For most of her life, Neets’aii Gwich’in leader Sarah James has worked to protect her homelands, including the coastal plain of the nearby Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. But, now the U.S. government wants to lease some of the area for oil exploration and drilling. In this story from The Spiritual…
Sarah James, Neetsa’ii Gwich’in Nation, sings the Welcome Song, Caribou Skin Hut Dance, sharing the process and practice of the song and dance. Articulating the importance of the ceremonial role the song has had in shaping the image of her people as generous and welcoming, As the song is used…
Loretta Afraid of Bear Cook takes the viewer through the traditional preparation of food used by the Oceti Sakowinin in “Sacred Food Spoke.” The food used for ceremonies, such as the Sun Dance, which happens once a year, must be gathered with their season and stored or prepared prior to…
Listen in on Nora Naranjo Morse’s heartbreaking and empowering journey as she tells the story of what it was like to make a public piece of art for the City of Albuquerque. Nora was invited to join two other artists to create something meaningful to commemorate the 400th anniversary of…
You don’t teach everyone the same weave because then they won’t need each other. Chehalis elder, Yvonne Peterson, walks us through the generational journey of her family as they negotiated the impact of Federal Indian Policy with frankness and insight. Both of her parents were “boarding school survivors.” She recounts…
