Six Sioux Inspire Change
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From ancient times in America’s Midwest grew tribes of Indigenous people who lived on and honored the land. One of those First Nation peoples was the Sioux. Their name derives from the corruption of a word meaning “snake” and was a label used by French fur traders who hunted the tribe’s area. Their proper name is Očhethi Šakówiŋ, which means Seven Council Fires and symbolizes the seven nations of the Sioux. The Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota people are the three largest of those nations. The Sioux settled in the Great Plains in a far-reaching territory that included parts of North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska. But a series of treaties, wars, and government actions against the Native tribes reduced the Great Sioux Reservation to land largely within South Dakota alone. In the face of ongoing discrimination and attempts to force assimilation onto the First Nation peoples, descendants of the Sioux celebrate their tribal traditions and fight for both autonomy and recognition. The following six members of the Sioux Nation have embraced and forwarded that mission through activism, acting, and feeding the world.
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Minnie Two Shoes was an Assiniboine Sioux from the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana. She began her career in journalism in 1968 when she joined the American Indian Movement in an effort to shed light on poverty and injustice aimed at Native Americans. She helped found the Native American Press Association in 1984 and mentored the next generation of Native American writers and journalists.
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Tamara St. John, born in 1966, is Dakota and a member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Sioux tribe; she is also the Republican member of the South Dakota House of Representatives (1st District). As an archivist for Sisseton Wahpeton Tribal Archives and Collections, she works in community education, outreach, and cultural projects, and as a state representative she co-chairs the State-Tribal Relations committee. She is the first Native American Republican woman to serve in South Dakota’s House of Representatives.
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Sean Sherman is known to his fans as “The Sioux Chef.” He is an Oglala Lakota from South Dakota who, as a young chef, noticed that Native foods were missing from American restaurant menus and even from the community in which he grew up. In an effort to represent his community, he consulted tribe elders and historians and wrote The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen, an award-winning cookbook. Sherman’s business partner, Dana Thompson, describes one of their culinary goals as to “provide food that is relevant to each tribal area.”
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Like Minnie Two Shoes, Amber Midthunder is an Assiniboine Native American and member of the Fort Peck Reservation. Born in 1997, Midthunder’s acting career began in 2001. In recent years she and other emerging Native actors—like Chaske Spencer from the Twilight movie saga—have helped inspire and applaud a resurgence of Native American roles in Hollywood.
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Jasilyn Charger is a young, Cheyenne River Sioux from Eagle Butte, South Dakota. She wanted to help teens in her home reservation who were struggling with poverty and mental health issues. So, at the age of 19, she helped create a local youth group that provided safe housing for teens and activities that created a sense of community among the youth. That group grew into One Mind Youth Movement, using outreach, unity, and education to inspire positive change. Charger then went bigger, helping to establish the International Indigenous Youth Council to unite and organize youth among all Native nations. At its core, the IIYC is “rooted in the protection of the elements and . . . brought together and continue to be guided by the prayer for the water. We aspire to inspire young individuals to build bridges of solidarity and become leaders of their communities” (International Indigenous Youth Council). Charger’s group has stood against oil pipeline development in the Midwest and has marched in Washington, D.C., for the environment and human rights.
Which statement BEST summarizes the point of view on Native culture and traditions that is shared by the author and the six notable people in the text?
a
Native culture and traditions should be embraced only by Native peoples.
b
Native culture and traditions can best be preserved through education.
c
Native culture and traditions can be preserved enthusiastically and shared into the future.
d
Native culture and traditions should be preserved if possible.
c
Native culture and traditions can be preserved enthusiastically and shared into the future.