth show young people within this population face many obstacles, from high school graduation rates below the national average to being over represented in foster care.

John Richard, youth and family specialist with the Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation on the Pine Ridge Reservation, said it underscores how Indigenous youth are still reeling from trauma experienced by past generations, and added their programs focus on providing structure and healing.

"Really, what we want to do is fill in those roles, in how to express yourself in healthy ways, and also being able to have a support system and that kind of structure, where it's going to guide them and flourish into their future lives," he said.

Richard added on the Pine Ridge Reservation, there are few resources for prevention and awareness for behavioral health. Among Thunder Valley's youth outreach programs is an initiative where elementary-age children are connected with high schoolers. Those mentorships emphasize improving self-identify through sports and learning more about the Lakota language.

There's also the WWHY Girl Society program, which prepares girls for life challenges and traditional Lakota womanhood ceremonies.

Lynn Cuny, Thunder Valley's deputy director, adds it serves as a safe space, as Pine Ridge continues to deal with high rates of missing and murdered Indigenous relatives.

"It's overwhelming for us as adults, so imagine being a youth, feeling that and seeing that every day. So, we've even done self-defense classes with our young Girl Society," she said.

Thunder Valley leaders say staffing shortages and transportation barriers sometimes prevent them from expanding certain programs, like a summer leadership academy. However, being able to bring in teens and young adults as mentors has allowed elements of their outreach work to thrive.

President Joe Biden's recent apology on behalf of the federal government for harms done to generations of Native American children and their families in boarding schools was long overdue, according to Cheryl Crazy Bull, president and CEO of the Denver-based American Indian College Fund.

And she said the apology is also a good start toward reconciliation.

"I feel like when you acknowledge something, you take a step toward healing that," said Crazy Bull. "You can't really have reconciliation unless people acknowledge that harm was done."

The U.S. Government removed Native children from their homes and families by force, and placed them in boarding schools where connections to their culture and language were severed.

Children were routinely beaten for not speaking English, and many were killed.

Until now, the program which operated between 1819 until 1969, was justified by U.S. officials as a necessary evil in order to achieve Manifest Destiny.

Crazy Bull said Native people believe that destiny is laid out by the Creator, not people.

She noted the Tribal College movement is in part an effort to take back control of education, and allow members to learn through a Native lens.

"If Manifest Destiny says that somebody else gets to dictate the path that you take," said Crazy Bull, "Tribally Controlled means that you get to dictate that path as a tribal person."

A bill making its way through the U.S. House would create a truth and healing commission, similar to efforts in South Africa in the aftermath of Apartheid.

Crazy Bull said native communities are still struggling - not only with inter-generational trauma - but also a lack of adequate housing, jobs, health care, and education opportunities.

"I feel like there needs to be a significant investment for the reparative work that needs to be done," said Crazy Bull, "in order for Native people to be healed of the harms."



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This week, more than 100 Californians are in Cali, Columbia, for the 16th United Nations Conference on Biological Diversity.

Tribes, policymakers and conservation groups are promoting national monument status for three sites in the Golden State.

Lena Ortega, a Kw'tsán cultural committee member for the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe, wants federal protection for the proposed Kw'tsán National Monument in Imperial County.

"The movement to save the environment isn't a choice for us," Ortega explained. "It's a matter of survival and our past healings are intertwined with that of Mother Earth. We are the land. The land is us."

California has already lost more than 20% of its native species and more than 600 species are considered threatened with extinction.

Asm. Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, said California is working hard to achieve the goal to protect 30% of state and federal land and waters by the year 2030.

"California is home to more native plants, animals, and more invasive species, than any other state," Haney pointed out.

Brandy McDaniels, Sáttítla National Monument Campaign lead for the Pit River Tribe, said time is running out for the administration to declare the Sáttítla National Monument in northeastern California.

"With less than three months left in President Biden's term, now is the time for the president to use his authority by designating Sattitla as a national monument for all future generations," McDaniels urged.

Tribes are also calling for a new Chuckwalla National Monument in Southern California near Joshua Tree National Park.


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By LaVerne Whitebear for Arts Midwest.
Broadcast version by Kathleen Shannon for Greater Dakota News Service reporting for the Arts Midwest-Public News Service Collaboration

“Traditional games comprise the foundation of who we are as a people,” said Jeremy Red Eagle.

Red Eagle, ‘Mato Zi,’ is an enrolled member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation, located in North and South Dakota. In 2007, he began studying and working with the International Traditional Games Society. They are dedicated individuals working to recover, restore, and re-introduce games developed by Indigenous nations in North America.

“I wanted to work with Native youth because they are the future, and I wanted to do my part,” he said. His focus has been the origin and history of Plains Style archery and lacrosse and of the Dakota people, and how he can guide the transference of this knowledge to both young and old.

“The best way I could think of ‘how’ was to meet them [the youth] on their level, by utilizing play-based learning programs or traditional games—the Indigenous form of education,” added Red Eagle. 

However, the lack of information on traditional ways has posed difficulties. Due to the late 1800’s assimilation of the Dakota people and the boarding school era, much of the first-hand knowledge has been lost. And documentation is limited. 

Research has been key in this revitalization process. Various Dakota elders have shared some oral history. Visits to museums have provided a wealth of visual information. These include stylistic, geographical, functionality, and elemental distinctions used by various tribes throughout North America. 

“The way a bow is made is true beauty. The design elements we incorporate tell their own stories. How cool is that!” he said. 

Still, there is much to learn.

The purpose of traditional games was based on the continued life and survival of Indigenous nations. They were introduced to members at a young age. Red Eagle shared that some tribes even presented their infants with lacrosse sticks upon the celebration of their birth—exemplifying their cultural importance. 

Plains Style traditional games have classifications such as ‘games of chance and intuition’ and ‘games of skill and agility/endurance.’ Individual games are said to awaken and strengthen inherent human senses, increasing one’s chances of survival.

The use of Indigenous language plays a key role in learning and sharing mechanics of these games. It infuses a deeper meaning of their importance to dakod wichohan or the Dakota way of life. 

Red Eagle has studied and acquired the Dakota language as a second-language speaker. He uses it as part of his traditional games teaching method in hopes of its parallel revitalization. 

His families’ relocation to South Dakota in 2014 coincided with his first attempt in introducing traditional games on a larger scale. The formation of a lacrosse team, Susbeca Lacrosse, included young members from his home district, Enemy Swim or Toka Nuwan. Red Eagle took this as a chance to coach the team using his knowledge of the Dakota language.

Today, through local Native non-profit Nis’to Incorporated and other partnerships, youth of all ages practice lacrosse and archery weekly, hosted by the Sisseton-Wahpeton College. And Red Eagle is often present at these gatherings. He guides participants in the “rules” of play or in making “equipment” for traditional games from natural materials he has collected.

“Everything we need to make these games (happen) can be found right on the land we call home,” he said. 

The history of these games reminds us of the connection between language, culture, history, and land. They can reconnect Indigenous populations and people, in general, with the natural world. Most importantly, they bring communities together. 


LaVerne Whitebear wrote this story for Arts Midwest.


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