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[gentle music]

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- Rainer Posselt: I knew
I always wanted

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to be a healer,
but I don't think I knew

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what path it was gonna be.

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I started wanting to be
a doctor,

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then it was
a nurse practitioner,

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but then it just really clicked
that talking can be my medicine.

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Words are my medicine.

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Konamanthe, ndineeweethe Rainer.

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Niya Mã'eekaneew,
Mã'eekaneewe Seekwaneewik nom.

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Niya aachumookees.

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So, my name is Rainer.

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I am Stockbridge-Munsee.

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I'm from here
on the reservation,

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and I'm a therapist.

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Psychology and counseling
is very Western,

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and if you have a deeply rooted
Indigenous identity,

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you know who you are.

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You can kind of blend
both of them.

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And that helps meet Native
patients where they're at.

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Western therapy pushes people

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towards choice
and individualism.

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I moved to Milwaukee
when I was 18.

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I feel like I can be myself
in Milwaukee.

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Me and my friend joke
that we're Rez City Indians

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because we grew up on the rez
and moved to the city.

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I have room to grow
into who I wanna be

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without maybe
a community expectation

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or a family expectation.

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It speaks more to individual
growth than collective growth.

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Working on the rez and still
having a home in Milwaukee

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is the best of both worlds.

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There is beauty in being
connected to blood

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and also having room
to be yourself in the city.

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For collectivist communities
like Native communities,

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it's like, "How can I have
volition, autonomy

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within the contexts of, like,
a family or a community?"

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And a lot of the times,
it's compromise.

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Like, it's "How can I help
my family, my community,

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and get my own needs met?"

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So, I run an art therapy group.

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It's a nonverbal way
to process emotion,

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so it's creating kind of like
a physical safety

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to calm the limbic system.

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Not much needs to be said.

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It's amazing how some healing
can happen

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without any words, you know?

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Sometimes, healing
is this creating

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or being in community, talking.

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Well studies show that

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any time you incorporate
activities

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that encourage
cultural identity growth,

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that it has good outcomes
for patients.

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Potato stamps are a traditional
Mohican art.

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When we would make baskets,

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we'd often decorate them
with potatoes

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and use dyes
from different roots and plants.

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It kind of teaches us

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that there's beauty
in imperfections,

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'cause it's not always gonna
come out the way you want it to.

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Does that make it
any less valuable?

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I don't think so, you know.

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And there's lessons in that.

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And, you know,
also lessons in failure,

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and sometimes,
you gotta start over.

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My family, there's a lot
of wisdom

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and knowledge on plants.

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I take pride in incorporating
Indigenous practices

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such as smudging or herbal
medicine into my practice.

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A plant has a spirit,
so any time we're using a plant,

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we're asking to give its spirit
to us.

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Medicines that we burned,

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we're taking that energy,
and it helps heal.

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Sweetgrass,
it's a feminine energy.

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It reminds us of our mothers,
of our grandmas.

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It's sweet, it's springtime.

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And sometimes,
when a patient is,

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they're bringing in a lot
of grief,

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it can just clear that
out of the room.

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Remind them that
life is still sweet, you know?

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Spring will come.

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In a lot
of the creation stories,

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like, cedar was the first tree,
right?

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So, cedar is
a very powerful medicine.

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It has a lot of, like,
physical benefits,

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but it also helps us
get rid of grief

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and also helps us
deal with fear too.

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I think in my own community,

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my dream is that it will become
less stigmatized

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and people will be more open
to seeking help

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when they need it.

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And that's why therapists,

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that's why we do what we do
is to help.

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So, if I'm able to include,
like, traditional art forms

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or things connected to history,

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I think it's a form
of radical healing,

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of building identity,

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of being proud of who you are,
knowing who you are.

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'Cause someone once told me,

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"If you know who you are,
what can stop you?"

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[singing in Ojibwe]

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["Prayer Loop Song" by Supaman]

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- Keller Paap: We knew that
the number of existing elders

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who spoke Ojibwe fluently,

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who were raised
with Ojibwe as a first language,

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were vastly diminishing.

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So, we knew we had
to do something quick.

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And so, that's why we started
"Waadookodaading."

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[speaking Ojibwe]

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- Brooke Ammann:
Waadookodaading, it's a place

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where our language lives,
where the Ojibwe language lives.

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- [speaking Ojibwe]

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["Prayer Loop Song" by Supaman]

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- Keller: Language-- I think
with any cultural practice,

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it has a specific vocabulary
and teachings

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that are associated with
each activity in that practice.

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So, for instance, all the words
about boiling sap,

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the way that it boils,

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have specific terms
that describe it

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very, very accurately

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and allow you to develop
a deep comprehension

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of the activity and why
you do it and how you do it.

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- [speaking Ojibwe]

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[children singing in Ojibwe]
- Keller: I always say

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it's an educational
experience for students,

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but it's a community movement.

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We're facing some really unique
challenges right now.

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- Brooke: We have a lot of
statistics that are against us.

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We have a lot of issues
with abuse and suicide,

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that show us as not being
the most healthy of communities.

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And I always think of it,

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not just in terms of
our culture surviving,

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but really,
our people surviving.

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- [speaking Ojibwe]

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- Keller: I didn't learn
to speak Ojibwe as a child,

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but when I started studying it
as an adult in college,

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I quickly realized how much
knowledge and capacity

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there is in a language

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to know who you are,
where you come from,

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how to see the world
in that unique way.

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- [speaking Ojibwe]

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- Keller: It's certainly
academically rigorous.

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It's not just a culture program.

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It's not just
a language program.

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[speaking Ojibwe]

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Ultimately, it's prepping them

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and building
an intellectual framework

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that they'll be able
to apply to and adapt to.

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No matter where they are in the
world, that will help them.

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And I think they're prepared

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with knowledge and ability
that they feel proud of,

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that they feel connected to
their ancestry in a deeper way.

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They have a much broader
and deeper understanding

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of Ojibwe perspective
in relation to

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the local community,
the local environment,

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and the world.

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[vocable singing]

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- Chris McGeshick: So,
the Creator put these gifts

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on Earth for us.

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And we too
are one of those gifts.

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These are all lives
that are being provided to us

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so that we can continue to live.

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But in order to do that,
and to do it the right way,

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we have to provide an offering
to the Creator

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and to the fish itself.

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Everybody's putting out their
tobacco.

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It's called asemaa
in our language.

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And they offer this aseema
and they pray to the Creator,

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and they pray to that being,
that life

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that's about to give itself up.

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You can now harvest
and you can feel good about it.

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The Creator respects that.

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The animals respect that.

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The life expects that.

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Subsistence harvest is really,
truly that.

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It's so that you can survive.

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It's part of our culture,
it's part of our ceremonies,

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it's part of our daily life.

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We're looking
to pass on those cultures,

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those teachings,
those methods of harvest.

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With the tribe, what we did was

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we put together
all of the harvesters,

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and we gave them the opportunity

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to provide
what their knowledge was

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to share
with the community members.

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We're gonna be running some
unattended lines,

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some jig fishing,

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and we'll also be doing
some tip-ups,

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and we'll be spearing
through the ice as well.

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And some of the kids
are gonna be working tonight

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on making their own decoys
for spearing through the ice.

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That's what we're gonna
focus on,

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as well as having
really good food.

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In this camp is nothing but fun.

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Their first harvest,
it's spectacular.

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You see the smiles
on these kids' faces

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and these parents' faces when
their kid's hugging this fish

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and carrying it around
and getting all slimy and wet.

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Once that happens,

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the individuals seem
to get hooked on the practice

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and they come back out,

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and they'll do it
from year to year.

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Those kids that were there
in 2014 are now adults,

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and they're coming out

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and they're teaching
what they learn.

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We're highly adaptive.

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You know,
if something comes out,

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we're gonna try it
and we're gonna utilize it.

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If there's a new harvest method,

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we're gonna try to encompass
those within our camp.

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We really wanna get 'em
hooked on fishing.

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And so, here at this camp,
we're also gonna infuse

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a little bit
of that new technology

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and bring the electronics
out on the ice

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so that they can work with it.

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We want our family members
and our youngsters

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to learn how to take care
of themselves.

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Whatever we provide,

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when you're provided
this equipment

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and you're provided this
knowledge, you utilize it

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so that you can survive
in the event you need to.

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I think it's important
to thank our relatives

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and our ancestors
for preserving

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and protecting these rights

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for us and for the
future generations.

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We have that responsibility.

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They had that responsibility.

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They endured
what they had to endure

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to preserve the right for us
to go out there and harvest.

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And the subsistence harvest
is just the next opportunity

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for that next generation.

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The tribe is investing
in itself.

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The tribe is investing
in its future.

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You can sit there
and you can think sometimes

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and visualize seven generations.

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That first generation had the
responsibility to preserve

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and protect what that last
generation that you see

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is now able to enjoy.

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[gentle music]

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- Dylan Jennings: Sometimes,
it gets hard

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to balance these two worlds.

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There's different
responsibilities

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that I hold at school.

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There's different
responsibilities

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that I hold
for the Powwow Trail.

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I'm a junior
at UW-Madison.

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I come from the Bad River Band
of Lake Superior Ojibwe.

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["Electric Pow Wow Drum"
by A Tribe Called Red]

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[vocable singing]

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- Announcer: All right,
don't go away gentlemen.

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- Dylan: A powwow
is a social gathering.

252
00:16:04,198 --> 00:16:05,632
This is like our way

253
00:16:05,699 --> 00:16:09,102
of bringing our whole
Native community together.

254
00:16:09,169 --> 00:16:10,971
- Announcer: Okay, I believe
we are ready

255
00:16:11,038 --> 00:16:12,606
for our first round entry.

256
00:16:12,673 --> 00:16:15,075
So, we are gonna ask
those of you that are able

257
00:16:15,142 --> 00:16:18,111
to please rise, remove the
covers off your head,

258
00:16:18,178 --> 00:16:21,648
to pay respects not only just
to our Stars and Stripes,

259
00:16:21,715 --> 00:16:26,119
but to the original flag of this
continent, our Eagle Staffs.

260
00:16:26,186 --> 00:16:27,721
- Dylan: The veterans
play a huge role

261
00:16:27,788 --> 00:16:30,057
because they
went to battle for us.

262
00:16:30,123 --> 00:16:32,192
They went to battle
for our people,

263
00:16:32,259 --> 00:16:34,261
and they always have.

264
00:16:36,930 --> 00:16:40,267
Powwows are used as a means
to educate people.

265
00:16:40,334 --> 00:16:45,038
That's why they're so open
to the public and everything.

266
00:16:45,105 --> 00:16:48,041
A lot of people classify
Native Americans

267
00:16:48,108 --> 00:16:50,544
as you know, "Oh,
they're all Indians."

268
00:16:50,611 --> 00:16:51,712
Well, no, you know.

269
00:16:51,778 --> 00:16:53,580
We're all from
different nations

270
00:16:53,647 --> 00:16:55,782
that are all really,
really different.

271
00:16:55,849 --> 00:16:58,185
We all have
different languages.

272
00:16:58,252 --> 00:16:59,586
We all have
different ways of life.

273
00:16:59,653 --> 00:17:01,889
And we're
completely different.

274
00:17:01,955 --> 00:17:03,290
Just from being
on the Powwow Trail,

275
00:17:03,357 --> 00:17:08,595
you get to learn so much
about different Native nations.

276
00:17:09,229 --> 00:17:11,231
When I was just a little guy,
I'd watch those

277
00:17:11,298 --> 00:17:12,499
men's traditional dancers,

278
00:17:12,566 --> 00:17:16,737
and they always had a big
impression on me, you know?

279
00:17:16,803 --> 00:17:18,071
And I always saw them as

280
00:17:18,138 --> 00:17:20,974
you know, like, almost like the
protectors of the powwow.

281
00:17:21,041 --> 00:17:22,843
[vocable singing]

282
00:17:25,412 --> 00:17:27,347
It's almost like I'm hunting,

283
00:17:27,414 --> 00:17:28,749
especially when you
do the sneak up.

284
00:17:28,815 --> 00:17:30,884
You're out there
looking for your prey

285
00:17:30,951 --> 00:17:33,854
or for your Waawaashkeshi,
we call it.

286
00:17:33,921 --> 00:17:36,256
That's our word for deer.

287
00:17:48,569 --> 00:17:51,371
I started singing with Midnite
Express a few years ago.

288
00:17:51,438 --> 00:17:53,907
Those people on that drum
are my family.

289
00:17:53,974 --> 00:17:55,776
[vocable singing]

290
00:17:59,279 --> 00:18:01,415
Sometimes, like when
it's not a contest song,

291
00:18:01,481 --> 00:18:04,218
I'll get to look out there
and see all those feathers

292
00:18:04,284 --> 00:18:06,119
out there, moving
and bobbing with the beat,

293
00:18:06,186 --> 00:18:11,091
people just jamming out,
and that's a great feeling.

294
00:18:11,391 --> 00:18:14,361
[drumming and vocable singing]

295
00:18:22,402 --> 00:18:26,740
["Electric Pow Wow Drum"
by A Tribe Called Red]

296
00:18:28,275 --> 00:18:29,476
When you're dancing,

297
00:18:29,543 --> 00:18:31,311
you're dancing for the ones
that can't dance anymore.

298
00:18:31,378 --> 00:18:32,713
That's what they say.

299
00:18:32,779 --> 00:18:36,016
You dance hard so the ones that
are watching that can't dance

300
00:18:36,083 --> 00:18:38,418
or the ones that aren't
able to make it to the powwow

301
00:18:38,485 --> 00:18:41,722
can feel those feelings
from here.

302
00:18:42,890 --> 00:18:45,192
I really try
to encourage younger--

303
00:18:45,259 --> 00:18:48,228
I call them little brothers
on the Powwow Trail.

304
00:18:48,295 --> 00:18:49,830
That's another reason
I dance and sing,

305
00:18:49,897 --> 00:18:51,832
is to help motivate
these young ones

306
00:18:51,899 --> 00:18:54,468
to carry on our traditions.

307
00:19:00,807 --> 00:19:02,943
I really feel that I was
put here on this earth

308
00:19:03,010 --> 00:19:05,145
to help pass things on.

309
00:19:08,182 --> 00:19:12,786
I want to see these traditions,
these ways, passed down

310
00:19:12,853 --> 00:19:14,788
'til I'm gone, and on.

311
00:19:30,771 --> 00:19:34,041
- Hunter VanZile: It's very
nerve-wracking at the start.

312
00:19:34,107 --> 00:19:35,309
We could all crash

313
00:19:35,375 --> 00:19:38,812
and we could all go through
smoothly.

314
00:19:38,879 --> 00:19:41,381
But when they wave
the green flag,

315
00:19:41,448 --> 00:19:45,118
all the pain, all the anxiety,
nervous,

316
00:19:46,486 --> 00:19:48,722
everything just drops.

317
00:19:56,096 --> 00:19:57,531
My name's Hunter VanZile,

318
00:19:57,598 --> 00:20:02,269
and I drive a Pro Spec
for Championship Off-road.

319
00:20:02,336 --> 00:20:06,573
This one is the
Forest County Potawatomi Cup.

320
00:20:06,940 --> 00:20:08,475
We're all as a family,
we're all communities

321
00:20:08,542 --> 00:20:12,679
coming together
and enjoying the racetrack.

322
00:20:12,746 --> 00:20:15,983
That's Forest County Potawatomi.

323
00:20:21,955 --> 00:20:24,525
My dad let me race
short-course karts

324
00:20:24,591 --> 00:20:26,593
about nine years ago.

325
00:20:27,227 --> 00:20:29,196
He supports me
more than anything.

326
00:20:29,263 --> 00:20:30,898
It's just, he's my backbone.

327
00:20:30,964 --> 00:20:33,233
He's taught me everything
he knows,

328
00:20:33,300 --> 00:20:35,035
and I've learned from that.

329
00:20:35,102 --> 00:20:38,939
We kind of had
that bonded, two heads at it,

330
00:20:39,006 --> 00:20:44,144
and we knew what we needed
to do to be involved in racing.

331
00:20:45,445 --> 00:20:48,448
He'll tell me, like, to do this.

332
00:20:48,515 --> 00:20:50,317
And then I'll say,
"No, let me do this."

333
00:20:50,384 --> 00:20:51,685
And there's just,

334
00:20:51,752 --> 00:20:53,487
he knows a little bit more
than I do,

335
00:20:53,554 --> 00:20:55,289
and I know a little bit more
than him.

336
00:20:55,355 --> 00:20:57,824
We work our way through it.

337
00:21:01,662 --> 00:21:05,532
My first-ever race,
my dad was my spotter.

338
00:21:05,599 --> 00:21:07,534
I had no idea what I was doing
out there,

339
00:21:07,601 --> 00:21:10,070
but we got lucky
and got a third.

340
00:21:10,137 --> 00:21:12,873
As soon as I got up on the
podium, I knew, I was like,

341
00:21:12,940 --> 00:21:14,675
"All right, this is exactly
what I wanna do

342
00:21:14,741 --> 00:21:17,544
the rest of my life is do this."

343
00:21:18,612 --> 00:21:21,181
Back then, was just,
it was just a family thing.

344
00:21:21,248 --> 00:21:23,784
And now we have sponsors,
the community,

345
00:21:23,851 --> 00:21:28,522
my family, friends,
everyone's there with me now.

346
00:21:30,123 --> 00:21:33,193
After I won in Bark River,
the tribe,

347
00:21:33,260 --> 00:21:37,264
Forest County Potawatomi
and the whole community seen it.

348
00:21:37,331 --> 00:21:39,967
And that really exposed me
out there.

349
00:21:40,033 --> 00:21:41,802
I got my name out there,

350
00:21:41,869 --> 00:21:46,073
and I was the first-ever
Native American to do it.

351
00:21:46,139 --> 00:21:48,742
That caught a lot of people's
attention.

352
00:21:48,809 --> 00:21:50,844
That's when I felt like

353
00:21:50,911 --> 00:21:56,016
the community was right with me
the whole entire time.

354
00:21:56,083 --> 00:21:58,752
Yeah, I try to give back
as much as I can.

355
00:21:58,819 --> 00:22:00,487
I would love to work
with the tribe.

356
00:22:00,554 --> 00:22:04,925
I usually bring my truck
up to the rec center

357
00:22:04,992 --> 00:22:07,728
to show the kids, like,
what it's all about.

358
00:22:07,794 --> 00:22:11,031
Yeah, they always wanna get in
and touch every button in there

359
00:22:11,098 --> 00:22:15,002
and just slam the gas
is what they wanna do.

360
00:22:17,037 --> 00:22:20,507
Anyone is willing to help,
if you ask.

361
00:22:22,309 --> 00:22:24,244
I might not know the guy,
but if I ask,

362
00:22:24,311 --> 00:22:26,713
"Hey, can I get a hand with this
on my shock setup?"

363
00:22:26,780 --> 00:22:29,783
I mean, they're willing to help.

364
00:22:30,717 --> 00:22:32,419
There's been times
where I broke parts

365
00:22:32,486 --> 00:22:33,820
and I needed help.

366
00:22:33,887 --> 00:22:35,222
Yeah, there's always people
that are willing

367
00:22:35,289 --> 00:22:37,191
to help us get there.

368
00:22:40,894 --> 00:22:44,131
I got a lot of friends
that are supporting us.

369
00:22:44,198 --> 00:22:45,599
Sponsors is a big thing.

370
00:22:45,666 --> 00:22:48,936
I mean, Forest County Potawatomi
has been there since I started.

371
00:22:49,002 --> 00:22:51,572
I have a lot of family
supporting me,

372
00:22:51,638 --> 00:22:55,075
a lot of friends
that will support me.

373
00:22:55,142 --> 00:22:56,476
I have my dad helping me,

374
00:22:56,543 --> 00:22:59,446
and my mom's there to cook
and keep us fed and everything,

375
00:22:59,513 --> 00:23:02,249
and my sisters are there
for the entertainment.

376
00:23:02,316 --> 00:23:06,987
Everyone, every single one
of them keeps me happy.

377
00:23:07,721 --> 00:23:12,226
Even if I travel out far,
Crandon's my hometown.

378
00:23:12,292 --> 00:23:16,230
This whole community
is all there with me.

379
00:23:16,296 --> 00:23:17,965
[gentle music]

380
00:23:30,010 --> 00:23:31,678
[drumming]

381
00:23:35,415 --> 00:23:36,750
- Jessica House: I started
playing ball

382
00:23:36,817 --> 00:23:38,886
when I was eight years old.

383
00:23:38,952 --> 00:23:40,287
I just had
a really good passion

384
00:23:40,354 --> 00:23:43,223
to play basketball
for Oneida Nation.

385
00:23:43,290 --> 00:23:47,427
Basketball is my life,
and so is the culture.

386
00:23:47,928 --> 00:23:49,429
My name is Jessica House.

387
00:23:49,496 --> 00:23:54,168
I am a senior, and I play
for the Lady Thunderhawks.

388
00:23:57,237 --> 00:24:00,507
To be a Lady Thunderhawk,
you have to learn discipline.

389
00:24:00,574 --> 00:24:02,176
I mean, you're role models.

390
00:24:02,242 --> 00:24:03,844
You've got to think
about how you're acting

391
00:24:03,911 --> 00:24:05,579
out in public.

392
00:24:10,751 --> 00:24:12,052
[singing and drumming]

393
00:24:12,119 --> 00:24:14,154
In order to play basketball
at Oneida,

394
00:24:14,221 --> 00:24:16,323
you have to be in the culture.

395
00:24:16,390 --> 00:24:18,125
You have to participate.

396
00:24:18,192 --> 00:24:21,228
Not a lot of girls were
raised into it, where I was.

397
00:24:21,295 --> 00:24:24,231
But they are starting
to find their ways now.

398
00:24:24,298 --> 00:24:26,834
And some of them even
come to Long House now.

399
00:24:26,900 --> 00:24:29,136
[singing and drumming]

400
00:24:33,407 --> 00:24:34,641
It's important because I think

401
00:24:34,708 --> 00:24:37,477
it helps know
who they really are.

402
00:24:37,544 --> 00:24:42,783
'Cause sometimes you get so
caught up in the other world.

403
00:24:44,084 --> 00:24:46,053
There's other girls,
like me and Tasha,

404
00:24:46,119 --> 00:24:47,988
we take separate classes
out of school

405
00:24:48,055 --> 00:24:50,557
for an actual language class.

406
00:24:50,624 --> 00:24:52,993
Our teacher, Shalihókt,
when he was younger,

407
00:24:53,060 --> 00:24:56,563
there was more of the elders
around that spoke the language,

408
00:24:56,630 --> 00:24:59,633
whereas now
we don't really hear it.

409
00:24:59,700 --> 00:25:01,401
- [speaking Oneida]

410
00:25:01,468 --> 00:25:05,038
Have you learned,
have you learned it?

411
00:25:06,273 --> 00:25:09,009
- Jessica: Shalihókt teaches us
words to say.

412
00:25:09,076 --> 00:25:10,811
Every time we go for a huddle,
we go:

413
00:25:10,878 --> 00:25:13,347
- [speaking Oneida]
Whoo!

414
00:25:13,914 --> 00:25:17,918
["Native Puppy Love"
by A Tribe Called Red]

415
00:25:19,219 --> 00:25:21,121
[all cheering]
Yay!

416
00:25:25,225 --> 00:25:29,129
- We have 11 girls
on this Lady T-hawk team.

417
00:25:30,097 --> 00:25:31,932
I am captain.

418
00:25:31,999 --> 00:25:33,100
I'm also the point guard,

419
00:25:33,166 --> 00:25:36,603
so I'm expected
to keep the game going,

420
00:25:36,670 --> 00:25:38,872
keep everyone under control.

421
00:25:38,939 --> 00:25:41,508
Keep myself under control!

422
00:25:56,290 --> 00:26:00,627
Before, we had hardly any people
in the stands.

423
00:26:01,395 --> 00:26:05,732
My sophomore year,
the fans started to fill in.

424
00:26:06,166 --> 00:26:08,368
My parents
only missed one game

425
00:26:08,435 --> 00:26:10,904
out of the three years
I've been at Oneida.

426
00:26:10,971 --> 00:26:12,306
I think it's really cool

427
00:26:12,372 --> 00:26:15,108
when all the parents are there
supporting their daughters.

428
00:26:15,175 --> 00:26:17,311
It gives us our energy.

429
00:26:30,324 --> 00:26:32,059
I don't know
how the other girls see it,

430
00:26:32,125 --> 00:26:36,530
but there's no better feeling
than when you play basketball.

431
00:26:36,597 --> 00:26:40,601
["Native Puppy Love"
by A Tribe Called Red]