![]() A series of digs have taken place on the former school's 640-acre grounds to find the children suspected to be buried there. In 2021, recovered records indicated nearly 100 children at a government-run Indigenous boarding school in the central region of the state had died there. And she says many of the Native lives lost to the virus were culture-bearers for the community.īUFFALOHEAD MCGILL: So all of a sudden, not only we lost people that we loved, but then we lost people that were the ones that taught us and instructed us and helped us learn who we are and give us that sense of identity and connection.ĪRENA: And there's another cause of pain. Buffalohead McGill alone lost eight close family members. Native American communities suffered a disproportionate loss of life due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I felt for the first time that a boulder had been lifted off my shoulders.ĪRENA: The women in this group are on their healing journey from centuries of historic trauma and more recent ones, too. TAMI BUFFALOHEAD MCGILL: Well, I discovered when I was at the sewing classes, I felt that. Healing Ribbons co-founder Tami Buffalohead McGill started the program in memory of her sister, who froze to death five years ago. It's an intergenerational, intertribal group of women from Nebraska and Iowa who all come together to sew. Was organized by a local group called Healing Ribbons. KIMBERLY BEDFORD: When I got involved with sewing, you know, it took my mind off things, you know? I mean, it didn't make that situation go away, but it helped, you know? Like, I'm glad I can do this with her because I know he would be glad.ĪRENA: This fashion event showcasing Native American beadwork, ribbon skirts and jingle dresses.ĪRENA. Bedford thought of her son, Odyssey's father, while she sewed them. They are both Santee Sioux and are wearing traditional native T dresses. Kimberly Bedford is with her 4-year-old granddaughter, Odyssey. Backstage, the models are giddy with excitement. KASSIDY ARENA, BYLINE: The lights dim in the packed auditorium in downtown Omaha on December 3. UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Please make sure that your phones are either on silent or off for the duration of the fashion show. ![]() Kassidy Arena of member station Nebraska Public Media takes us to a special event. And that's what one group of intertribal women found as they worked through generational trauma that Native Americans experience. “I think the essence of healing has been the effort to rewrite that narrative to something more loving, forgiving and kind.Therapy and healing can come from creating art. “My mother’s voice saying, ‘You’re worthless, you’re unlovable, you’re stupid,’ ” she said. ![]()
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