A Lakota Wisdom Keeper Shares the Old Ways with the New Generation

Last Friday night, the tipi was packed with the youth of the Seventh Generation.​

Lit up by campfire, dozens of young people sat together as they listened to the wise words of Lakota elder and founding Tipi Raisers board member Ta Oye Wakan Wiŋ (Her Words Are Sacred Woman). People of all ages and backgrounds repeated the sacred words Themíčʼiȟila, and Wakan Tanka. The sparks from the fire seemed to carry these words up and out into the sky.

One can imagine similar scenes hundreds - perhaps thousands - of years ago, each time Lakota elders would gather with the next generation in a talking circle, sharing the vital wisdom that will carry them towards a balanced relationship with the land, and with one another. This age-old tradition seemed alive and well as we sat in the tipi together for the January Nagi Circle Gathering.
And one does not have to look far to see the way youth continue, in the modern day, to bring communities into balance through connection and service:

Half a dozen Lakota youth worked side-by-side with students from the Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning (RMSEL) as part of Friday's gathering to help prepare and transport firewood, blankets, space heaters, and needed supplies for families across the reservation.

Check out the photo below of RMSEL students after a long day of work at our firewood distribution site on Pine Ridge, where they spent time with local elder, Tokala, and Keeper of the Firewood, Nobby Bell!

Deepest gratitude to Ta Oye Wakan Wiŋ for sharing traditional teachings and insight into life on Pine Ridge with attendees of the Gathering, and to the Pine Ridge and RMSEL youth who helped ensure the arrival of needed items to the folks we serve on the reservation.