INTRODUCTION
Since time immemorial, people of the Seven Council Fires or the Great Sioux Nation lived in Paha Sapa, land now known as the Black Hills of South Dakota. When the Black Hills were taken by the United States government, the Seven Council Fires or Great Sioux Nation, composed of the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota people, were displaced to the Great Sioux Reservation, part of which would eventually become the Pine Ridge Reservation.
“Like indigenous people across North America, many of us were educated in Christian boarding schools and forbidden by law from practicing our religion, learning about our culture, and speaking our native language,” the Tiospaye states on its website.
“We believe that our cultural heritage and the knowledge held by our ancestors is vital to our future as a people, as is reconnecting with our ancestral land.” It is the mission of the Afraid of Bear – American Horse Tiospaye to ensure that Oglala Lakota culture is protected, documented, and shared with their community.
In 2025 and 2026, thanks to the supporters of Running Strong for American Indian Youth®, we have been able to provide the Tiospaye, which has formalized as a 501(c)(3) organization, grant funding for its important work, including Rites of Passage events, sacred food workshops, conferences, and community outreach events.
RITES OF PASSAGE AND FILM PROGRAM
In February of this year, Afraid of Bear – American Horse Tiospaye received a grant from Running Strong “to continue our Rites of Passage and Film program dedicated to inspiring native youth to learn about their heritage and to navigate adolescence with the full support of loving elders and community members.”
In June, they hosted a multi-day conference dedicated to the nine youth who have been participating in their Rites of Passage program since its inception, and the 17 who indicated interest following last year’s event. 26 Native youth total were invited to participate with the goal “to host and film traditional Rites of Passage activities with Native youth and elders in order to inspire curiosity about and pride in Lakota culture and wisdom.”
“This year’s Wo’ope (sacred teachings) is designed to maximize time on the land, rather than in a conference room, while actively engaging with our speakers,” Lynn explained in her grant request.
In addition to the matriarchs guiding the program, they have invited 14 mid-career Native professionals from a variety of career paths including tribal leadership, professional sports, public policy advocacy, land back initiatives and artificial intelligence to attend. This method of intergenerational knowledge sharing and hands-on learning is a pillar of many Native communities, and it’s clear the impact these events are making.
“This year we sent two additional film team members for a total of four to the Rites of Passage event so we could film ongoing activities while separately interviewing and recording key contributors over the 5-day event,” she reported. “In total, we added 54 hours of video to our library and 15 hours of audio. We produced or updated 85 films, of which 75 are shorts designed for broader sharing on social media sites.” These films will allow the Afraid of Bear – American Horse Tiospaye to reintroduce Lakota culture to our family, our community, and the world.
They shared that “interest in the program grew and the excitement was palpable.
“Verbal feedback emphasized that we’ve created something that is extremely important and needs to continue.
“Although this Tiospaye community has been gathering for almost four decades, adding this programming component has helped create a sense of community that did not exist before.
“Exposing Native youth to mid-career native professionals who are leaders in their respective areas (this year’s focus), seemed to open the horizon of what is possible to them.”
She also noted that one member of the original youth cohort returned home and was inspired to join a Native youth group where she is now serving as its vice president.
“Many people stepped in and stepped up when our lead Matriarch became ill, creating a new generation of leaders and important documentation of traditional protocols, Tiospaye practices and ceremonies.”
One member of the youth cohort stated following the event:
“I don’t think I can fully describe this event but it is very powerful.
“It’s an important thing for Native youth because it helped us see many different sides and perspectives and teachings of our culture.
“We learned about history, art, drawing/painting, and learned how to play lacrosse and the teachings of the Wampum Belts.
“It’s also important to get together and see each other again.
The Matriarchs wanted the supporters of Running Strong for American Indian Youth® to know, “We are extremely grateful for your ongoing support and believe this program has gained significant momentum and traction within this community as evidenced by the many families that have come to join us for the first time, both last year and this year.”
SACRED FOOD WORKSHOPS
Also this year, Running Strong for American Indian Youth® helped fund two sacred food workshops led by Pansy Weasel Bear, a resident of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation known for her active community presence, connection to local cultural groups and family ties within the Lakota community.
Their goal remains to empower elders and youth in the practice of celebration of our ceremonial traditions and to share these traditions within the community. “Sacred food is at the heart of each and every ceremony and as such, it remains central to any effort aimed at revitalizing Oglala culture, which is our core mission.”
“We use sacred foods through the year as part of ceremony and formal meetings,” Lynn explained. The workshops teach the art of preparing, cutting and drying buffalo meat, noting that preparing sacred foods, especially bison meat, is a long and detailed process. The cutting of the meat can take several days, and the drying of the meat requires constant attention over several weeks. “The final preparation of the bison can take many hours or days depending on the quantity and the number of hands involved in the process,” says Lynn.
In addition to the purchase of 300 pounds of bison meat, the grant also provided chokecherries and heritage corn “which together with bison make up the three sacred food items.” In total, 38 individuals ages 13–75 were served through the sacred food grant, including 18 under the age of 18.
“The young people who help cut, dry and make these foods love learning the skills involved and then seeing what they helped create offered to the larger community throughout the year.
“Plus, it’s delicious. People always ask for more.”
And to the supporters of Running Strong for American Indian Youth®, Lynn says, “Thanks to Running Strong, we have had the means to teach and inspire another matriarch to lead these workshops, reaching an even broader swath of our community. Thank you!”
WO’OPE TWO-DAY CONFERENCES
The Afraid of Bear – American Horse Tiospaye held a series of two-day conferences in June, July, and December. The conferences focused on “Wo’ope” — Lakota women’s law for nurturing, love and compassion — and featured six respected matriarchs, 10 youth and a wider circle of relatives.
“The program was held in the Black Hills where youth took part in ceremonies, learned protocols from mentors and deepened their ties within their Tiospaye,” they shared with us, adding that smaller gatherings in July and December have focused on debriefing on the June program and designing the program for next year.
Since the start of this program in 2021, they have had ongoing participation from eight youth and their families with a second cohort of younger youth starting in 2026. Expanding this program by two days in recent years has allowed a much larger group of people to participate in the sharing of elder wisdom and life experiences than previously.
One of the most heartwarming moments of these gatherings is that the parents and grandparents are now engaging because their kids are interested.
“We believe we are making good inroads with the youth and are ‘collecting’ their observations and thoughts.”
Lynn also reported, “We added approximately 20 hours of filming to our library and created a ‘spalsh’ video from the event,” noting that 100 individuals ages 5-90, including 25 under 18, from the Oglala Lakota, Mohawk, Diné and Western Band Cherokee tribal nations were served.
One 15-year-old expressed the following:
“The Rites of Passage program is impacting me socially because I’m really close with all my cousins and family whenever we have conferences or ceremonies.
“It’s impacting me emotionally because it helps me feel more seen in a way, I know that I have lots of people by my side.
“It’s impacting me mentally by making my mind feel less anxious and more clear.”
A 16-year-old participant commented:
“I think sometimes I just need support in feeling like I’m not alone.
“Being far from most of my family and not growing up around them makes it easy to feel left out or disconnected.”
And a matriarch commented:
“I’m not sure all the time how they’re receiving what I’m saying until, like two days later, when one of them says, ‘hi, Auntie,’ and then comes up and gives me a hug and I feel like, oh, you know, that something, something happened there, something, some kind of connection was made.”
Everyone at the Afraid of Bear – American Horse Tiospaye wants the followers of Running Strong for American Indian Youth® to know, “We are extremely grateful for your support.”
NEW CLOTHING FOR PINE RIDGE
With additional funding from Running Strong, a group of volunteers drove from the Pine Ridge area to Mancos, Colorado (a distance of about 750 miles, one way) in May to collect new, unused clothing, footwear and other items and to then distribute them across Pine Ridge, South Dakota and Chadron, Nebraska.
Lynn explained that it was a challenge organizing volunteers around busy schedules and other timing needs, “but people came together for a good purpose and knew this donation collection and distribution would make a big difference for many families.”
Through the grant, approximately 144 families received new clothing and footwear at no cost. Nearly 100 Native youth were able to choose clothing they liked as they prepared for the school year. In addition, 13 volunteers had the opportunity to give back to their community and provide meaningful help. In total, 240 individuals aged 12-80 were assisted, including 96 under the age of 18.
“We are grateful for your help in pulling together the people and resources needed to move all of these donated items from Colorado back to the Pine Ridge area,” stated Jovan Rabbit, who was able to receive clothing and shoes for her family and was extremely grateful.
“New clothing and shoes are often the last things people buy when money is short and yet they make a big difference to how we feel about ourselves and how others see us.”
A Lasting Legacy
Running Strong for American Indian Youth® is a proud partner of the Afraid of Bear – American Horse Tiospaye. Founders Loretta Afraid of Bear–Cook and Tom Cook have been working with Billy Mills and Running Strong for American Indian Youth for over 30 years, literally creating generations of positive change. Our shared mission of uplifting Native youth by being grounded in culture and looking towards the future is at the core of both our missions and vital to our organizations’ shared success. Thank you to all our supporters, from our Tiospaye to yours!