Written by the alley on 01 October 2026
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Written by the alley on 01 October 2026
by Shelia Bland
Growing up is
Going from
Blank slate
To
Everybody knows but you
To
Nobody knows but you
To
Nobody knows including you
To
Blank slate
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Written by the alley on 01 October 2026
By SHELLEY BUCK – Tinta Wita (Prairie Island Indian Community), president of Owámniyomni Okhódayapi
For many Minnesota relatives, preservation of our natural resources is woven into our lives. It’s something we are proud of.
For me as a Dakota winyan, a Dakota woman, preservation goes beyond that general sense of preserving a landscape. It means protecting the language, culture and lands of the Dakota people so they continue to exist for future generations. This is something I have dedicated my life to.
To do so, I have to walk between two worlds — the white world and Indian Country — and the differences between our world views are vast. One world is rooted in Dakota teachings that have guided our people for countless generations. The other is the modern systems of government, planning, engineering and law that shape nearly every decision about land today.
Those two worldviews often approach the same place in profoundly different ways.
One of our foundational Dakota teachings is Mitákuye Owas’iƞ — we are all relatives. Rivers, trees, birds, fish, medicines, land, plants and people are not separate from one another. They are relatives and living beings.
Contrast that with the white or western worldview that has dominated much of the development we see in our country.… Read the rest “Preservation to Restoration”
Preservation to Restoration
By SHELLEY BUCK – Tinta Wita (Prairie Island Indian Community), president of Owámniyomni Okhódayapi
For many Minnesota relatives, preservation of our natural resources is woven into our lives. It’s something we are proud of.
For me as a Dakota winyan, a Dakota woman, preservation goes beyond that general sense of preserving a landscape. It means protecting the language, culture and lands of the Dakota people so they continue to exist for future generations. This is something I have dedicated my life to.
To do so, I have to walk between two worlds — the white world and Indian Country — and the differences between our world views are vast. One world is rooted in Dakota teachings that have guided our people for countless generations. The other is the modern systems of government, planning, engineering and law that shape nearly every decision about land today.
Those two worldviews often approach the same place in profoundly different ways.
One of our foundational Dakota teachings is Mitákuye Owas’iƞ — we are all relatives. Rivers, trees, birds, fish, medicines, land, plants and people are not separate from one another. They are relatives and living beings.
Contrast that with the white or western worldview that has dominated much of the development we see in our country.… Read the rest “Preservation to Restoration”