![Image from i OS 9](https://img.imageboss.me/general/width/300/quality:80/work/Image-from-iOS-9_2023-11-06-163701_ovwq.jpg?bossToken=44a3c25016b7dfd8413e1ac1de359cd2b344b62c1c35cca1d4a74836088ae3d8 171w, https://img.imageboss.me/general/width/600/quality:80/work/Image-from-iOS-9_2023-11-06-163701_ovwq.jpg?bossToken=90fbf66b426016c15e148dcfa9b77e3da8e395f4f175b9ece2cf006d444d4920 343w, https://img.imageboss.me/general/width/900/quality:80/work/Image-from-iOS-9_2023-11-06-163701_ovwq.jpg?bossToken=ba0caf9f43d7717d2b453363d8ef08bc6e43f5f778ffea8a16accabcc8a85277 514w, https://img.imageboss.me/general/width/1200/quality:80/work/Image-from-iOS-9_2023-11-06-163701_ovwq.jpg?bossToken=4fef87e3a6b67ac86527f7db38cb021fd73c5980ceca302f7445b53566526d6f 686w, https://img.imageboss.me/general/width/1500/quality:80/work/Image-from-iOS-9_2023-11-06-163701_ovwq.jpg?bossToken=5972291fd2c295ea6b4ddd42cbcac2aa4ad1010733e66dba625258e273bb218b 857w, https://img.imageboss.me/general/width/1800/quality:80/work/Image-from-iOS-9_2023-11-06-163701_ovwq.jpg?bossToken=13b30509d187ce0d87b5156f69820e1e5a829556f80d9848dee949a3135dea62 1029w, https://img.imageboss.me/general/width/2100/quality:80/work/Image-from-iOS-9_2023-11-06-163701_ovwq.jpg?bossToken=e03c91cfdd96aebcf53110c0191c9c7a8cc23ee1b5db1a831934a2b4540428bd 1200w, https://img.imageboss.me/general/width/2400/quality:80/work/Image-from-iOS-9_2023-11-06-163701_ovwq.jpg?bossToken=93b8b9421a1a768020478d8cee4cbf0ebfe5e98d92d53c6737d7803a3d8fb759 1371w, https://img.imageboss.me/general/width/2700/quality:80/work/Image-from-iOS-9_2023-11-06-163701_ovwq.jpg?bossToken=a89335995776e52babaeacf30ffac2e61fe981a3502a876d8073dd222e18c159 1543w)
TVCDC Executive Director, Tatewin Means, Director of Community Engagement, DeCora Hawk and staff gather to close the 2nd Annual Lakota Media Summit
A key partner in RPA’s nationwide to promote healthy equity in planning is the Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation in South Dakota, an organization aimed at empowering Lakota youth and families to improve the health, culture, and environment through the healing and strengthening of cultural identity.
TVCDC is one of thirty members of the Healthy Regions Planning Exchange, a peer-to-peer learning network which includes organizations from ten regions across the country working to improve health outcomes via equitable transportation, land use, housing and community development policies.
RPA and other Planning Exchange partners recently had the opportunity to attend the 2nd annual Lakota Media Summit hosted byTVCDC with a goal of learning how to better center indigenous voices in our collective work.
TVCDC created the space for Indigenous relatives and allies to come together for cross-cultural and inter-generational learning through stories and narrative shifts. The Summit provided the platform for dialogue, education, and the exchange of ideas that are crucial for bringing light to the past harms experienced by Indigenous people as well as uplifting stories of perseverance and thriving. Our group was deeply moved by the discussions, workshops, and connections made during the summit. It reinforced our belief in the power of collaboration and the importance of creating spaces for diverse voices to be heard.
The Summit hosted three different tracks of breakout sessions: allies in media, Indigenous community, and youth. Sessions shared a focus on the use of different forms of media as tools for storytelling, resistance, and healing. In the following sections, we outline the lessons learned and the helpful resources that our partners shared. This blog post cannot cover all the speakers and those who shared stories and wisdom. The full program is available online.
Media and and the importance of ensuring “visual sovereignty”
Filmmaking is often employed in the telling of Indigenous stories, but not necessarily with the inclusion of Indigenous points of view. This is important to understand as it helps frame the significance of the work of Dr. Justin de Leon. Dr. de Leon runs a program called the “Creative Sovereignty Lab,” an apprenticeship and training program that invites filmmakers to take part in reflective workshops and discussions during the production of a film. The program creates space to speak openly about the intended purpose of a project and to understand each individual in the production process as a person who exists beyond their role on a set. Dr. de Leon invited us to interrogate non-Indigenous understandings of what it means to tell Indigenous stories without being exploitative. He highlighted that relationship building and trust are primary elements in the production of any type of media–especially with media aiming to tell Indigenous stories.
An important piece of this narrative shift is the concept of visual sovereignty in the production of any visual media. Visual sovereignty can be described as the obligation that Indigenous creatives and communities be involved in the telling of their own stories and experiences. The intention of the media maker(s) must be to portray the complexity of Indigenous histories and challenge existing narratives around histories that have been primarily told and created by non-Indigenous people. In practicing visual sovereignty, makers of media must step outside of mainstream indicators of what it means to make a “successful film.” Specifically, acknowledging that making a film extends beyond the site of production and that the rippling effects of success can also be measured by the ability of those involved to practice care and community building throughout the filmmaking process.
Resource: Braided Together
- During 2022 in Thunder Bay, Ontario, the Creative Sovereignty Lab worked on the short film, Braided Together. The film follows the friendship of two young BIPOC women.
Resource: On-Screen protocols and Pathways
- imagineNATIVE, an Indigenous created and led film programming organization, commissioned this media production guide for non-Indigenous filmmakers and producers who seek to collaborate with Indigenous peoples.
![JooHee Pomplun TVDC Lakota Media Summit](https://img.imageboss.me/general/width/300/quality:80/work/Image-from-iOS-1.jpg?bossToken=620613b83d9ec9935adf5f620b20a14a9ae7a7672e47ea56a1a82a851fc07dde 171w, https://img.imageboss.me/general/width/600/quality:80/work/Image-from-iOS-1.jpg?bossToken=fa1329d02f7e38241b5350f0bfc7633189ef1a96254d24027e31d9de82ee5892 343w, https://img.imageboss.me/general/width/900/quality:80/work/Image-from-iOS-1.jpg?bossToken=f51749a5d9d35b93aca2c41f222f05e408e750916d20d6f224d4b024362f21ae 514w, https://img.imageboss.me/general/width/1200/quality:80/work/Image-from-iOS-1.jpg?bossToken=bb4df11b8ac22649bcc3f8ac312f227688f7f5315ad5811e1d2ae7784e5ddd81 686w, https://img.imageboss.me/general/width/1500/quality:80/work/Image-from-iOS-1.jpg?bossToken=7de967f2476c3f33ea8f641e747cd6d479a13268b3fc1594102124cf0b46676e 857w, https://img.imageboss.me/general/width/1800/quality:80/work/Image-from-iOS-1.jpg?bossToken=71fd0480ef5b71b8491b30b9f8e2d1d9996377e9d3c9b098cb030c3cfecd484f 1029w, https://img.imageboss.me/general/width/2100/quality:80/work/Image-from-iOS-1.jpg?bossToken=4e1e1c20e0f68da093be47ca266e6fe240b02d6878a3f941f43b8de0372b982e 1200w, https://img.imageboss.me/general/width/2400/quality:80/work/Image-from-iOS-1.jpg?bossToken=1721c04e5d334ac0dc0b5254d8aff3aba0c2feb44e8331f55a70a85cbd363b68 1371w, https://img.imageboss.me/general/width/2700/quality:80/work/Image-from-iOS-1.jpg?bossToken=d652ca9e6d82441c47b719a5bfee7cac62bc65f145a0f48c52f3a9b3b0b03019 1543w)
JooHee Pomplun, Executive Director of The Alliance in Minneapolis, MN and member of the Healthy Regions Planning Exchange engages with the panel on indigenous storytelling
Film as a pathway for highlighting the stories and experiences of the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ people and other Indigenous communities
Indigenous filmmakers and creatives deliver groundbreaking works that showcase the power of storytelling and, importantly, truth telling. Below is a summary of films shown at the media Summit. These films were informed and guided by Indigenous people, who in some cases continually experience the direct impact of the events they describe.
We Ride for Her, directed by Prairie Rose Seminole and Katrina Lillian Sorrentino, is a community-led documentary film created by the Red Sand Project. The documentary represents a larger movement calling out the shortcomings of the colonial settler justice system in protecting and defending the lives of missing and murdered indigenous women, girls, and relatives (MMIW). The film tells the stories of these missing women and those who have survived the traumas of human trafficking. It also introduces us to The Medicine Wheel Riders, a group of Indigenous women motorcyclists who have traversed different regions advocating for their relatives.
![Medicine Wheel Riders TVDC Lakota Media Summit](https://img.imageboss.me/general/width/300/quality:80/work/Image-from-iOS-7.jpg?bossToken=2dc2127a362a2293eae78ba7c0ca6fccdc4846dbdf0089137c13d3faedfea63d 171w, https://img.imageboss.me/general/width/600/quality:80/work/Image-from-iOS-7.jpg?bossToken=5c7c99257fb878ed1c306c003838c22132a46d5b2e308dee3462723d6b1300f8 343w, https://img.imageboss.me/general/width/900/quality:80/work/Image-from-iOS-7.jpg?bossToken=8fbf052c8add6cdc787746d27099dcdea4161c1ed6f29c0f26ffaa8c9b04b707 514w, https://img.imageboss.me/general/width/1200/quality:80/work/Image-from-iOS-7.jpg?bossToken=caeb07c081825dda4c2c7a0b456320577da9c98d3c0868e73a8a7979f7f1988f 686w, https://img.imageboss.me/general/width/1500/quality:80/work/Image-from-iOS-7.jpg?bossToken=1d1343b1c93509fc139c41825b48528b1dcdfce76050a03468332a1ca7f44cc6 857w, https://img.imageboss.me/general/width/1800/quality:80/work/Image-from-iOS-7.jpg?bossToken=335a75ebf1cf6f3b7f711f3cd721709fbe4453a5e31d5620621656bb365b834a 1029w, https://img.imageboss.me/general/width/2100/quality:80/work/Image-from-iOS-7.jpg?bossToken=ca9433c4e80cd7b60081bddcf09796efa291b8f99aca272e39fe4582c46f364a 1200w, https://img.imageboss.me/general/width/2400/quality:80/work/Image-from-iOS-7.jpg?bossToken=b5c5f99dce4ce48a26a44bdc7118984bbb95b448951822264e42a0fdd5797cb0 1371w, https://img.imageboss.me/general/width/2700/quality:80/work/Image-from-iOS-7.jpg?bossToken=9dcc99f33fed72a362a75c07d1f349b7bee8c1d7c7857cc452bf6a36d57f515f 1543w)
Representatives From Medicine Wheel Riders Featured In The Documentary Short Film We Ride For Her which sheds light on the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women and relatives (MMIW)
Lakota Nation vs the United States is a 2022 documentary film written and partially narrated by Oglala Lakota poet, Layli Long Soldier. Together with directors Jesse Short Bull and Laura Tomaselli, several Očhéthi Šakówiŋ activists, elders, and present day visionaries tell the story of the theft of their tribal and ancestral lands, the Black Hills, located in a region that is now referred to as “South Dakota.” The film calls out the ongoing cultural violence in and around the Black Hills and the work of Indigenous people to counteract colonial settler actions via movements like the Standing Rock DAPL protests and Landback.
The power of indigenous youth on social media
In the breakout session “VIDEO4EARTH: Strategic Storytelling Using Mobile Phone,” Victor Ribeiro, Senior Program Manager at WITNESS, and Samela Sateré-Mawé, Media Coordinator for the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB), discussed the use of cell phones and cameras by Indigenous youth to communicate their identities and lived experiences, and the multi-cultural connections they form in their advocacy work. Sateré-Mawé, who was able to join us virtually, spoke of her intent to use social media as an instrument to globally demonstrate the work of her community as well as share acts of struggle and resistance, sometimes in collaboration with other Indigenous women.
In 2021, Sateré-Mawé engaged in the second National March of Indigenous Women in Brazil, “Original women: Reforesting minds for the healing of the Earth,” which assembled over 4,000 women from 150 recognized peoples at Brazil’s National Arts Foundation. The march was held virtually in 2020, and the National Articulation of Ancestral Warriors Women (ANMIGA), who organized the movement, made broadcasts of the 2021 march globally and publicly available on their website. The significance of this relationship between present day, indigenous led movements and the emergence of online/digital social networks is best articulated by Sateré-Mawé in her article, “A Born Activist”: “Indigenous youth are protagonists in the fight with contemporary weapons–technology allied to the defense of the territory…cameras denounce the attacks, violence, and violations that affect the people.”
The Summit highlighted the significant role that younger generations play in shaping global understandings of cultural and political movements within Indigenous communities via social media. These tools enable us to learn from young people who have extended their presence to online platforms.
Resource: Production Guide
Ribeiro and Sateré-Mawé advised attendees on how virtual compositions can help push movements toward their goals. This production guide, shared at the Lakota Media Summit, provides step-by-step instructions on how one can responsibly frame and establish the stories they wish to share on social media.
![Environment Orange](https://img.imageboss.me/general/cover/300x300/fp-x:0.5,fp-y:0.5,quality:80/illustrations/SEO/rpa-illo-environment-orange.png?bossToken=73379a70a1c1cf9f676736b56e6c89715bcddc25f90017342b384571020f2215 171w, https://img.imageboss.me/general/cover/600x600/fp-x:0.5,fp-y:0.5,quality:80/illustrations/SEO/rpa-illo-environment-orange.png?bossToken=4233cb31cc5b6079d5d42ad5ea5e889128d30ed7ad05a8bbd15ab4abeee39967 343w, https://img.imageboss.me/general/cover/900x900/fp-x:0.5,fp-y:0.5,quality:80/illustrations/SEO/rpa-illo-environment-orange.png?bossToken=4a76ab045d4e177b9ebfca9a3d185f1bbb8af9f63e6a8e0439412c2f244cdedb 514w, https://img.imageboss.me/general/cover/1200x1200/fp-x:0.5,fp-y:0.5,quality:80/illustrations/SEO/rpa-illo-environment-orange.png?bossToken=77be5afc9b7662e9dac2ac5bdfdc80876ae0ead147995759ffb38d8fa841eeaf 686w, https://img.imageboss.me/general/cover/1500x1500/fp-x:0.5,fp-y:0.5,quality:80/illustrations/SEO/rpa-illo-environment-orange.png?bossToken=cd3470bc6b2f1973fc37da455ced2c62a06f39f1762ff806baf68f0ab28a70b0 857w, https://img.imageboss.me/general/cover/1800x1800/fp-x:0.5,fp-y:0.5,quality:80/illustrations/SEO/rpa-illo-environment-orange.png?bossToken=702584620ef954a051f17b00146545c2b9e7a627ee20fc215813a5bd0fba6437 1029w, https://img.imageboss.me/general/cover/2100x2100/fp-x:0.5,fp-y:0.5,quality:80/illustrations/SEO/rpa-illo-environment-orange.png?bossToken=2c64d4edef2b50fec288f7f57b8ff51ac088a65b3f26425f1e3d6c363b9f62dc 1200w, https://img.imageboss.me/general/cover/2400x2400/fp-x:0.5,fp-y:0.5,quality:80/illustrations/SEO/rpa-illo-environment-orange.png?bossToken=a5d64bd26cd2943113cc4242cd2da855897bf0d0f1be370f85c3ac42facbfbab 1371w, https://img.imageboss.me/general/cover/2700x2700/fp-x:0.5,fp-y:0.5,quality:80/illustrations/SEO/rpa-illo-environment-orange.png?bossToken=a0e1e1cd879e8ec0fe9ca7ba060d07a686d4596fb4e525aa4fc091ad3aae0e3c 1543w)
Moving forward: the responsibility of allies to educate themselves
As Executive Director of Oatly Futures Lab, Heidi Hackemer, put it in her breakout session, “How to show up in Indigenous spaces and not be an idiot,” decolonization begins with education. Throughout breakout sessions and keynote speeches, our speakers extended their own knowledge to Summit attendees, but also advised that the duty to learn the history of Indigenous land and its original inhabitants cannot lie solely on the shoulders of our Indigenous communities. Shared learning resources, like films, books, and other media, are essential components in the process of healing. It is expected that non-Indigenous allies seek these resources out.
Here are some works on the histories of Indigenous people of Turtle Island and the original harms that have taken place on their ancestral lands:
If You’ve Forgotten the Names of the Clouds, You’ve Lost Your Way, Russell Means and Baynard Johnson, 2012
Mohawk Interruptus: Political Life Across the Borders of Settler States, Audra Simpson, 2014
Our History is the Future, Nick Estes, 2019
Indigenous Continent: The Epic Contest for North America, Pekka Hämäläinen, 2022
In the spirit of turning vision into action, the Healthy Regions Planning Exchange is committed to highlighting Indigenous work and movements led by our partners and uplifting research and data which highlight the actions and solutions lead by Indigenous communities. Giving visibility and attention to Indigenous work is an actionable step that goes beyond the minimum of land acknowledgements.
We will continue to share progress within the Planning Exchange as our partner groups work to advance equitable development, public health, and vibrant communities. The Lakota Media Summit was a testament to TVCDC’s work towards the liberation and empowerment of their nation. We can take their example and transform how we can move as planners, practitioners, and people to center health, healing and equality in our everyday work.