What has been your main focus/goal of your fieldwork/archival work that was supported by the ICGC pre-dissertation grant?
The goal of my fieldwork was to explore the contributions of the Lakota people and Oceti Sakowin (Seven Council Fire Nations) to the global Indigenous rights movement, with a specific focus on their influence within the UN System. The Oceti Sakowin continues to influence the global Indigenous rights movement in the 21st century, and it is important to tell this story. For over a decade I have engaged in UN Indigenous forums and was a ‘23 UN Indigenous Fellow, I have seen the historical and contemporary presence of Lakota internationalists. This pre-dissertation grant allowed me to explore these relationships, historical events, and speak to leaders in the field to better understand my research focus for my subfield papers.
What did a typical day in the field or archive look like? Paint us a picture!
A typical day in the field might look like me driving 10 hours or taking a plane to connect with Lakota human rights defenders to support and learn more about their work. It also looks like meeting on Zoom to strategize initiatives with my Oceti Sakowin peers. These meetings helped clarify key contributions of the Lakota people to the global Indigenous right movement, specifically within the UN System, and what advocating for treaty rights look like today for the next generation.
Is there a person (scholar, mentor, role model) whose work has inspired you, why?
My Ate and Ina (mother) told me stories growing up of my grandmothers and grandfathers from long ago who struggled, survived, and fought for their people. These stories shaped who I am today. Looking ahead at the story I want to tell, my grandfather Simon Brokenleg comes to mind. He was a Lakota Code Talker during WWII, and a Lakota rights and treaty defender that sought to protect his people’s way of life and traditional territory. He mainly spoke the Lakota language. He would always say, “our treaty is non-negotiable.” Early on, he envisaged elevating Lakota treaty rights within the discourse of international law and vied for legislation to protect Lakota homelands. I was able to learn more about him, take notes, and identify of Lakota people that could help tell his story. My research focuses on Lakota internationalism from an intimate and relational approach, and feeds into the work of Lakota treaty and human rights defenders that introduced me to the international Indigenous rights movement within the UN system in 2014. Some of these figures were involved in Indigenous internationalism during the 1970s. During one of my conversations with an elder, he told me that it was important to continue to fight for treaty rights and sovereignty on the international level.
Tell us an anecdote from your fieldwork/archive work. Any interesting happenings, lessons learned?
I shared about my research interests with my Oceti Sakowin peers involved in international policy and advocacy. They were also mentored by elders involved in Indigenous internationalism to carry on the work. As I was talking with them, I realized that Oceti Sakowin elders have trained a succession of youth to continue building upon Lakota internationalism. It’s important to me to tell this part of the story, that Lakota internationalism is not a thing of the past, but of the future. Having a voice on the global level is always important.
What will your next steps/research be?
This pre-dissertation grant allowed me to determine a specific direction and unique contributions I could make to scholarship on the subject matter. I will structure interviews of Lakota human rights defenders, family records detailing involvement in international efforts, and continue to identify literature on this subject matter into my research prospectus. My goal is to demonstrate an ongoing movement, and offer insights that will contribute to the work of those carrying on the work.
