Wicubami: Honoring Alexis Nakota Sioux Ish?awimin through Kinship, Language, Spirit, and Research

• Main Authors: Ruttan, Lia, Letendre, Sherry, Letendre, Elizabeth, Schramm-Trethowan, Tanja, Fletcher, Fay, Baydala, Lola, Worrell, Stephanie
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: eScholarship, University of California 2017
• Subjects: Bella Alexis; Rosalie Alexis; Stanley Alexis; Angela Jones; Effie Kootenay; Helen Letendre; Nancy Potts; Paul Potts; substance abuse prevention; doshgamin; community school; Nakota
• Online Access: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4m33f6bc

This essay is meant to serve as an honor song for the Ish?awimin (Elders) from the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation, without whose blessings and teachings our learning and research would not have been possible, particularly Bella Alexis, Rosalie Alexis, Stanley Alexis, Angela Jones, Effie Kootenay, Helen Letendre, and Nancy and Paul Potts. We describe their contributions to a community-based participatory research project on substance abuse prevention for the doshgamin (children) at the community school. The involvement of the Ish?awimin was grounded in the values and responsibilities they carry with them. Our purpose is to wicubami, to honor the Ish?awimin highly, to honor them, as in an honor song. We honor the purpose and vision embedded in the spirit, wisdom, and leadership they carry with them. We illustrate here how the teachings and blessings of the Ish?awimin affected the research experience. They deepened the meaning of the schoolbased substance abuse prevention program, culturally adapted by the Ish?awimin and delivered to the doshgamin who participated in this study.