This weekend I drove with my family across the plains of Colorado into the sand hills of Nebraska then journeyed over vast prairies into the tree-filled hills, through weather that ranged from warm sun to pouring rain and slush, and blowing snow settling into the chilly night of a fall day. I felt very indigenous, native, naturally occurring in place.
Indigenous people are gathered along the Mni Soce, the churning waters known as the Missouri River, exercising their right as citizens to protect the waters that give life to all of us. This gathering, which began in April, has blossomed into a movement, drawing Native people from across the country to join in support and putting Native peoples and nations in the national spotlight. Hundreds of people from many tribal nations are gathered together in a large camp along with people from all races.
I was inspired to see Hilary Pennington’s article, “Rethinking scholarships as social justice” in the Ford Foundation’s Equals Change blog. Her article examines the approach in action through the implementation of the Ford Foundation’s International Fellowships Program, which spans 22 countries and a decade to support emerging leaders who face discrimination because of their gender, race, ethnicity, religion, economic status, or physical ability. Her essay opens the door to discussing and examining further why scholarships are particularly important to indigenous people as tools of social justice and opportunity.
Friends and Relatives, my Lakota name is Wacinyanpi Win, which means “they depend on her.” I am a Sicangu Lakota from the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. I greet you with a handshake and a good heart.
Living conditions on American Indian reservations and in Alaska Native villages are often compared to those in third world countries. Substandard housing, limited access to health care, struggling schools, high unemployment and heavy reliance on social welfare systems have created a dangerous environment for Native youth.
The week of November 18-22, 2013 was declared National Tribal Colleges and Universities Week through a U.S. Senate Resolution presented by North Dakota Senators Heidi Heitkamp and John Hoeven, sponsored by 17 Senators and adopted by the Senate on November 14. Tribal...
Like many Natives and our allies across our Grandmother Earth, Unci Maka, I have joined the Idle No More movement, attending round dance gatherings, praying for Chief Theresa Spence and her supporters, sharing the stories I hear and read and perusing news and opinion pieces.
Being in the same room as the nominees for President of the United States, President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me. Many of us have traveled to Washington, D.C. to visit Congress and federal agencies and never get to see the President. Many of us attend rallies for one of the candidates but rarely get to see the two nominees in the same room.
On Monday October 1st, my husband Alex Prue and I enjoyed a beautiful drive from the He Sapa (Black Hills) down through the Maka Sice (Badlands) across vast prairies and valleys of fall gold cottonwoods and red sumac into the homelands of the Oglala. We visited Oglala Lakota College’s (OLC) main campus at Kyle.
American Indian College Fund President and CEO Cheryl Crazy Bull writes a blog titled The Native Ways. Check out her reflections about her first week at the American Indian College Fund, the role of tribal colleges, Indians in urban settings, and much more!
