Celebrating “Wetu” (Spring 2025) at the 30 year resurgence of C’ante Ohitika Okodakiciye – Brave Heart Society
THE RESURGENCE OF A TRADITIONAL SOCIETY
Nov 1994 marked a return to old “new” ways of Odakota in Ihanktonwan Territory, or Yankton Sioux. Odakota means peace, which we severely needed and continue to need. 25 Dakota women prayed for a way to combat violence, drugs and colonial abuse and left prayers in Rapid Creek in the He Sapa to ask for guidance from the ancestors. It happened more than quickly, as we glided down the Mni Sosa to develop a 50-year plan which takes us to 2057, where we aim for a super generation of Dakota speaking families and relatives. We are involved in numerous initiatives designed to “remember that we are strong Dakota Oyate and can stand strong on our ways”; not letting colonial abuse create continual spaces for loss of culture and violent intergenerational trauma. We share a few as space is limited.
CULTURAL BIOREGION, “MNI WIZIPAN WAKAN” RESEARCH, DATA SOVEREIGNTY AND CO-STEWARDSHIP.
Thanks to visionary funders, we have worked 7 years after returning from the Standing Rock Occupation to develop 1. Tribal Water Talks for river unity 2. Conducted ethnobotanical surveys (GIS). 3. Exercised data sovereignty on tribal water testing and mining existing federal sources 4. Mapped the Missouri Mainstem for co stewardship of 4 areas and hired a team of scientists and cultural advisors to accomplish this. 5. Developed Tribal Water Code cooperative and will be hosting Tribal Environmental Round Table soon. A final publication is coming.
WATERLILY STORYTELLING INSTITUTE CELEBRATED 20 YEARS IN MARCH 2025.
It is named for our relative Ella Cara Deloria, Anpetu Was’te (Good Day Woman) who was born and buried on the Ihanktonwan, always tied to her White Swan Oyanke. We just celebrated our 20 th year of 4 days and nights of Oyakapi, telling the stories and Ohunkakan (when we talked with the animals.) Below are photos of the delicious days the generation spent re-teaching the importance of “ SOCIAL GRACE". It is held at our Tiokeya Bheart Lodge in Lake Andes, SD. Attendance was overwhelming and appreciated.
WOJU OKODAKICIYE with Kip Spotted Eagle (Planter’s Society Farm Project).
Brave Heart has practiced food and environmental sovereignty for the last 25 years with a coop garden first (2000 on), then moved to box gardens, now to tilling an average of 100+ tribal gardens each spring. Lastly and most impactful we have created the BHS Collective Farming Project, whereby we lease four tracts of tribal land to restore Native Grasslands through organic hay production and marketing. In 2025, we were able to obtain full equipment to bail our own haylands (160 acres), as the Kunsi Circle are proud owners of two tractors, bailer, rake, mowing equipment , trailers and a loader. We are the only Native land leasors on the Yankton reservation. We will be moving into assisting two tribal coop members to begin raising chickens.
Pictured: Kip Spotted Eagle, Land Coordinator, tilling gardens for local community members
ISNATI AWICA DOWANPI (COMING OF AGE CEREMONY)
Isnati will be entering it’s 28 year in a collective camp setting for families, alongside the Mni Sose. We have had 184 girls go through the ceremony and are now conducting a longitudinal study of the positive impact of this Seven Sacred Rites ceremony on these amazing participants and their families.
PEJUTA WOJU (Medicine Garden)
For the last 8 years we have worked at developing a Medicine Garden with a medicine wheel center and a walking path to teach young native scientists about the power of our medicines. The plot is 3 acres and for the last year the plot has been cleared of trees and vegetation and we now are beginning the structural design and planting stage. This spring we planted 30 Red Will (cansasa) . A landscape architect has assisted us with a complete design for the site.
Braveheart Launches Medicine Garden with Red Willow Planting
After years of planning, the Medicine Garden is taking root. A project that has been years in the making is carefully coming together. The kuŋši circle aimed to create a place for the community to come together to honor and speak about our relatives, the plants. A place where people can harvest traditional medicines, work with our relatives, and implement ecological practices. This summer, the wildland firefighters cleared the site of invasive trees, paving the way for the garden’s development. Braveheart has met with several organizations over the years, meticulously developing a landscape design and planting plan for the Medicine Garden.
Most recently, Eva Weddell and current intern Charley Kocer planted 40 caŋšaša (red willow) cuttings, a plant valued for its medicinal and ceremonial use as tobacco. Čaŋšaša was once abundant in the area, a plant known to grow near the edges of waterways. It is likely that the dam wiped out most of the čaŋšaša within the Yankton Sioux reservation. Efforts to return the plant to the area are essential for ecological and cultural purposes. Eva traveled to Crow Creek, where Chairman Peter Lengeek shared a place to collect the cuttings. She gave her offerings, returned with 30 cuttings, and sourced an additional 10 locally. The planting took place just ahead of a nourishing rain.
~Eva Weddell BHS Intern~
White Swan Field School
We will be hosting the 3rd Annual Field School for 4 days for the purpose of developing a work force of Native Scientists and Culturally knowledgeable land and water experts. This is workforce development for the future and will be held in Lake Andes SD and alongside the Missouri River June 9-12
Each summer on the Yankton Sioux Reservation, the Brave Heart Society hosts the Indigenous Traditional Ecological and Cultural Knowledge (ITECK) Field School, bringing together Native people from across Turtle Island to reclaim their ancestral roles as stewards and healers of the land. Set in the natural landscape of Ihanktonwan territory, the school bridges Western science with Indigenous knowledge, offering hands-on experiences in prairie ecology, buffalo management, fire stewardship, and more. Participants, ranging from toddlers to elders, engage in fieldwork, storytelling, and teaching circles, where learning is deeply rooted in ceremony, relationality, and gratitude. Here, knowledge is not merely exchanged—it’s honored and passed down through generations as part of a living, cultural tradition.
This Field School is a core part of the broader Mni Wizipan Wakan (Sacred Water Bundle) vision, a movement to restore balance, sovereignty, and spiritual connection within Native communities. It reframes scientific disciplines like ecology and archaeology as long-held Indigenous practices, challenging colonial narratives and creating space for healing—of both the land and the people. More than a curriculum, the program is a call to remember: that Native people have always been scientists, teachers, and caretakers of creation. By blending ceremony with education, the Field School empowers Native individuals to reclaim their identities and roles as protectors of the Earth, guided by both ancestral wisdom and modern tools.
~Elijah Small, Brave Heart Society Biologist~
Exploring the Cultural Bio Region of Ihanktonwan Oyate through Water Resources
Brave Heart Society is dedicated to exploring the cultural bio region of the Ihankowan Oyate, placing a significant emphasis on water resources. We understand that water data plays a crucial role for Indigenous communities, impacting decision-making at both government and state levels. This data directly influences sovereignty, cultural practices, and environmental stewardship.
Accurate and accessible hydrological data empowers communities to engage in policy discussions regarding water rights. It supports advocacy for sustainable management practices that agree with traditional knowledge and ecological relationships. Acquiring existing and future water data strengthens participation in regulatory processes, such as those concerning Waters of the United States (WOTUS), and facilitates effective consultation between tribal nations and state/federal agencies to ensure that policies reflect Indigenous needs and historical water claims (e.g. treaty rights).
In regions like the Missouri River Basin, where 29 tribal nations have longstanding connections to the water. Accessing existing datasets, obtaining our own data, and understanding the data will protect water resources against industrial and governmental demands.
Brave Heart Society is actively working on obtaining and owning our own water data, a step that inspires hope and anticipation for future generations. This initiative represents a significant advancement in preserving the sovereignty and environmental stewardship of the Ihankowan Oyate.
~Dr. Alexis Archambault, BHS Hydrologist~
Lightning Stick Society
In a time when society grapples with divisions and differing opinions on politics, climate change, health protocols, water wars, and everything in between, sometimes the best solution lies not directly in front of us but rather in ancient wisdom passed down through generations.
“The Creator’s Game,” also known as “Shinny,” or what we recognize today as lacrosse, has served as a means of settling disputes for millennia. Turtle Island (North America) yearns for healing, and the Brave Heart Society seeks to facilitate that healing through the revitalization of the Lightning Stick Society. Founded over 14 years ago, this society aims to promote mental, physical, and emotional well-being among indigenous youth across the Oceti Sakowin. Recently, it held its 14th annual camp in the birthplace of the society: Ihanktonwan Nation (Yankton Sioux Tribe) in South Dakota.
Despite its humble beginnings, the Lightning Stick Society has garnered attention from other tribes nationwide, such as the Iroquois Nation. The Iroquois Nation preserved the game even during times of genocide and continues to compete at professional levels. Additionally, the society has received recognition from overseas countries as a competitive and skilled lacrosse program.
At the heart of Shinny lies the intertwining strands of competition, forgiveness, skill development, bonding, and ultimately, peacemaking. In oral history, a leader named Wa Anata (meaning “sneaks upon”) used the game to resolve disputes—even if it took multiple days to complete. This illustrates the spiritual lesson that ill feelings and negativity naturally dissipate through the game’s lessons. However, apprehension prevents effective participation. Shinny demands not only skill but also persistence. The primary tool is a stick, typically 3-4 feet in length, with a hoop at one end—much smaller than the commercialized lacrosse sticks. This creates a place where skill is important, but just as demanding is persistence.
During the 14th annual Lighting Stick Camp on the Yankton Sioux Nation, 67 students participated. Some of these students now adults, attended the first Lighting Stick Camp, have returned as teachers, passing on the game’s legacy to a new generation. Over three days, laughter, competitiveness, bonding, and shared meals prevailed. Most importantly, any ill feelings were set aside, creating a moment of peace amidst the chaos of the world. Let us hope that our nation can learn from the ways of our ancestors, recognizing that there are alternative paths to dispute resolution—one that avoids online bullying and vulgar behavior, emphasizing physical, mental, and spiritual unity.
~Derrick Marks, BHS Media Coordinator~
Partnership with Native Organizers Alliance
The Native Organizers Alliance (NOA), in partnership with the Brave Heart Society and the Yankton Sioux Tribe, is advancing a co-management initiative along the Missouri River Basin through the Mni Wizipan Wakan (Sacred Water Bundle) project. This model empowers Native grassroots communities and tribal governments to collaboratively manage land, water, and air in accordance with traditional values and ecological knowledge. Organizing and campaign training are grounded in relationality and cultural practices, with a focus on reindigenizing a 150-mile bioregion through ceremony, species reintroduction, and restoring Indigenous responsibilities to the natural world.
NOA supports this work through its Field School and Fellows program, blending Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge (ITEK) with Western science in areas like hydrology, buffalo revitalization, and fire management. The Fellows program also promotes civic engagement by training community members to increase Native voter participation and access to the electoral process. These efforts aim to protect tribal sovereignty, elevate Indigenous voices in policymaking, and ensure cultural resilience in the face of ongoing environmental and political challenges.
~Lonnie Provost, NOA and BHS Organizer~
There is much more happening at Brave Heart Lodge, such as language classes, healing workshops and circles, Lacrosse etc. Stay tuned.
Brave Heart Society Po Box 667 Lake Andes, SD 57356
Contacts: Faith Spotted Eagle (Founder) eagletrax@hotmail.com 605-481-0416
Iktomi Waste Wiyan Favel (Executive Secretary) iktomi@braveheartsociety.com 801-231-6171
Credits:
Brave Heart Society