Wambliska Blog
Our mission is to build resilient and powerful relatives, and this begins with Native youth who are integral in leading change in our communities and into the future.
Our programs offer stability, identity, and hope for Native youth as they begin to define themselves and learn to navigate their reality. Through these efforts, Native youth are finding their voice and gaining the confidence to express themselves.
We intentionally create opportunities for youth to use their voice to actively advocate for themselves, their beliefs, and their culture on a local and national level. Native youth are initiating change by choosing to speak out on controversial issues such as the Land Back initiative, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW), and other legislative issues that would affect the quality of life within their communities.
Together, these skills and opportunities are empowering Native youth to revive their communities by becoming effective leaders and healers of the next generation.
Recent Events:
Walk to Freedom
Our group recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to participate in the Walk to Freedom, a walk to seek the release of political prisoner Leonard Peltier. This 1,103-mile walk started in Minneapolis on September 1, 2022. Nearly 2,000 supporters walked the last mile of the walk for Peltier, marching in solidarity from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial.
The walkers also went to the US Supreme Court to support native children and Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). ICWA’s constitutionality is being challenged in front of SCOTUS. Opponents of ICWA are threatening the law that offers protection for Native kids and families.
Read more about the experience on our blog.
Wounded Knee 50th Anniversary
During the weekend of the 50th anniversary, Aim grassroots asked Wambli ska to be in charge of security. During this weekend we worked as security for a powwow in rapid city at the club for boys. We watched the stands and served dinner many dancers from all age groups were in attendance. It was a great opportunity for our community to come together.
Our next event was to be in charge of security at another powwow in Wanblee. Another great gathering of great relatives, we helped again with security and also helped serve dinner.
On our last day of our eventful weekend we attended the four directional walk. We started on our walk from the southern end on highway 18, while the other three directions also began on their walk. We walked seven miles from where we started but when we arrived all directions gathered. We walked up the hill as one group and when we got settled at the top we gathered and listened to good words from some of the veterens of the occupation, and listened to a few songs including a prayer song. It was a great way to remember our people and what they stood for 50 years ago and how we still stand behind them.
Hesapa
Action Camp
Wambli ska was once again given the opportunity to provide security for NDN Collective at its He Sapa action training camp. Some of the Wambli ska street outreach members also attended as participants. This event was a chance to be introduced to new relatives from across the world to share and listen to different struggles our people face.
The camp was an amazing experience to learn various strategies to prevent the destruction of our homelands weather that is here in South Dakota, Canada or on the islands in Hawaii. These skills can help all of us be able to make a stand and a change in our homelands. We also had our own version of an action to further our hands on ability. All in all the Hesapa action camp was a great time for us and we would tell the next person to attend and educate themselves with the skills our people need.
March Towards Justice
March Towards Justice
Before the march took place the wambliska crew took to the streets to raise awareness of what was going to take place on the fourth of july. we went to neighborhoods where we new needed to have the flyers which contained the information of the march. We also handed out pizza and waters on a very hot day.
The preparation for the march took weeks as we created many peices of art to represent the changes that we would like to see inour community for our people and for our children. Painting and making a lot of signs for the people to hold to raise awareness.
The march took place and we walked with many signs, native Americans only make up 10 percent of the population of South Dakota and they make up nearly 80 percent of incarcerations. We also wanted the removal of Sros (school Resource officers) to make native American children feel safer in schools. The march was a major success we made a large impact on our community and let our opinions and demands be known. we deployed a large banner that took up most of the street in front of the courthouse and jail and held it up and marched around both sides of the buildings. Once we deployed the banner we heard the windows of the jail being banged on much similar to hail storm it was powerful and I’m glad that we were able to be there and help our people in our community.
The youth and Wambli ska were once again invited to participate in a community event, we attended the freedom run in Pine Ridge Sd. The run was multiple miles and it was very hot that day, we ran for Leonard and he wrote a letter for us that day, He spoke of many things the main thing was how we wanted to plant trees to help out mother earth. The run was an honor to be apart of and to see good relatives. Another great experience for our people and a great time in general.
Freedom run
Pipestone National Monument
Wambli ska took the youth to Pipestone National monument to see the only place in the world to get pipestone. This trip was great trip to be able to learn how the Chanupa is made all from the elements of the earth, and how they obtain the red pipestone that is used. We got the chance to walk throughout the Quarries and see how deep the pipestone is in the ground and the techniques that are used to mine and extract it. Some of the relatives that actually mine these quarries were able to speak to us and educate us on the matter. It was very interesting to learn about the chanupa and what it means for our way of life, where it comes from and how it is made from start to finish. All of the youth were able to get their own piece of pipestone and make what they wanted from charms to actual chanupas. One of the things they had told us is that not one person working in these quarries are under the age of 50, this means that eventually relatives will have to step up and learn the process that has been passed down throughout the centuries. All in all the experience and the energy in Pipestone was amazing, the chance that we had to be able to learn and see these things was great and all of the youth were well taught in the way of our people.
Washington DC
Free Leonard Peltier
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Free Leonard Peltier • •
Wambli ska aim was called, honored with the opportunity to provide security for Ndn Collective for the march to free Leonard Peltier. With the guidance of the eagle staffs we made our journey to Washington dc. We had a Ceremony on September 7th on the jumping bull property, we started our journey and made our way to minnesota. The march took place on September 12 the same day and Leonard’s day of birth. Another chance to be a voice for the people and to make a mark about the wrong doings. we rode charter busses all the way to little earth a community of indigenous people in Minnesota near Minneapolis, there we took place a ceremony as guests to the community. After the ceremony we joined up with a group from little earth and headed to Washington DC. We walked to the front of the white house and began our protest we held signs and banners all voicing the same thing the fact that we wanted Leonard free after being wrongfully incarcerated. A large banner was deployed along side many other pieces of art, the banner had the words “President Biden free Leonard Peltier”. Many relatives from across the country came to support us and join with us in the action. We voiced our opinions and listened to many great voices speak at the protest. As the protest moved on the secret service came in and backed us off the street threatening to use means to disperse us as the crowd cleared a strong group of people didn’t they held a banner up and stood their ground they were arrested one by one to make sure everyone knew the severity that we wanted Leonard free.
Wambli ska showed up to Atlanta Georgia in prayer to stand with our relatives in a time they needed the most. In Atlanta Georgia there is a project called cop city, this project will remove the weelaunee forest which will affect the environment of the surrounding black communities. Tortuguita a community organizer was fatally shot and killed by Atlanta law enforcement while there was a protest against cop city. This caused an uproar in the coimmunity because a peaceful protester had been shot and killed by law enforcment. Cop city will militarize the police through the training that the structure will provide for law enforcement. When Wambliska arrived to Atlanta we had the chance to meet with several college students and organizers to march and stand together with them. We held signs and imagery that said “stop cop city” and more imagery recognizing Tortuguita and his unjust death. We also had the opportunity to sing and pray for the people who were holding another protest at the site of the construction of cop city they marched and some of them even went into the construction to halt the process of the building. It was a great time to be able to show support and prayer for a community facing deforestation and the militarization of the police.
Stop Cop City Atlanta Georgia
Sioux Falls Street Outreach
Wambliska partnered up with church on the street to do some outreach in Sioux Falls SD, we prayed and sang for the people while the church on the street prepared a meal for everyone. It was a good time to show our support for our relatives in Sioux Falls. While we were in Sioux falls we had the opportunity to do multiple things to show our support of the people. While we were in town we joined up with the family of Jacob James to pray for the family and to help raise awareness of the unjust killing of Jacob James and the awareness of police brutality. We held up the signs that the family made and stood strong with our relatives, we were glad to be there and show support. East side Lutheran church also wanted us to stop by and be apart of their church to show them the drum and our way of life.
Wambli ska went to Colorado to stand in prayer with our relatives to seek justice for the action of cutting off a native mans hair, a native mans hair is sacred to each and every man. The hospital told our relative that the mans hair wasn’t cut at the hospital then proceeded to send them on a wild goose chase just to discover that it was cut inside the hospital. We showed up in prayer and solidarity to peacefully ask for an apology for their actions, we sang all around the drum and held signs to get their attention. In the end we had their attention every window had someone looking out looking at the signs asking for their apology. We went inside to further get their attention to get an apology from the University of Colorado Hospital, they treated us with hospitality and showed kindness as we ate at the hospital cafe. At the end of our peaceful protest the hospital recognized that we would not keep silent at their wrong doings.
University of Colorado Hospital
Lakota center Shelter for the relatives
Wambli ska assisted Woyatan to provide shelter for the houses relatives this year jus like we did a few years ago before being shut down, this year we have made 70 beds for men and women in our church. we serve 70 meals at breakfast and near 140 for lunch and dinner. Despite the city not condoning our shelter and them trying to shut down our heated military grade warming tents we are still able to take care of our people in their time of need, in one of the coldest below freezing winters we have had. Being able to help them and make sure they have a warm safe spot to sleep is great it makes all of us warriors happy to be here and to be a safe space in a cold world.
