BearPaw Shields: Leaving a Legacy for Future Generations
In this episode, we speak with BearPaw Shields from the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes. She is a Saint Cloud State University alumna and is currently the Indigenous Learning Community Program Coordinator at the University’s American Indian Center.
In her forties, she decided to go to college and get a degree so that she could make the change she wanted to see in the world. She does that now through her work at St. Cloud State’s American Indian Center, helping Native students to succeed in school and connect with their culture through language, field trips and other experiences.
As a board member with the Friends of the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, she had been instrumental in teaching park staff and visitors about the land’s Native history. Last year, that included the opening of an amphitheater with art provided by Indigenous artists and the names of park animals provided in Dakota and Ojibwemowin.
BearPaw Shields lives in Zimmerman where she likes to go on hikes and find her serenity at the nearby Refuge.
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Allison Waukau: Empowering Native Stories Through Community Service and Podcasting
In this episode, we speak with Allison Waukau (Menominee/Navajo), who serves as the Tribal Liaison and Native Relations Coordinator at the Metropolitan Council. She previously worked at the Hennepin County Library and the Roseville School District as American Indian Community Liaison.
Last year, she started a new podcast with Odia Wood-Krueger. Through “Books Are Good Medicine,” the co-hosts explore Native literature with the aim of increasing the knowledge of educators and libraries about Native American books and materials.
Allison Waukau lives in Minneapolis with her family, including a young son, and had a dream come true recently when she was selected to participate in Cohort 14 of the Native Governance Center’s Rebuilder Program.
Allison’s podcast with Odia Wood-Krueger can be found at Books Are Good Medicine.
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New Native Theatre’s 15th Year & REAL ID
This week, how REAL ID requirements impact Indigenous people, especially Two-Spirit individuals. Also, New Native Theatre’s latest play runs April 16-May 4.
Ziigwan Biidaajimowin (Spring News): NACC Issues Call for Artists and Little Earth Kicks Off American Indian Month with a Parade
This week, Minneapolis’s Native American Community Clinic (NACC) seeks artists to commission pieces for their new building. Plus, nearby, the Little Earth of United Tribes housing community will kick off May’s American Indian Month with a celebration organized in part by the Minneapolis Public Schools American Indian Youth Council, Ogichida Oyate
Indian Child Welfare Law Challenged at MN Supreme Court and Native Nations Impacted by Proposed SAVE Act
This week, the Minnesota Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that could reshape child custody laws for Native American children. Also, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act would require all Americans to prove their citizenship in person with official documents when registering to vote.