Sicangu News

No bad medicine at ceremony

It’s actually none of your business what other people do. Holding a grudge against someone else for behavior that’s long in the past or behaviors that you have no control over, is very unhealthy and you deliberately role model bad behavior to others and your children when you act like this, especially at ceremony time. Ceremonies often include more than one ritual, for instance at the Sundance many families do the Hunka or name-giving ceremonies for their children or other people they want to honor.

When you don’t agree with what the people at ceremony are doing, then you should just stay away. Stay away from all the ceremonies if you have bad thoughts of resentment or anger from a past incident or current behavior of the person you’re angry at or that you or your family member was involved with. When you carry negative energy, you’re going to affect people at the ceremony. Also, your energy you carry is bad medicine and will eventually affect you and your family.

I’ve written about the power of monitoring your thought process before, but it’s really important to be aware of your thoughts all the time and more so during ceremony season, as people are out in the intense heat sacrificing without food and water, praying for health for all the Oyate. It’s just really disrespectful and does harm when you show up with bad thoughts, anger, resentment or jealousy it’s not good. It affects our children and elders. It affects everybody in the ceremony, because whether you believe in the power of your thoughts and energy or not, we can definitely feel your energy.

I don’t like to be around people who are mad at someone and they just let it show to the whole world that they’re angry. They’ll talk about or post on social media, openly sharing their anger at someone because of something they did to them or their children or their grandchildren or their cousin or their auntie or someone who’s related. You give away your power to feel any kind of happiness or joy when your carrying negative energy, it’s not right!

Monitoring your thoughts is a way to be healthier. Another thing is to find ways to process your anger in healthy ways instead of hanging onto it and letting it affect you every time you see the person that your anger is directed at. This whole thing of generational grudges is really ridiculous. I mean some of us are trying to heal our families of the inter-generational trauma or the historical trauma that are people carry and then there’s people like you who just insist on carrying that trauma on and on and on with your bad thoughts and your bad feelings and mean words.

Maybe you could use that phone you’re holding to research emotional intelligence and try to pick up some of those behaviors instead of just being angry all the time and letting all the people know why you’re angry; just stay away from ceremony!

None of the folks at ceremony want you there carrying around anger and bad thoughts. It’s is just as bad as showing up under the influence of alcohol or drugs, we don’t want that at all. I pray for all my relatives to find their way back to the circle, but please stay away if you’re actively feeding your bad energy, we can feel it. You emit your rage like a bad body order.

Your energy is the same way, we can tell, we can feel it so if you’re going to go to a ceremony, clear your minds and hearts of your unresolved anger so you can go pray and support the people who are in the ceremony. Inipi is an excellent place to start. If you don’t like anybody at ceremony to begin with, just stay far, far away.

“I have learned that the point of life’s walk is not where or how far I move my feet but how I am moved in my heart. If I walk far but am angry toward others as I journey, I walk nowhere. If I conquer mountains but hold grudges against others as I climb, I conquer nothing. If I see much but regard others as enemies, I see no one.” ~Anasazi Foundation, The Seven Paths: Changing One’s Way of Walking in the World

Image by Wakeah Jhane

Tribal BIE School marks historic shift in accountability status

St. Francis, SD – A renewed focus on student achievement and school improvement is paying off at SFIS, which recently advanced to “Approaching Expectations” under the BIE accountability system.

This change reflects years of intentional work across the entire school — strengthening instruction, improving attendance, and expanding student support aligned with Every Student Succeeds Act indicators. According to Superintendent Walking Eagle, the shift is the result of collective effort, data‑driven practices, and a renewed culture of accountability shared by teachers, staff, families, and the community.

Strong Academic and Schoolwide Gains

Under ESSA-aligned measures, the school has demonstrated measurable growth:

Attendance has reached 92%, the highest in recent years.

Graduation rates have climbed to approximately 83%, reflecting sustained student engagement.

Enrollment rebounded to 611 in 2024–2025, signaling renewed family confidence, and remains strong at 542 students in 2025–2026.

Academic performance has also risen significantly. Since 2020–2021:

ELA proficiency increased from 12% to 30%.

Math rose from 5% to 35%.

Science improved from 2% to 12%.

These gains reflect consistent instructional alignment, early assessment preparation, and targeted interventions across grade levels. Superintendent Walking Eagle highlighted that the school’s improvement is not accidental but built through “steady consistency, training, and strategic action planning.” Early assessment preparation this year ensured students had extended exposure to priority standards.

Saint Francis Indian School’s Annual Report Card shows continuous improvement across key indicators, demonstrating a system‑wide transformation rooted in resilience and shared purpose. Moving into “Approaching Expectations” marks the school’s strongest position in recent history

https://www.bie.edu/sites/default/files/styles/news_image_style/public/news/photo_supt_danielle_walking_eagle_16x9.jpeg.webp?h=df3c6bf4&itok=9ZIXbCg2

SFIS Superintendent Danielle Walking Eagle highlighted that the school’s improvement is not accidental but built through “steady consistency, training, and strategic action planning.” Early assessment preparation this year ensured students had extended exposure to priority standards. Courtesy Photo.

39 file for 10 RST council vacancies

Rosebud, SD – UPDATED WITH CHALLENGES FILED BY RST ELECTION BOARD—hearings set — Thirty-nine hopeful tribal citizens from 10 communities have filed nominating petitions to be vetted for inclusion on the 2026 tribal council Primary Election Ballot.

Black Pipe: Christopher Eagle Bear, John Stands By Ear, Vincent Charging Hawk and

Margaret Morrison.

Grass Mountain: Michele Hollow Horn Bear, Vanessa Red Hawk-Thompson and Nicholas Burnette.

Milks Camp: Marla Bull Bear, William Willie Bearshield, Byron Barney Andrews,

Parmelee: Eileen Shot With Two Arrows, Tori J. Barron, Philip J. Little Thunder, Emily Boyd Valandra, Steve Boyd, Tamera Stands And Looks Back,

Spring Creek: Pamela J. Kills In Water, Lila Kills In Sight, JaydenRose Whiting and Verlyn Walking Eagle.

Butte Creek: Dr. Tammi Keller and Evastine Wright, Arnetta Rosie Montoya and C. Steve Brave.

Ideal: Tennille Black Feather, Charles Dubray Jr., Robert Bordeaux Martin Garneaux, Jr.

Okreek, Steve Denoyer II

Soldier Creek: Tamaleon Wilcox, Rhonda Black Lance-Meek, Norman Running Sr., Destiny Black Lance Stimple, Wesley Running, Jr.

Two Strike: Iver Crow Eagle, III, Benjamin Black Bear, III, Martina Crow Eagle, James B. Two Charger, Sr. and Donna Hollow Horn Bear.

Tribal citizens 18 years of age and older are eligible to vote in Tribal elections after they have completed a voter registration form. The registration form must be signed in front of a Notary Public or the Tribal Secretary. The deadline to register to vote in the 2026 Primary Election is Thursday, July 9, 2026 at 5pm.

The Primary Election will be held at polling places across the Rosebud Reservation on Thursday, July 23, 2026.The top 2 vote getters for all open positions will advance to General Election scheduled for Thursday, August 27, 2026. Again, challenges to the Primary Election candidate list will be accepted beginning Monday, June 1 through Friday, June 5, 2026. A $50 money order must accompany the challenge.

All challenges to these candidates or Elections will be heard by the Election Board. The decision of the RST Election Board on any challenge of candidate or Election shall be final.

The deadline to register to vote in the Primary Election is July 9, 2026 at 5pm. Voters must vote in the community they are registered in on the day of the Election. The Rosebud Sioux Tribe does not offer early voting nor by absentee ballot.

Polls for both the Primary and General Elections will be open from 8am to 7pm. Polling places will be located in the Black Pipe, Butte Creek, Grass Mountain, Ideal, Milk’s Camp, Okreek, Parmelee, Soldier Creek, Spring Creek and Two Strike Community Buildings.

The Election Board members are Esther Moore, Kelly Surrounded, Joe Ford, Shakira Rattling Leaf and Gerald Eagle Bear. If you have questions, please call the Election

office at (605) 747-2381.

Bad Medicine

Disease of the mind. Do you know what that phrase means? What do you think? I’ve learned that disease of the mind is something that is highly contagious. It’s a horrible epidemic in our reservation society. People also talk about “bad medicine.” Disease of the mind is an example of “bad medicine.”

Disease of the mind happens when people get together and gossip, or when people get together and bully someone else, whether it be on the job at school or in the community or in other public settings. For example, praying before meetings and then immediately attacking others in the meeting is disease of the mind. Nowadays, there’s even bullies within the family. Family violence is a good example of disease of the mind.

Some people believe we can go back to the “old ways,” but before we can get back to the “old ways,” we’d have to overcome our addiction to engaging in disease of the mind behavior, such as gossiping, jealousy, bullying, violence, as well as wishing bad on other people. These are all examples of “bad medicine.” Whether you believe it or not, “bad medicine” starts in the mind. When you are afflicted with disease of the mind, the more your mind is influenced by this invisible disease the worse you are going to treat or think about people. So, what can you do to cure your individual disease of the mind?

No one can do that for you. as there’s no magic pill. There’s no magic tea. There’s no magic when it comes to disease of the mind, it’s all up to you as an individual to go within and truthfully admit to yourself what your thoughts actually consist of and who they are directed at on a daily basis. What are you really wishing upon other people? Sometimes when your voice your thoughts it causes trouble, even if you didn’t intend to. Look at what this week brought from the President Trump, who said some terrible things on social media, threatening to annihilate others.

His disease of the mind is probably incurable because in order to cure yourself, you have to be able to look at yourself and admit that you did something wrong or that you intended to do great harm to someone else. One of the hardest things in the world is to be able to look within and admit that you need to change things. No one can do that work for you. No one can process the emotions that you’ve held inside, perhaps for decades. You’ve role modeled all your bad behavior to your family and your children. that’s where the disease of the mind is contagious because sometimes when you watch your family, you see they act just like you. So, if you are a bad person your family is going to act just like you. If you don’t want to change for yourself, maybe you should think about trying to change for your children.

I don’t think our ancestors had disease of the mind the way we do. So, there’s no way we can go back to the “old ways” (whatever that means) until we process and cure this disease of the mind that we’re all afflicted with. Start by monitoring your thoughts – what are you thinking right now as you read this? Is it good or bad? Bad thoughts are definitely disease of the mind. How are you going to transform those bad thoughts? How would you clean up your mind if you knew others could hear your thoughts, as if you were speaking them out loud? Think about it.

RPB business of the year

Mission, SD – Rosebud Building Products owners will receive the 2026 South Dakota Woman-Owned Small Business of the year award by SD SBA Director Bryson Patterson next month.

Patterson will present the award during national small business week at the stores Mission location on May 8, 2026. The community is encouraged to attend and celebrate the stores achievement. Rosebud Building Products is a 100% native woman owned company located on the Rosebud reservation in South Dakota. Founded in 2005 and now led by sisters Ellen and Serena Harmon; Rosebud Building Products supplies building materials, equipment, and industry expertise to clients throughout the region. What began as a small family business has expanded and evolved into 3 divisions Rosebud Building Products, Rosebud Rental and RBP Supply serving homeowners, contractors as well as federal and tribal programs. With the staff of 15 employees, owner Ellen Harmon understands this is an accomplishment for all employees.

When asked how she felt about the recognition she shared this award belongs as much to our team as it does to us the people who show up every day, do the work and believe in what we’re building, this recognition is theirs too. Serena and I are proud, but we’re proud of the culture we’ve built together. We also want this to mean something beyond the company she added when we were starting out traditional lending wasn’t accessible to us. The SBA was and if our story can encourage even one person to believe that building something as possible, to access SBA resources to take that first step, then this award means everything.

We want people to feel proud not just of us about but what our community is capable of, we are here, we are open and if we can ever be a resource or an example for someone following their dream, please reach out. That’s what building each other up looks like. Along with building materials, Rosebud Building Products operates a lumberyard, offers special order and government procurement services and rents equipment. As a certified small business Rosebud Building Products serves tribal, rural and federal government clients, as well as underserved communities Since they’re founding, they have remained true to their community focused values and efforts by supporting programs, events and individuals on a regular basis.

Ellen and Serena Harmon will receive the SBA woman-owned business of the year at their Mission store on May 8,2026. Courtesy photo.

Our love is stronger than their fear

Last week, one of Kristi Noem’s Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents shot and killed Reene Nicole Good in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I watched all the videos and I don’t think he was justified in shooting her. She was trying to drive away from him and I didn’t see where she hit him with her vehicle, he also recorded the whole incident on his cell phone. This incident was uncalled for and should not have shot an innocent woman.

The people who support this homeland security ‘work” are calling it justified, but I don’t think it was justified. They can say everything they want about this lady who was within her right protesting the ICE presence in her community, she still has that right she still has the right to protest things that she doesn’t agree with, just as we all have that right. I don’t believe it’s been taken away. The federal government is working on taking away things from us now, but we still have our right to free speech. We still have our right to assembly and to speak out on things that we don’t agree with.

I read that the president has stopped federal funding to the state of Minnesota. This is something as Indian people that we are very familiar with as the federal government tried to starve us once before and that’s how they got us to move on reservations. Now they are trying to starve their OWN people by cutting off their SNAP benefits, and their federal funding for other assistance programs. People say we need to keep speaking out, but we have to speak out in a way that we aren’t compromising our safety or the safety of our families,

Today, ICE is going door-to-door in Minnesota communities; they probably don’t have any warrants. They just have papers issued by Kristi Noem saying they could do whatever they want. That’s what the Calvary did back in the day. They didn’t have any papers they just came and did whatever they wanted and followed the Great White Father’s orders to kill our ancestors in cold blood. This is what’s happening today relatives. All I want is for you and your children to be safe.

If it means staying home, then stay home. I know it’s scary, but we can’t be in fear of these people because that’s what they want. They want us to be afraid. I just want y’all to take safety precautions and make sure your children are safe at all times I hope these ICE people don’t come to the reservation. I saw a couple of statements issued by Tribal presidents. I hope all the tribes in South Dakota have contingency plans and issue statements informing the people. I also hope all the tribes in South Dakota make tribal IDs and renewals complementary to tribal citizens, because that is how we prove that we are a tribal citizen and we have the right to be here.

We are the First Americans; we have every right to be here on this land. I encourage you to get your original birth certificate and carry it with you all the time. I know the driver’s license are now called real IDs, but I’m not sure how many of these so-called federal agents recognize the driver’s license as a real ID, sounds like they’re just taking whoever they want and it isn’t right, but please be safe relatives. Pray for the safety of all our relatives and communities as well as our people who are living in the cities far away from their homelands.

Over the weekend I saw reports of ICE agents kidnapping Native American people in Minnesota and housing them at Fort Snelling. Also, I watched a video of a couple who were in their home and there were many ICE agents outside their door trying to get in because a DoorDash driver ran into their home to get away from the ICE agents. This little family had a child. Also, they did not open the door because the ICE agents did not have a judicial warrant, so there was no reason to open the door for them. Federal agents need warrants to enter private property, residences and homes. You don’t have to open the door unless they have a warrant signed by a judge. This family was very afraid and called the police, but they stood strong and would not let the so-called agents into their home.

It reminded me of the movie Apocalypto where the Chief says to Jaguar Paw: “Those people in the forest, what did you see in them? Deep rotting fear, they were infected by it. Fear is a sickness; it will crawl into the soul of anyone who engages. It has already tainted your peace. I did not raise you to live with fear, strike it from your heart. Do not bring it into our village,” Chief Flint Sky, Apocalypto.

These agents depend on making us afraid; it’s hard not to be afraid when you have an armed, masked, violent thug coming at you screaming orders at you or pounding on your door or hollering at you to get out of your car.

Please always have your Tribal ID with you and your passport if you have one. Also, your birth certificate showing you were born here. We are the First “Americans” of this land; we have every right to be here, so please be safe no matter what you do.

Many federal government officials, especially ICE agents, are all infected and poisoned with the deep-seated sickness of fear Chief Flint Sky spoke of. But they forget they are committing crimes against humanity. ICE agents should remember that Nazi war criminals in their 80s and 90s are still hunted for the atrocities they committed in Germany.

Remember the words of Debbie White Plume, who said “Our love is stronger than their fear.”

Racial Profiling

I’m writing this on Friday, December 26, 2025, the 163rd anniversary of the Mankato hangings of the Dakota 38+2 ordered by Abraham Lincoln.

The Bom Homme County sheriff’s office created a post on their Facebook page. I’ll put it here for you in case you haven’t seen it yet.

It says “Bon Homme County residents: I received a call this morning from the Knox County sheriff [in Northwest Nebraska] informing me that they have had multiple occupied home invasions since Christmas Eve.

The suspects are believed to be younger Native American males traveling in a black Chevy Monte Carlo.

If you experience a home invasion, you have no duty to retreat your home is your castle and you have every right to defend your family and your property read up on South Dakota’s Castle doctrine to understand what you need to articulate. Should you have to defend your home from these men for home defense, I recommend a 12-gauge shotgun with 00 buck or 88 kept in arms reach.

We will be looking for the suspects in our area and will hopefully get them off the street soon. Until then be sure to lock vehicles out buildings and your homes, stay vigilant, stay prepared,

Sheriff Maggs.”https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064354132612

When police say suspects are believed to be younger Native American males, this is known as racial profiling by law enforcement. Again, the statement that “suspects are believed to be younger Native American males,” is racial profiling. Also, describing weapons to keep nearby is like condoning killing someone. I understand you can defend yourself in your own home when somebody breaks in your home while you’re there, but to describe the actual weapon to use is an inflammatory remark to entice violent acts. Knox County is in Nebraska where Bon Homme County has no jurisdiction.

I had to research the story more so I went and visited the Knox County sheriff’s office Facebook page, but I saw no post referring to this alleged incident. there was no mention on their page about any home invasions involving alleged Native American males driving a black Monte Carlo.

The Knox County news Facebook page stated there were two occupied break-ins occurred since Christmas Eve. The first was a home east of Lindy Nebraska on Christmas Eve and the second one was a business this morning near Verdigree there were no injuries in either incident At the business, the owner did show a firearm to the suspect who immediately retreated.

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1473424031459579&set=a.705425281592795

This suggests to me that Knox County Sheriff is reaching out and sharing racial profiling information with law-enforcement from South Dakota about how they “believe” there are younger Native American males traveling in a black Chevy Monte Carlo committing home invasions.

Unfortunately, I think we will see more racial incidents like this. For instance, I watched a video of a man bleeding on a street in California over Christmas weekend. The 1904 News Facebook page posted last week about a Native American Man Killed in Deputy-Involved Shooting During Pow Wow in Imperial Beach. The post reads “On Sunday, December 21, 2025, at approximately 1:40 PM, near Evergreen Avenue and Seacoast Drive in Imperial Beach, a man in his 40s was fatally wounded in a deputy-involved shooting near the Imperial Beach Pier.

Authorities confirmed the man was transported to UCSD Hillcrest Medical Center in CPR status with multiple gunshot wounds to the front of his body, where he was later pronounced deceased. No deputies were injured during the incident.

Due to large crowds in the area, several surrounding streets were shut down. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department requested assistance from allied agencies, including the San Diego Police Department and the Chula Vista Police Department, to assist with crowd control. The public was asked to avoid the area as the scene was secured.

According to witness accounts, the incident occurred in front of a busy Indian Powwow event taking place near the pier. Witnesses stated the man may have been armed with an obsidian rock-type weapon or knife. Multiple agencies responded due to the size of the crowd and heightened tensions in the area.

A vendor who witnessed the shooting from his stand provided an interview but requested not to be shown on camera. The identity of the deceased has not been released, and the circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation.

This is an active investigation. Updates will be shared as more information is confirmed.”

https://www.facebook.com/reel/759639579759558

When the now sitting president was elected last January, we saw the former South Dakota governor appointed as Secretary of Homeland Security. Consequently, her violent tactics embolden racist people to profile and harm people of color. Also, if you look at what the Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other police officers are doing to brown people all over the country, you can understand when I say I’m concerned about these kinds of posts from law-enforcement, especially in the red state of South Dakota. We have to be especially careful because the SD governor authorized the highway patrol officers to work in cooperation with Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) so I say please be careful. Travel with a Tribal ID and get work on getting a passport and original birth certificate. Tell people where you are going and please be safe. There are so many incidents happening across this country against Native American, Latino and Black people that it’s very dangerous to even go around anymore.

More on lateral violence

Last week, I watched the Rosebud Sioux Tribe council meeting and listened to the annual report from Sinte Greska University given by President Dr. Erica Moore and Vice-President Scott Herman. They gave a very comprehensive report by updating the status of all programs at our Tribal university. The SGU report begins at approximately 3:05:00 in the recording on You Tube

I was very impressed with the report and all the work that they’ve done in the last year to get the university on track with the mission statement. Once again, I want to address how our people engage in lateral violence, I’ve talked about lateral violence in previous columns. There have been a lot of social media posts about the administration at Sinte Gleska University. Some social media posts allege wrongdoing. Some of those posts unfairly blamed the current administration for wrongdoing in different areas, but I never saw any actual proof or reports of criminal charges filed against anyone.

These allegations were made against the current administration, when in reality the administration has been working very hard over the past year to bring the university back into good standing with the Higher Learning Commission and with the reservation community. The SGU administration stepped up in big ways to help our students. For example, during the recent SNAP shut down, SGU issued food cards to students. They also issued food boxes to students; they provide complimentary daily meals for students who attend classes. Transportation is provided at no charge for all of our students to attend classes. People can and will say what they want about our Tribal university, but many tribal citizens earned degrees from SGU. If SGU wasn’t here, I’m not sure if many of us would’ve been able to finish our education.

Another good thing about our university is a student can attend SGU and earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree without incurring student loan debt. It’s all good to attend an off-reservation school or university, but there is also great cost involved with attending college off the reservation.

I think people who post things that aren’t true about local institutions or individuals need to post the proof of the allegations they accuse Tribal and other officials of doing wrong, or go file criminal charges. I’ve read a lot of hateful social media statements, but I don’t see real proof to back their accusations up. Many folks also say a lot of disparaging things that don’t need to be said about the people who work in our local institutions and tribal programs. When you gossip or start false rumors about the people who work in our Tribal institutions and programs, it’s wrong. Also, when you align with people and others who gossip or tell lies, you’re basically engaging in dysfunctional behavior and are no better than they are. When you are the type of person who is going to tell lies about another person or accuse them of things they aren’t guilty of, that makes you an unhealthy person one is guilty of inflicting lateral violence on others.

I don’t believe it was one of our Lakota virtues to accuse other people of wrongdoing when they didn’t do anything wrong or gossip about them or tell lies about people. I believe it’s wrong. Our children are very susceptible to all of this behavior. They watch us do this to each other every single day. They listen to us tear each other up sometimes, we even hear it in the public meetings broadcast on YouTube. People tear each other up and say things that are disrespectful and totally uncalled for. It doesn’t look professional. It makes the person who’s doing it look very bad and it teaches our young people that it’s acceptable to act like this in public.

Do we all want our children to grow up like this to be better at inflicting lateral violence than we are? I don’t think so. I think we all need to work harder at treating each other better and not spreading rumors or lies about our elected officials or the folks who work in our tribal programs, tribal schools and at Sinte Gleska university. Please be good role models for our people! Thank you.

Tokata Etuŋwaŋ Wakaŋyeža Owičakiyapi (Looking to the Future, Healing the Children)

ROSEBUD – Four professional counselors from Tokata Etuŋwaŋ Wakaŋyeža Owičakiyapi, a newly formed Wellness program serving Rosebud shared information at an RST tribal council meeting last week.

The TEWO team includes: Charisse Bordeaux, Dr. Kristin Iyotte, Blaise Leneaugh and Lila Rose Leader Charge. They recently launched Tokata Etuŋwaŋ Wakaŋyeža Owičakiyapi (Looking to the Future, Healing the Children), a Sicangu Lakota winyan owned and operated business. They are deeply grateful for Rick Two Dog’s guidance and gifting a name that carries such meaning and vision — looking to the future and healing our children.

About TEWO: We are four Siċaŋġu Lakota women dedicated to strengthening the mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being of our relatives and communities. Guided by the Medicine Wheel model, we ground evidence-based practices with Lakota values for comprehensive holistic care. Our work centers balance, kinship, and healing through counseling, consultation, supervision, and community partnerships. We envision a Lakota-led wellness center rooted in Lakota teachings and holistic care, where healing is guided by culture and carried forward by community. Through clinical services, training, and collaboration, we aim to create a sustainable model for Lakota mental health, education, and intergenerational wellness for the Siċaŋġu Lakota Oyate.

TEWO’s mission is to provide accessible, trauma-informed and culturally grounded mental health services that honor the strengths, resilience, and healing traditions of Lakota people. We strive to restore Wicozani — balance and well-being —through counseling, education, and community connection that reflect Lakota values of compassion, respect, and collective healing.

The program offers Lakota-informed counseling, consulting, and education services, focusing on holistic wellness and community healing. The program is now accepting contracts and open for consulting, training, and program support in the areas highlighted in their brochure.

In October, the team joined a Holistic Roundtable hosted by RST Child Care, sharing ideas about how families and children can be supported here on the Rosebud. The team is now open for contracting and consulting focused on culturally grounded, trauma-informed care and community wellness. The in their digital brochure lists more information and their CVs/resumes.

In November, Charisse Bordeaux and Dr. Kristin Iyotte provided 2 3-hour trainings sessions for the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Early Head Start/Head Start program. The presentation: Practical Skills for Challenging Behaviors of Lakota Children: Building Wicozani in Classrooms through Lakota-Informed Practice, centered on integrating trauma-informed care, Lakota ways of knowing, the Pyramid Model, and developmentally appropriate de-escalation strategies.

If your program or organization is interested in bringing this training, or a version tailored to your setting, to your staff, please reach out. For inquiries or contracting opportunities, please contact them directly through their Facebook page https://tinyurl.com/25ckpb6a.

TEWO is not designed for emergency or crisis response or care. If you are experiencing a mental health or life-threatening emergency, call 911. If you are in self-harm, suicide, substance use, or mental health crisis or need immediate emotional support, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for free 24/7 confidential assistance.

Lila Rose Leader Charge, Blaise Leneaugh, Dr. Kristin Iyotte and Charisse Bordeaux make up the team of professional counselors behind Tokata Etuŋwaŋ Wakaŋyeža Owičakiyapi. Photo from Facebook.

The TEWO Team includes: Charisse Bordeaux, (she/her, Soldier Creek) is a Clinical Mental Health Counselor and Counselor Educator, providing trauma-informed counseling across the lifespan (3y+ to elders & end of life) using sand tray, play, art therapy, CBT and DBT. She has provided individual and group counseling to outpatient, inpatient, residential, and incarcerated youth and adults. A doctoral candidate of Counselor Education and Supervision at Adams State University, she teaches courses on counseling theories, ethics, and practicum and group labs. She is a 2024 NBCC Minority Doctoral Fellow and June 2025 Fellow of the Month, and has presented her research at ACA, ACES, and RMACES. She is pursuing EMDR certification and writing her dissertation.

Blaise Leneaugh (she/her, Antelope) is a Licensed Professional Mental Counselor dually licensed in South Dakota and North Dakota. She is a School Counselor at Todd County High School and maintains an independent counseling practice, specializing in adolescents, adults, and Veterans. She focuses on trauma-informed care and integrates traditional ways of healing with evidence-based modalities, including EMDR, EFT, CBT, TF-CBT, CPT, and sensory work. An enrolled member of the Sicangu Lakota Oyate, she brings cultural understanding and sensitivity to her work.

Dr. Kristin Iyotte (she/her, Rosebud) is a Doctor of Human Services, with a specialization in Leadership and Organizational Management. She is a Certified School Counselor, her doctoral project, “Challenging Behaviors and Other Social, Emotional, and Mental Health Concerns in Early Childhood Education: An Applied Improvement Project,” reflects her commitment to addressing behavioral and mental health challenges in educational settings. She is SGU adjunct faculty with the Human Services Graduate Program.

Lila Rose Leader Charge (she/her, Parmelee) holds a Master’s degree Social Work and is a Licensed Certified Social Worker, providing community mental health counseling for relatives pre-K to adulthood. She is currently expanding her knowledge in evidence-based practices such as DBT, CBT, ART, play therapy, and solution-focused approaches. She is also receiving supervision in pursuit of her LCSW-PIP.

TEWO’s services are not designed for emergency or crisis response or care. If you are experiencing a mental health or life-threatening emergency, call 911. If you are in self-harm, suicide, substance use, or mental health crisis or need immediate emotional support, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for free 24/7 confidential assistance. You can contact them through Facebook:

Reclaiming wellness the native way

Thundermaker Wellness founded by Ho-chunk Tribal member Hunter Thundercloud is helping to reshape the way recovery and mental healthcare are delivered in Indian country.

Based in Arizona, Thundermaker Wellness focuses on substance use and mental health healing through a holistic lens. The program ranges from 6 months to 2 years, beginning with a stabilization phase before transitioning into apprenticeships that teach life and vocational skills.

Our goal is more than treating the symptoms. Thundercloud said we want to instill pride, culture, identity, and real-life skills that can be carried with them for long after they leave the Thundercloud’s vision for Thundermaker was shaped by his own recovery journey after battling addiction for several years, and facing incarceration, he entered treatment eight years ago. “I had three DUIs by 25 and I did nine months in jail I realized I couldn’t keep drinking,” Thundercloud said. “I got into heroin after that and struggled for six years before my parents sent me out here for treatment. My dad said I’m not going to let my son die.”

“What began as a personal transformation became the foundation for Thundermaker wellness when I got clean I started a sweat lodge at my house. That’s where I found my spiritual awakening.” Thundercloud said “culture saved my life.”

Over time, he and cofounder Arrow Funmaker, who was also working in behavioral health built a program, rooted in both clinical and cultural practices.

Today, Thundermaker operates as a long-term recovery program offering psychiatric and medical care alongside culture programming like sweat lodge jump circles and Medicine harvesting the center also partners with local farms to provide traditional food through food sovereignty Program.

“Lots of people in addiction don’t have stable lives,” Thunder Cloud said. “We focus on teaching basic skills how to cook, clean and maintain a home while surrounding them with ceremony and community.”

The facility currently has 17 beds with renovations underway to expand to more than 30 all of Thundermaker’s upper-management and clinical leadership are native, ensuring that the program remains grounded in indigenous worldview.

“The cultural stuff we do, we don’t have to ask anyone for permission,” Thunder Cloud said “Everything we do is through a native lens.”

Thundermaker also hopes to launch a woman’s program soon. “The way women experience, addiction and trauma is very different from men.” Thunder said. “We want to make sure that program is 90% women run and built specifically for their needs.”

Thundermaker wellness stands as proof of what’s possible when recovery is guided by identity, ceremony and love for community.

“If no one knows we exist how can we help anyone?” Thundercloud said. “My goals to build something that works and then bring it home to our people.”

For more information visit https://www.thundermakerwellness.com/