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By Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer (Choctaw Nation), Artist in Business Leadership Fellow 2015

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Beats, lyrics, spoken word, and a message of hope from healing hearts. Five Native artists are bringing performing arts to boarding/residential schools and reaching into the lives of youth with the “Heal It” tour.

“All it takes is one moment of inspiration to change the course of a young Indigenous person’s life,” Tanaya Winder (Duckwater Shoshone Tribe) says. When she lost a close friend from her reservation community to suicide several years ago, it led to Tanaya’s journey of healing through poetry. She “re-members” with words, piecing communities back together.

Tanaya is a 2017 First Peoples Fund Artist in Business Leadership (ABL) fellow, spoken word poet, and founder of Dream Warriors Management. Dream Warriors Management advises and assists Indigenous artists and educators in pursuing their passions.

“A Dream Warrior is someone who uses their passion, dream, or gift to provide for their loved ones and community while understanding the responsibility in using the gifts he/she has been given,” Tanaya says.

“A Dream Warrior is someone who uses their passion, dream, or gift to provide for their loved ones and community while understanding the responsibility in using the gifts he/she has been given.”

— Tanaya Winder (Duckwater Shoshone), 2017 Artist in Business Leadership Fellow and founder of Dream Warriors Management, an Our Nations Spaces Grantee

A part of her 2017 ABL funds went toward a retreat for Dream Warriors artists, which led to them writing a song together: The History of Hearts Breaking.

“We visit a lot of reservations and communities, doing workshops and hearing the sad things happening in these communities,” Tanaya says. “We wanted to write that song to help process those things. Frank Waln uses the hashtag #healit. When artists are about to perform, sometimes audiences will say, “kill it,” or “you killed it,” but no, we healed it.”

Cafe Cultura serves as the Dream Warriors’ fiscal sponsor, and this year First Peoples Fund partnered with them to support their youth programming through the Our Nations' Spaces (ONS) grant program. For Tanaya, it helped several pieces fall into place for Dream Warriors Management. One of the Dream Warriors, Lyla June (Diné / Cheyenne) — public speaker, poet, hip-hop artist and acoustic singer-songwriter — felt a calling to reach out to Native youth at boarding schools. Combined with Frank Waln’s (Sicangu Lakota) hashtag #healit and the ONS grant opportunity, the artists agreed to do work visiting boarding schools, centered around sharing a message of healing.

“I realized we could use Our Nations’ Spaces to do Lyla’s idea about visiting the boarding schools and call it the “Heal It” tour because that’s what we’re going to do,” Tanaya explains.

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The ONS artist partners include several First Peoples Fund alumni — Frank Waln, Paul Wenell Jr. (Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe), who performs and records under the name Tall Paul, Mic Jordan (Ojibwe), and Tanaya Winder. The partners are collaborating with Razelle Benally (Oglala Lakota / Diné), 2017 First Peoples Fund fellow, to produce a music video to promote the tour.

The Dream Warrior artists are setting out on this group tour with a collaborative album/EP that highlights the journey of each of the artists to let youth know, we’ve been there. We know what you’re going through.

In 2017, Mic Jordan used his First Peoples Fund ABL fellowship to build on his #DearNativeYouth project.

“I truly believe that the arts saved me,” Mic says, “and it is only right that I use that gift of self-expression to empower those who are struggling. I do all of that through hip-hop.”

“I truly believe the arts saved me, and it is only right that I use that give of self-expression to empower those who are struggling. I do all of that through hip-hop.”

— Mic Jordan (Ojibwe), 2017 Artist in Business Leadership Fellow

At workshops and performances across the country, Dream Warriors see the change in their audiences.

“Our Native youth struggle with coping mechanisms to heal their traumas and without healthy methods of processing their mental and emotional needs, their lives are at stake,” Tanaya says. “Multiple times a Dream Warrior has had a young Native person struggling with depression, suicide and thoughts of not being enough tell them that our art has saved their life.”

“The Heal It Tour is important to me because we’ll be performing and speaking to Indigenous boarding school youth around the country,” Paul says. His 2017 ABL fellowship focused on a challenging concept album, G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time), inspired by Sac and Fox tribal member Jim Thorpe who went to Carlisle boarding school.

“Though I don’t have a grasp of what today’s boarding schools look like, I am aware of their origins and the abuse that went on,” Paul adds. “As a Native youth who went through the foster care system myself, I can relate to some of those issues.”

Dedicated to the hard work and heart work of this project, the Dream Warriors prepare for the 2018 fall launch of the “Heal It” tour. They will also apply to perform at the regional conference for the National Association for Campus Activities held in 2019.

They see this project continuing, and will spend time in December planning the next leg of marketing, promotion, and fundraising. They want to #healit.

“Each of the Dream Warriors has our own story of how music, how poetry, how art has helped us heal,” Tanaya says. “If we can help youth find healing pathways towards empowerment by sharing our journeys, we can help heal our people.”

Notes:

For booking information on any of the artists, please visit the Dream Warriors website: https://dreamwarriors.co

In 2011, First Peoples Fund began facilitating the Our Nations’ Spaces program with support from the Ford Foundation and expanded the program in 2015 with support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

By Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer (Choctaw Nation), Artist in Business Leadership Fellow 2015

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J. Waylon Miller (Northern Cheyenne) started playing in bands when he was 12 years old. One of his former bands, The Reddmen, gained nationwide popularity that included one of his songs being featured on the TV show Grey’s Anatomy.

He attended the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Science’s Master Recording Program and has recorded pop, rock, and Native American artists.

J. Waylon tours with his band, Friends of Cesar Romero, and resides in Rapid City, South Dakota.

Sorting through the shed, J. Waylon’s aunt found a cassette that had survived many harsh Dakota winters. It was of his grandfather, Ivan Young Bear (Three Affiliated Tribes), singing honor songs.

In traditional ways, when someone does something significant — such as joining the service — they are assigned a special song. It is the singer’s responsibility to know and be able to sing their song whenever called on.

J. Waylon’s grandfather was one of those singers, and he knew the songs were fading away with each generation. In 1986, he sat at the family’s kitchen table and hit record on a cassette player.

When J. Waylon’s aunt asked him to restore the cassette, he knew the importance of preserving not only his grandfather’s voice but songs dating back to the 1930s that few people know.

“It was crazy to hear this old recording of that era [1930s]. People don’t sing like that anymore. it doesn’t exist, or it’s slowly fading out. This needs to be preserved because it’s never going back to that.”

— J. Waylon Miller (Northern Cheyenne)

The recording was like a time machine transporting J. Waylon into his family’s past: his mother’s voice in the background. His grandfather tapping out beats on the kitchen table.

Using audio forensics, J. Waylon performed surgery on the weathered tape, cleaned up unwanted clicks and pops, and burned a copy on a CD for his aunt. She was grateful, and he was satisfied knowing he’d preserved a piece of his people’s culture and history.

J. Waylon is looking forward to more of these projects, whether bringing early 1900s wax cylinders to digital media or restoring tapes from tribal archives across the country.

His First Peoples Fund Cultural Capital fellowship will cover purchasing the high-quality equipment he needs for this delicate work.

“Every tribe has rituals and unlocking these songs are the keys to keeping those traditions alive. Songs, when they’re sung properly and passed on, keep going forever.”

By Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer (Choctaw Nation), Artist in Business Leadership Fellow 2015    

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Laura Youngbird (Minnesota Chippewa, Grand Portage Band) is an artist and art educator. She earned her BS, BFA, and MA from Minnesota State University at Moorhead with a minor in American Indian Studies. Laura currently lives in Breckenridge, Minnesota, and is the Director of Native American Art at the Plains Art Museum in Fargo, North Dakota.

The young boy came up to Laura after her art presentation, tears in his eyes. He was moved by her painting of the “No Face Boy.” Laura didn’t know the reason behind the tears until later when his teacher told her the young boy was Native but wanted nothing to do with his culture. He had been adopted out to a non-Native family and had feelings of abandonment, of not being wanted.

“I believe I gave him some hope,” Laura says, “that the story of not being wanted wasn’t necessarily true.”

Laura also paints the “No Face Girl,” drawing from stories and photos of her grandmother who was in boarding school. Later, in adulthood, her grandmother scratched her face out of every photo of herself from those days.

Laura’s art continues to focus on difficult social justice issues, of bringing to light the hard past in an effort to bring healing.

When she was a child, Laura learned how to draw from a professional artist who lived in their neighborhood. This is it, she thought, this is what I want to do in life. I want to be an artist!

With ribbons won in shows and taking art classes, Laura’s parents encouraged her to attend tech school, which she did, for mechanical drafting. But she didn’t stop creative drawing and painting in evenings and on weekends. Ten years later, she decided to pursue art solely.

After a BFA, MA, and BS in Art Education, Laura started her new day job as an art teacher while continuing as a working artist.

In recent years, Laura has completed First Peoples Fund training programs and Train the Trainer program. Her 2018 Artist in Business Leadership funds are helping her situate her business in preparation to go full-time as a professional artist.

As she looks toward retirement in a few years, Laura says, “While I love the work that I do, I can hardly wait to retire, so I can work!”

Even with developing a business plan and marketing skills, mentoring youth and helping other Native artists, Laura is still determined to continue producing her own art pieces. The memory of the young Native boy with tears in his eyes reminds her why she needs to create art.

By Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer (Choctaw Nation), Artist in Business Leadership Fellow 2015
Founded in 2001, the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) is a statewide and national network of well over 100 Native Hawaiian organizations. Their mission is to enhance the well being of Hawai’i through the cultural, economic, political and community development of Native Hawaiians.

When Cassandra Ohelo (Native Hawaiian) submitted the grant application for the First Peoples Fund Indigenous Arts Ecology (IAE) program, she knew the plans were ambitious. As capacity development manager of the CNHA, Cassandra views her community at a macro level. She dissects it, examining the pieces and putting them together.

“The ideas I wrote into the grant proposal were ambitious, but people are doing them,” Cassandra says. “It was just a matter of me observing. CNHA has such a large network of artists, and it was a matter of asking, ‘How do we prepare for this work, what does it look like?’”

At that macro level, the work looks like the CNHA’s nine policy caucus subject areas:

  • Arts & Culture

  • Blue Continent Pacific Region

  • Economic Development & Small Business

  • Education

  • Sovereignty & Civic Engagement

  • Healthcare

  • Homestead Trust Lands

  • Housing & Homelessness

  • Next Generation

These nine areas were at the center of conversations during CNHA’s Annual Native Hawaiian Convention in 2017. Artists and culture bearers were also asked to share their ideas and needs within the scope of CNHA’s caucus of Arts and Culture. Community members and leaders shared with CNHA the desire to bring more resources to artists.

Bringing more resources to artists became an even more compelling strategy for CHNA’s mission of ‘enhancing the wellbeing of Hawai’i after attending FPF’s Indigenous Arts Ecology Grantee Convening early this year. Advisor for CHNA’s Indigenous Arts Ecology grant and  2016 Community Spirit Award Honoree, Duncan Ka’ohu Seto (Native Hawaiian) has led many of FPF’s Native Artist Professional Development trainings, but the IAE Convening pulled together the pieces for him.

“Even Ka’ohu was taken aback,” Cassandra says. “To sit in the room and listen to Jeremy Staab [Santee Sioux and FPF’s program manager] break down how First Peoples Fund and Native artists have gotten this far was exciting for him.”

CNHA also brought two artists to the IAE convening — husband and wife Shane and Cheryl Pukahi (Native Hawaiians) — who are lauhala weavers.

“I believe the convening generated them momentum within them [the artists], not just for their own art practice or business, but to stir the momentum within our community back home.”

— Cassandra Ohelo (Native Hawaiian)

Reviewing her ambitious IAE plans and absorbing input from the artists, Cassandra is turning her attention to creating a directory for lauhala weavers like Shane and Cheryl. She also envisions building a marketplace specifically for artists at the CNHA Annual Native Hawaiian Convention, inspired by the Heard market model she experienced at the IAE Convening.

“Being able to identify everyone’s role in this process made it easier for us to imagine how to bring this to fruition, not only for each artist but for the community as a whole,” Cassandra says.

By Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer (Choctaw Nation), Artist in Business Leadership Fellow 2015  

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Moving aside tables and chairs, the group came together in a circle. No one was left out as the 25 Indigenous artists participating in the 2018 First Peoples Fund (FPF) Fellowship Convening came together a final time in solidarity as an intergenerational community to make music.

The presenter, performing artist Ehren Kee Natay (Dine), led the 2018 Artist in Business Leadership (ABL) and Cultural Capital (CC) fellows in associating sounds with visuals before creating two groups to use their art in making music. Working together, the groups soon had sounds flowing, and dancers joined in by moving to the beat in the center of the circle — a dancer from the desert Southwest and another from the Northwest in Alaska.

“We had some fun with it,” says Dana Warrington (Menominee/Prairie Band Potawatomi), a 2018 ABL fellow. “At the end, they asked, ‘what did you learn?’ For me, I think as artists we strive to be perfect. Everything we do has to be perfect. That’s the standard we put on ourselves. Somehow in that exercise, though maybe it wasn’t exactly perfect, to us it was. Everybody was smiling and having a good time. Enjoying ourselves is what made it perfect. That was a valuable lesson for all of us.”

The convening took place at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, New Mexico. 2018 CC fellow Joseph “Brophy” Toledo (Jemez Pueblo) welcomed the diversity of artists to the space with a blessing and prayer. Throughout the convening, the 25 artist fellows had a chance to show their work with 3-minute artful introductions. The challenge allowed each fellow an opportunity to present their art and share a part of themselves.

“The convening brought together a very gifted group of artists, educators, writers, and musicians who all share a passion for perpetuating cultural traditions,” ABL fellow Jeff Peterson (Native Hawaiian) says. “The ‘artful introductions’ allowed everyone to share their stories, talents, feelings, and experiences. We had lots of opportunities to connect through the programs at IAIA, meals together, and exploring downtown Santa Fe.”

In the beginning, some fellows had trouble identifying themselves as an artist. But when they heard others had the same issue, doors began to open.

“A lot of them feel like they are just doing what they do,” FPF Communications Manager Cecily Engelhart (Ihanktonwan/Oglala Lakota) says. “I saw it multiple times that a fellow was struggling with calling themselves an artist, but then they see the work of another fellow –– who they would absolutely consider an artist –– also doubting whether or not they really can call themselves that, and it made it easier for them to think of themselves in those terms. That shared feeling seemed to really validate everyone's experiences with their work.”

Being at the IAIA, which holds one of the largest contemporary Native art collections in the country, inspired artists and staff alike. A tour of the space revealed what was available to artists.

With the creative side of art, comes the business and legal aspects which was covered with in-depth presentations by Amy Atzel (Atzel Tax Services), Andrew Johnson and Sean McGann (Underexposed Studios), and Leonard DuBoff (DuBoff Law Group). Since a portion of the fellows were CC recipients focused solely on community building, we included sessions geared toward them, including “Artists as Community Leaders with Native Youth Leadership Alliance” by leadership society member Amber Morningstar Byars (Choctaw) and Angel Two Bulls (Oglala Lakota), FPF Program Manager of Fellowships.

“We had such an array of mediums and types of artists,” says Mary Bordeaux (Sicangu/Oglala Lakota), FPF Vice President of Programs and Operation. “We tried not to be too specific in the presentations to meet a lot of different needs.”

Throughout the convening, the FPF core values were not only present but felt and practiced.

“One fellow said that it was a reflection of the organization, that even though everyone came from different places, there was this common core, these shared values,” Cecily says. “They felt less alone in their work and goals. Regardless of where they came from and everyone’s ages, there was a strong sense of camaraderie and connection.”

The notable range of ages broke down barriers. While younger fellows might have a stronger grip on social media marketing, they looked to the elder artists for wisdom and mentorship in teaching cultural art in their communities.

“The intergenerational learning and sharing was really important,” Cecily added. “For some of the younger fellows it was good to see how people have created mentorship in their work, but then also for the elders in the room to see the motivation and dedication of these younger artists. That was a beautiful piece of bringing everyone together.”

As the group grew closer to one another over the two days, the heartfelt “artful introductions” built up a sense of heavy emotion. This led to a unique piece of art being created the first day of the convening.

By Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer (Choctaw Nation), Artist in Business Leadership Fellow 2015

A lifelong learner, Bernice Akamine (Native Hawaiian) pursued a career in art later in life than many artists. She chose to raise a family, then return to school. She studied at the University of Hawai’i where she rediscovered art and chose to attend the Natural Resource Management Masters Program at Central Washington University, and the Hawaiian Ohana for Education in the Arts.

Bernice is recognized for her work with waiho’olu’u, Hawaiian natural dyes. She lives and creates her art in Volcano, Hawai’i.

Bernice’s weave grew tighter and tighter. She was beading sculptures for an installation art piece while listening to talk radio and thus absorbing discord from around the globe. What was in her heart and mind came through in what she was creating. When Bernice realized the tension within her, she turned to the ocean and sought its beauty. The brilliant shapes and vivid colors of sea creatures became inspiration for her art installation Hinalua’iko’a.

“Creating community and breaking down barriers through or with my artwork motivates me.”

With support from her First Peoples Fund Cultural Capital fellowship, Bernice is continuing her work to preserve culture through producing a color wheel poster from natural dyes created with material from the island. Appealing as wall art, the color wheel poster will draw from 18 native Hawaiian plants commonly listed in historical records as being traditionally used as waiho’olu’u — dye extracted from plants, sea creatures or earth pigments. The poster is the first of its kind, using only plants indigenous to Hawai’i.

Now that the weather has finally warmed, Bernice is beating the kapa, the bark cloth, that is the foundation of the color wheel. She explains, “Living at a slightly higher elevation where it has been very cool and rainy, it has taken months for the wauke, paper mulberry bast, to ferment.”

Bernice wants the color wheel poster to bring to life historical writings with the vast color possibilities one can achieve through traditional practices.

“While the poster is a tool for the present generation, it also preserves cultural knowledge for generations of Hawaiians should we lose any of the Native Hawaiian dye plants,” she says.

Bernice stands firm in the present to create a link to the past. She does it through art that reaches back into history to pull it forward into modern terms with traditional and conventional art. What is in her heart and mind comes out in what she creates.

By Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer (Choctaw Nation), Artist in Business Leadership Fellow 2015

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Born on the Island of Maui, two-time Grammy Award nominee and eight-time Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award winner Jeff Peterson (Native Hawaiian) grew up on the slopes of Haleakala. Jeff has worked with a wide range of artists and groups in the fields of Hawaiian, classical, and jazz music. He has traveled to Europe, South America, Asia, Australia, Africa, India, and across the United States to perform.

Jeff taught the guitar at the University of Hawai’i for several years, and currently resides in Kailua, Hawai’i.

As the day ended and the sun set over the island of Maui — touching the ocean waves with brilliant splashes of crimson, fiery golds, and deepening the blues — Jeff’s father came in from work at Haleakala Ranch and picked up his guitar. A paniolo, a Hawaiian cowboy, he played and sang, introducing the rich heritage of Hawaiian music to his son.

“He loved singing traditional songs and played a very simple style of kī hō`alu or Hawaiian slack key guitar,” Jeff says. “I wouldn’t be playing music if not for him.”

Bringing this history together with masters in slack key guitar, Jeff expanded his style of traditional Hawaiian music to include jazz, classical, and contemporary music while preserving the pure, resonating sounds.

Jeff is continuing to preserve this technique by turning his attention to online teaching by building a subscription-based educational website focused on Hawaiian slack key guitar.

“The audience I intend to reach is global, but the most important is the keiki or youth of Hawai’i,” Jeff explains.

“The audience I intend to reach is global, but the most important is the keiki or youth of Hawai’i.”

Jeff’s First Peoples Fund (FPF) Artist in Business Leadership fellowship is not only helping him launch the educational website, it has brought him into a unique circle of artists and musicians. At the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, Jeff joined other FPF fellows for the 2018 Fellowship Convening last month. He had just finished a tour with performing solo concerts that ended in Santa Fe.

“I enjoyed getting to know the other fellows,” Jeff says. He met performing artist and singer/songwriter Raye Zaragoza (Pima/O'otham Descent), and they worked together on a song the first day that expressed the emotions the group felt. Jeff and Raye wrote, performed, and filmed the song at the convening.

Whether among fellow musicians or with a global audience, Jeff continues to share the rich heritage gifted to him through his ancestors.

“My family heritage on O’ahu goes back many generations,” he says. “My father taught me about our culture, music, and ways to both appreciate and make efforts to preserve the ways of our ancestors or kupuna. I want to educate aspiring musicians to study kī hō`alu so that the tradition can continue and evolve in ways that honor the kupuna.”

David Moses Bridges (Passamaquoddy) became part of the First Peoples Fund family when he was nominated as a Jennifer Easton Community Spirit Award honoree in 2007. David's commitment to the traditional practices of the Passamaquoddy nation were recognized further by First Peoples Fund in the following years when he was selected as a 2008 Artist in Business Leadership Fellow and a 2009 Cultural Capital Fellow.

David's dedication to passing on ancestral knowledge was embodied in every facet of his life. His work was not only about the physical process of creating traditional art, but included the entire ecosystem surrounding traditional practices – from honoring his ancestors to advocating for the environment. David firmly believed that ancestral knowledge not only provided guidance in contemporary life, but that it also provided answers for how to approach the future in a way that created healthy, vibrant communities.

David passed away in 2017, however his legacy of commitment to First Peoples artists and culture bearers continues through the David Moses Bridges Scholarship. Provided through the Maine Community Foundation, the scholarship will support a First Peoples Fund Cultural Capital fellow every year. We are honored to be able to continue celebrating the life and work of David, whose impact will be felt in his community and among First Peoples artists for generations to come.

If you would like to donate to the David Moses Bridges Scholarship fund, you can do so by donating to either the Maine Community Foundation or to First Peoples Fund. Please note that your donation is going toward the David Moses Bridges Scholarship when submitting your donation. You can learn more about David's life, his work and his community by visiting DavidMosesBridges.com.

By Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer (Choctaw Nation), Artist in Business Leadership Fellow 2015

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Tosa Gladys Two Heart (Lakota) was taught to keep her Lakota values with her wherever she went. Her mother, Iris Gay (Lakota), an elder and retired elementary school Lakota language teacher, instilled in her the importance of money management skills and to work hard to remove herself from their impoverished situation.

Tosa joined the First Peoples Fund staff earlier this Month as a Program Manager and works closely with Jeremy Staab (Santee Sioux), Program Manager.  She is supporting the Indigenous Arts Ecology (IAE) grant program as it continues to develop and grow.

“All Natives have art in their blood; it’s a part of our way of life,” Tosa says. “When you enrich that aspect of our culture, it impacts the rest of the community’s health and quality of life.”

During her first week at First Peoples Fund, Tosa attended the Indigenous Arts Ecology grantee convening in Phoenix, Arizona. She observed examples of what happens when organizations invest in artists and their community leadership.

“I met the grantees and the artists that are connected to them,” Tosa says. “Seeing how First Peoples Fund impacts artists firsthand was incredible.”

During that convening in March, they explored the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair and Market. The debriefing at the end highlighted challenges emerging artists face and how communities can support them in breaking into larger art markets.

“All Natives have art in their blood; it’s a part of our way of life,” Tosa says. “When you enrich that aspect of our culture, it impacts the rest of the community’s health and quality of life.”

Tosa comes from a family of artists, including her grandmother, Gladys Gay (Lakota), who has made star quilts for over 50 years. Tosa and her mother help her grandmother with quilting, Tosa continues this art form, along with her many other mediums: drawing, painting, graphic design, fashion design, printing, mixed media, traditional and digital photography, creative writing, music, and paper sculptures. She experienced early art success in high school that included the Heard Museum Guild Student Art Show and being featured in a gallery at The Riverside Arts Walk in California.

Her values have carried her through higher education, including a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at the University of California at Los Angeles, a Master of Business Administration at Bentley University and through Native American nonprofit work since 2008. They took her to the 2015 Miss Indian World competition where she used Lakota traditional cooking as her Traditional Talent Presentation. Her late grandfather, Wilson Gay (Lakota), preserved these traditions and handed them down to Tosa through her mother and grandmother.

“The whole competition experience made me more comfortable in my own skin,” Tosa says, “of being in public and just being me.”

With her focus on higher education, Tosa had set aside her artistic endeavors for most of her adult life until she decided to live out a high school dream to become a fashion designer. It was after she had spent a summer at the Peabody Essex Museum as a Native American Fellow in Public Relations.

“That was a fire starter to bringing me back to practicing art,” she says. “I’ve come to the realization that art makes me truly happy, and it’s a lifelong passion.”

At a 2017 workshop presented by the American Indian Business Leaders Conference, Tosa learned how to run an online shop, and the Tosa Two Heart brand became a reality.

Tosa carried her Lakota values into her brand with providing meaningful apparel for everyday people. She loves fashion that is fun, and at the same time, tells her story. The star designs are inspired by her family’s star quilts. Tosa’s two heart designs represent the double beat of one of her favorite powwow dances.

“With my brand, it’s about tying humanity into fashion,” Tosa says. “We’re all ikce oyate, everyday people, trying to make it in this world.”

Realizing the importance of art to an individual and how that connects to communities as a whole is invaluable in Tosa’s new role as First Peoples Fund’s Program Manager of Community Development.

“When I launched my graphic art apparel brand, I was invited to sell at Racing Magpie in Rapid City,” Tosa explains. “That’s where I met more of the First Peoples Fund staff. I realized I would enjoy the culture, the philosophy, and the type of work of the organization. It aligns with my personal goals and what I believe in.”

“I’ve always been an artist, but to actually do it in a professional capacity is new to me. To be in the environment where supporting artists who want to develop themselves felt like fate tugging at me. I took a deep consideration and decided First Peoples Fund was meant for me.

“There have been numerous people who have helped me, and sometimes help was sharing a meal,” Tosa says. “They reinforced that idea of being a part of community.

“All my life, I’ve felt responsible for making sure I was supporting Native people, whether with my own or in general. We all share the same circumstances and struggles. Working together has always been important to me.”

By Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer (Choctaw Nation), Artist in Business Leadership Fellow 2015

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A collection of drums and rattles awaited in the middle of a room filled with 30 artists leaders from communities across the U.S.

Tbow Gonzales called the leaders forward, and let them each choose an instrument. An accomplished musician, Tbow, who teaches at the Carver Community Cultural Center, led the group in starting a beat.

Scattered at first, gradually the beats came together in a harmonious rhythm with one another — intercultural and intergenerational.

This was how Intercultural Leadership Institute (ILI) fellow Wesley May (Redlake Band of Chippewa) described one of his experiences during the ILI convening in San Antonio, Texas. Wesley, a painter and owner of Wesley May Studios, is a lead trainer for First Peoples Fund Native Artists Professional Development workshops and also a former  Artist in Business Leadership fellow.

“Tbow Gonzales brought us all together in a rhythm within a couple of minutes,” Wesley says. “The whole experience was empowering. It was using our voices together so we can come together, understanding each other’s cultural backgrounds.”

The National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) hosted this final ILI convening for the 2017-2018 cohort. María López De León, President and CEO of NALAC, welcomed ILI fellows into a living Mexican American culture while opening the space for the fellows to share their experiences.

“The fellows led some of the presentations,” Maria says. “It was inspiring to learn from them and hear more about their work that is helping to shape a narrative of interculturality.”

As the first full cohort of ILI comes to a close, we see the impact of the program on the individual artist leaders and how they are taking lessons learned back to their communities.

ILI fellow and former First Peoples Fund fellow Hillary Kempenich (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa) went to each convening with an open mind. Hillary, also a painter, was determined to be a sponge, ready to absorb emotional energy and renew her faith and love in people.

“It’s taking the time to get to know people and building that willingness to work together. To put yourself in different frames of mind and seeing perspectives and figuring out how those correspond with your own beliefs and values.”

— Hillary Kempenich (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa)

“As an artist, I’ve always been aware that my work was to have a positive impact on society, breaking molds and stereotypes as an Indigenous person. That was always important for me, but I didn’t think of it in terms of being an advocate or an activist. I’m seeing myself and my work in a new light.”

Confidence, boldness, and a sense of not being alone. Seeing these things in action in other communities so different, yet so much like her own, are impacting Hillary’s community through her.

“I feel like I’m part of several communities,” she says. “Because of this, in the last few months, I’ve more actively put myself out there, and people are recognizing the work that I do. Building that respect and curiosity in my community has been wonderful.”

At the convenings, Wesley appreciated how the presenters, partners, and facilitators of ILI practiced what they were teaching, which gave him clear examples to take back to his community.

“Seeing other participants do what they’re good at gave me more confidence to step out and do it as well,” he says.

“Our journey together over the last year was insightful,” Maria added. “It was amazing to see how the fellows nurtured each other and coalesced in solidarity and support of one another. I believe in their vision and transformative work.”

— María López De León, President and CEO of NALAC

During the San Antonio convening, the group experienced art spaces and museums in a thriving cultural experience. It was Hillary’s first visit to the Lone Star state.

“It seemed like there was a general hospitality and politeness there,” she says. “I was amazed by all the work that’s being done for the community in certain areas, including a space for youth who are going into the arts. It’s something similar to what I’ve envisioned for North Dakota. It was great to see that in action.”

Throughout the ILI convening, fellows participated in interactive workshops from the Guadalupe Theater to the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center’s Casa de Cuentos.

By Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer (Choctaw Nation), Artist in Business Leadership Fellow 2015

After 40 years in healthcare work, Cecelia Fire Thunder (Oglala Lakota) returned to school and was certified as a Lakota Language teacher. She taught as an adjunct instructor at Oglala Lakota College and is the president of the Little Wound School Board and Oglala Lakota Nation Education Coalition. In 2004, Cecelia ran for the highest office of her homeland and became the first woman president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe.

As an artist, Cecelia creates in her home office with an add-on work area for sewing, beading, doll-making, and other art. She resides in Martin, South Dakota.

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Rummaging through thrift stores where she lived in San Diego, Cecelia found the pieces of material she needed to make dolls for the first time. At age 39, she had been away from her homeland for many years. The dolls were a way to bring her homeland to her.

Cecelia sewed and stuffed dolls made of muslin, and cut bell bottoms of old dark navy sailor pants for the dresses. Soon, she began creating traditional Plains dresses and adornments for the dolls she made. This became a journey of healing, of showing who she was as a Lakota Winyan (woman).

When Cecelia returned home to South Dakota in 1988, she won a red ribbon at the Northern Plains Tribal Arts Show with one of her dolls. It was a catalyst in her life and doll making, which she continued throughout her healthcare work and political career.

In 2017, she won a blue ribbon at the same show, a testament to her journey as an artist.

“Each stitch in the creation is a stitch in my life, making it beautiful and stronger as it is about being Lakota,” Cecelia says. “My doll-making brought me home.”

For her First Peoples Fund Cultural Capital fellowship, Cecelia is reaching out to middle and high school girls with doll-making to take them through the four stages of life that correspond with the Four Directions:

Wiyohpeyata (west) represents childhood when students choose the underdress for their doll and begin cutting and sewing by hand.

Waziyata (north) is a girl’s transition to a young woman — they select the color of wool and adornments.

Wiyohinyanpata (east) takes the student into adult womanhood with a completed dress. They cut the moccasins and bead them.

Itokagata (south) reaches the elder stage and completing the doll by putting on her belt with a knife, strike-a-light bag, choker, breastplate, shawl, and a plume. The doll’s head goes on last with her hair braided.

Cecelia explains, “The dolls tell the story of what being a Lakota Winyan represents.”

By Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer (Choctaw Nation), Artist in Business Leadership Fellow 2015

Jack Gladstone is widely known as “Montana’s Troubadour.” A citizen of the Blackfeet Nation, Jack illustrates American Indian culture through a mosaic of music, lyric poetry, and spoken word. A former college instructor, he co-founded Glacier National Park’s renowned lecture series, “Native America Speaks” in 1985.

Jack has released fifteen critically acclaimed CDs. He has received the C.M. Russell Heritage Award and was inducted into the University of Washington Alumni Hall of Fame.

In 2015, Jack was honored by the State of Montana with a Governor’s Humanities Award. He was recognized with a 2016 First Peoples Fund Community Spirit Award, and a Governor’s Art Award, Montana’s highest artistic achievement.

Like the ancient Blackfeet fire-carriers, Jack brings the embers of music to the world, to unleash the power of story throughout generations, cultures, and hearts. As a story-carrier, he gathers, prepares, and shares stories.

“While the fire-carrier’s task was to transport living, glowing campfire embers from one hearth to the next,” Jack says, “my duty is to carry narrative embers of Western and Native Americana well into the 21st century.”

His work spans generations as he sees young parents who were children themselves when they first heard his lecture series, “Native America Speaks.” Now they bring their children — even infant grandchildren — to hear the stories. That multi-generational impact is not lost on Jack.

“I hope to contribute to the ecological, cultural, and historical illumination of multiple generations. This has become a responsibility as well as an honor.”

Jack is now carrying stories into his most ambitious project to date: “Montana's Troubadour.” These epic stories span history from 1877 to 9/11. He is forging ancient, historical, and contemporary narratives of hero journeys to introduce K-12 audiences throughout Montana to the tenacious resiliency of the human spirit.

Encouraged after attending a First Peoples Fund Native Artist Professional Development Training last fall and receiving his 2018 Artist in Business Leadership fellowship, Jack is bringing into harmony his marketing strategies to diversify and improve his reach and impact with his newest album. He plans to revisit reliable areas from earlier in his career, enabling him to focus solely on the new album. He can focus on the stories.

Within a landscape glowing with stories, Jack carries the embers of story like the ancient fire-carriers of his people. He says, “Story holds the power to cradle and awaken the human heart.”