Summer is a “Do Season” for Tiwahe Foundation
Above: Blokétu (Dakota) and Niibin (Ojibwe)
Dear Tiwahe Community,
As we welcome the summer season, we reflect on what this time of year means for Tiwahe Foundation. Summer is a time of renewal and connection. It is powwow season, a time for reconnecting with our community, and engaging in ceremony and other cultural traditions. This is a “do season,” where we come together to celebrate, learn, and grow.
What Does Summer Mean for Tiwahe?
Wisdom Council Member LeMoine LaPointe 2023 Summer Teaching: Summer is a season of rejuvenation and action for Tiwahe Foundation. It’s a time when we actively engage with our community through Tiwahe-based events, going to powwows, ceremonies, celebrations, and making time for cultural retreats with partnering Native organizations. You can watch LeMoine’s summer teaching (linked here).
New Board Member Micah Prairie Chicken 2024 Summer Teaching: “What we are doing here tonight is valid and we are still carrying on the traditions of planning and getting together for the good of the community. Do I have to live only as the old Lakotas to be Lakota?” Micah Prairie Chicken shares his knowledge with Tiwahe Wisdom Council, Board, and Staff. He reflected on how this time of year his family would go picking chokecherries, hold honoring, and carry on our traditional life ways, like generations before him.
Encouraging Community Connections:
- Powwow Season: Did you know that powwow is not a word what Dakota or Anishinaabe people invented? We’ll leave it to your own research to find the origin of the word “powwow,” but we wanted to share the words our peoples use. For the Anishinaabe, it is Niimi’iding (they dance with each other) and for the Dakota, it is Wacipi (they dance). Across the entire state of Minnesota, there are many great annual powwows held in the months of June, July and August that are hosted by both Dakota and Anishinaabe Tribal Nations (as well as by some Native organizations right here in the Twin Cities!). Whether you are Native or non-Native, take the time to visit and learn.
- Blueberry Picking: It’s berry season! This season, we embrace the outdoors, picking blueberries the friends and family and savoring the flavors of summer. Here are three wild fruits that are ripe and ready to be picked in Mni Sota:
Takanhecahu / Miskomin: Raspberries (in Dakota / Ojibwe)
Chanpásapa / Asasawemin: Chokecherries (in Dakota / Ojibwe)
Házatȟo / Miin: Blueberries (in Dakota / Ojibwe)
Waz´úśteća / Ode’imin: Strawberries (in Dakota/ Ojibwe)
- Youth Summer Opportunities: This summer there are a variety of exciting opportunities for our youth to engage with their culture and community. Participate in activities organized by MUID, MIGIZI, Dream of Wild Health, MIWRC, DIW, and Little Earth. Consider joining:
- Sewing and beading on Tuesdays and Sewing on Thursdays at 10 AM to 8 PM in Little Earth
- Kayaking with KweStrong on Wednesdays at 5 PM at Lake Nokomis
- Enjoy Drum and Dance on Wednesdays by CLAN at 6 PM at the Indian Center
- Don’t miss the Indigenous Design Camp by Dunwoody College of Technology in Minneapolis (linked here)
- Birch Bark Learning Camp and Community Conversations hosted by AIM IC Medicine Wheel Project in Walker, MN
- Kayak Discovery Camp hosted by the MPLS Park Board at Lake Nokomis, July 30-August 2 (linked here)
Tiwahe Staff Reflections
Nikki Pieratos, Executive Director: “Summer is when I regenerate my mind and spirit…being out in the sun, immersed in, or next to, moving water…it is my praying time and a contemplative time where I slow down and draw inspiration from the natural world. My most creative and innovative work happens in these months. Summer is also a social time, going to powwows with my family and friends, as well as connecting with good relatives and partners or “co-conspirators” in causing ‘good trouble’ (during a nice river or lake walk, of course.)”
Tony Drews, American Indian Family Empowerment Program Manager: “Summer is special to me, filled with moments on the lake and harvesting birchbark and berries. It’s a time to savor and preserve the essence of summer.”
Program Updates
American Indian Family Empowerment Program (AIFEP)
- Grantee Spotlight: We are excited to announce the first round of 2024 grantees. Tiwahe awarded 50 grants through the American Indian Family Empowerment Program (AIFEP). We’ve invested $122,000 to empower the strengths and talents of Native people in the greater Twin Cities Metro Area.
🌟 Culture and Language: $17,500 awarded to seven individuals
🌟 Health and Wellness: $20,000 awarded to eight individuals
🌟 Education: $22,987 awarded to ten individuals
🌟 Economic Independence: $63,149 awarded to twenty-five individuals
We are proud to support these incredible grantees in their efforts to enrich and strengthen our community. Check out our website announcement for more details.
- Upcoming Workshop: The next AIFEP Grant round opens on July 1. We will host an in-person grant preparation workshop in August (official date to be announced). Tony is committed to connecting with our grantees, providing guidance and support through both the application and award stages. His efforts highlight our commitment to “Doing Philanthropy Indigenously,” fostering meaningful relationships and honoring our cultural values.
AIFEP Highlight Recipients
Kelly Miller has served as a board member and AIFEP Grants reviewer for nearly three years. She is currently a candidate for Ramsey County Commissioner in District 7. Kelly has played a crucial role in Ramsey County’s Workforce Solutions, contributing to the creation and hiring of the first-ever American Indian Community Coordinator Fellow position.
Before 2020, in the previous 125 years, only 11 Native Americans were elected to Congress. However, in the last 4 years, 7 Native Americans have been elected. This progress underscores the importance of civic engagement for Native people.
Jenny Bush
Jenny received an AIFEP grant to become a real estate agent and is one of the few Native agents in MN. She is also working to reduce absenteeism among Native students in St. Paul Public Schools. Watch her story here.
“It’s essential to build trust and ensure Native folks receive good treatment. As an advocate, I aim to be a voice for our people, aspiring to build an all-Native real estate team to make a dynamic impact in our community. I’m thrilled to be out in the community with this job. Embracing our cultural identity and healing is crucial, and we need more Native people in all sectors.” – Jenny Bush
MacKenzie Miettinen
MacKenzie recently graduated from Augsburg University, specializing in Elementary Education with a focus on American Indian Studies. She plans on teaching in Fall 2024 and aims to incorporate culturally relevant education to empower her future students.
“Tony Drews kept encouraging me to apply, and when I saw the post on Instagram, I knew I had to. I applied and got the grant. AIFEP covered my $2500 school fees for the summer semester, allowing me to continue my studies since I didn’t qualify for financial aid. It was a tremendous relief as I didn’t know what I was going to do. I was looking into applying for loans or getting another job. But a huge shoutout to Tony. He made the application process easy and was very encouraging. The program felt like family, removing the hesitation to ask for help. The support has been a lifesaver for many. It even helped my mom pay off her mortgage.” – MacKenzie Miettinen
Stay Tuned for More AIFEP Grantee Stories!
If you want to hear inspiring stories like these, join us at our Circle of Generosity gathering. Meet our grantees and hear directly from them at the American Indian Center on September 21st.
A Summer for Re-Envisioned Indigenous Leadership
After over two years of listening, designing, and iterating, we are launching our first full round of OLN in over five years launches on July 12. We are excited to announce the 2024 Cohort and our first co-facilitators, Susan Ninham (Red Lake Nation) and Linda Eagle Speaker (Blackfoot Confederacy).
Starting with pilot sessions this past winter and spring, we are welcoming our Native relatives into learning communities that center traditional ways of knowing as critical tools for navigating the world and shaping our leadership identities as Native people. At Tiwahe Foundation, we believe these lifeways and skills can be learned and developed. Our facilitated experiences will grow and refine skills while exploring the integration of Native values.
As we grow our learning communities, our Intergenerational Advisory Council joins us over the next two years to advise us on how OLN can improve inclusivity and meet the needs of our diverse community, as well as connect across generations sharing their own knowledge and experiences. We hosted our first session on the Summer Solstice at the Tamarack Nature Center. Our future newsletters will share more from this inspiring group of leaders from across ages and Native communities in Minnesota…stay tuned to a future share-out from our OLN Director, Baswewe Gayle!
Tiwahe Receives MN Humanities Center’s Cultural Heritage Grant
Tiwahe is honored to receive the 2024 MN Humanities Center’s Cultural Heritage Grant, which will help us expand our learning community across greater Minnesota. We deeply appreciate all the ways MHC supports our growing network of leaders! (Link to MHC press release)
In our next newsletter, we’ll share more about how LinkingLeaders, a partnership between Tiwahe Foundation, African American Leadership Forum, Coalition of Asian American Leaders, and LatinoLEAD, is embedding solidarity into everything our organizations do. Solidarity is not a side project for us, but crucial to true community, brother and sisterhood, and real systemic change. This summer, we are bringing together LinkingLeaders Managing Directors across our organizations to take our work deeper into our networks. We are stronger together, especially in philanthropy.
Circle of Generosity is Back!
Save the Date! It only happens every two years
- Save the Date for the Sep 21 Circle of Generosity! More info on tickets and sponsorships coming soon.
We hope you and your loved ones have a summer filled with renewal, connection, and growth. We’ll connect again during the Fall Equinox. Gigawaabaamin and Doshka Ake!
Miigwech, Pidamáyaye (Thank You) for being a part of our growing Circle of Generosity,
Tiwahe Foundation