Wakjexiskawinga

YOUNG DISRUPTOR Wakjexiskawinga “White Water Spirit” Charli Earth), Ambassador, All Native Group (ANG) a division of Ho-Chunk, Inc. (HCI) Wakjexiskawinga “White Water Spirit” is only 20 years old and has already made a name for herself at the national level. I caught up with her at the 79th Annual Convention for the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) where she had just been elected as co-Vice President of the NCAI’s Youth Commission. This trailblazer is a full-time student at Little Priest Tribal College which is located in her hometown of Winnebago, Nebraska. As an Ambassador for the All Native Group (ANG), Wakjexiskawinga does what she loves most, conserving our earth's natural resources while helping others to do the same. Social Environmentalist This Ho-Chuck woman believes that her destiny was written at birth. Both her tribal and non-tribal names speak of the environment, “White Water Spirit” and “Charli Earth”. As an Ambassador for ANG she has been able to promote sustainable commercial recycling efforts on the reservation. She is so excited about being able to echo her “ancestors’ wisdom”. Ms. Earth said, “I want to be an advocate for the environment, because my last name is Earth, and ever since I was little, I just loved my last name. I truly felt like I was being called upon to be a voice for the environment and be a voice for Mother Earth, and our connection.”

Ms. Earth’s approach to obtaining buy-in on the reservation begins by carefully listening to her stakeholders to understand their concerns. Then she works on creating solutions that meet their mission of preserving the environment. She said, “When pushback happens, I really do try to reflect on my actions, my words, what may have gone wrong, because sometimes I do think there's just a misunderstanding. But the end goal is always making them feel closer to the environment – to Mother Earth.”

Entrepreneurial Vision

Our trailblazer’s dream is to one day have a recycling and compost residential pickup business; to have recycling machinery which actually spins the plastic and metals to create new materials. She also wants to have a water company which uses fully biodegradable containers instead of the traditional plastic bottles. This young disruptor stands ready to revolutionize the recycling industry.

Photo Source: Wakjexiskawinga

Navigating Intergenerational Communications

Wakjexiskawinga, her thoughts about the gap between the elders and her generation, this was her thoughtful response:

“The younger voices are not heard much, but I do believe that if we start the conversation of historical trauma and the types of issues that have stemmed from that, it will open their minds, to the older voices. They can finally hear what we are thinking because we're the ones living in it. We all suffer from this trauma. I think that if our voices as the younger generation, step up to say, yes, we do need this healing as a community. We do need to heal together! We can't do this alone, that would be really powerful. The first step in creating a platform is to acknowledge the younger kids do have a right to say that, like they do deserve to put that out there. We do deserve to acknowledge that. I'm hoping that this platform would allow more listeners. The conversation of historical trauma is a conversation, that really needs to be. It is a tough topic, because we start digging into the awful things that have happened for the last seven (7) generations. It is hard to talk about and it's hard to go through. But I think that it would bring us more healing if we were to have these conversations. People can start understanding where the hurt and trauma comes from. We can start giving solutions and create healing mechanisms.”

Ms. Earth learned the art of communication at a young age. She convinced her parents that she was ready for the much-needed rigors of a culturally challenging education outside of the reservation. They agreed to her solution which was to drive 2-hours a day to attend Fremont High School. She was the only native in the high school, her fellow students acted like she was a unicorn. When a few of the teachers clearly didn’t have a clue how to promote cultural sensitivity in the classroom it was up to her – to literally take these unenlightened teachers to school. On those rare occasions when they would say something that was clearly derogatory, Ms. Earth said, “I would have to give the facts instead of the fiction.”

On the reservation, she is able to encourage young people and women to have a voice. A voice that is respectful to the tribe elders, but yet reflective of their views. Her position at HCI has allowed her to present and offer a youthful perspective on significant issues. Ms. Earth said, “I had to go and give a presentation to a Board, and 80% of them were elders. There was some really positive feedback – they were very supportive.” I know that a lot of people are going to embrace my vision and what I'm trying to make happen in our community. I just have to keep staying confident in that.” When I asked

THROWBACK

Department of Interior going back to the 1910 Buy Indian Act

Effective July 8, 2013, the U.S. Department of the Interior adopted the final rules that requires the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to give preference to Indian-owned or -controlled businesses in matters of procurement. The rules are the long-awaited last step in implementing the Buy Indian Act, a law signed on June 25, 1910. Although the act has been on the books since then, it was unenforceable until now because there were no rules adopted for implementing it. Rule writing didn’t begin in earnest until 1982 and then proceeded in fits and starts over the ensuing 30 years.

PASSING

THE

Indian Health Services (IHS)

PUCK Buy Indian Act Final Rule Increases HUBZone Contracts On March 22, 2022, the Buy Indian Act rule became effective for IHS. This rule provides IHS the authority to set aside procurement contracts for businesses that are at minimum 51 percent Indian-owned and controlled. This final rule after a century of debate clarifies the preference for Indian-owned and controlled businesses and removes barriers by alleviating unnecessary regulatory burdens.

IHS is committed to improving economic conditions and providing more opportunities for Indian-owned businesses by setting procurement goals in FY23. The IHS predicts that changes in the Final Rule will generate approximately $200 million in contract opportunities, an estimated $144.1 million above Fiscal Year 2021 levels ($55.9 million). The final rule will: • alleviates unnecessary regulatory burden on Indian Economic Enterprises • expand application of the Buy Indian Act to all construction including the planning, design and construction of health care facilities, personnel quarters, and water supply and waste disposal facilities; • better adheres to the language of the Buy Indian Act; • strengthens oversight of the Buy Indian Act to reduce the potential for fraud and abuse; • and clarifies the preference for Indian Economic Enterprises;

The rule also provides additional detail to set-aside priority, deviations, challenges and how IHS will report on the Buy Indian Act contract activities. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (ihs.gov)

Calling All Supporters

We want you to get involved. We have advertisement space that fits everyone’s budget, from congratulating one of our many trailblazers to showcasing a company’s related products and services. Please email angela@hubzonecouncil.org for consideration.