PAST WEBINARS IN THIS SERIES

Healing Through Indigenous Mindfulness and Neurodecolonization

Wednesday, June 16, 2021
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. CT

Presenter: Dr. Michael Yellow Bird (Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara)

Situating his work at the intersection of decolonization and mindfulness, Dr. Michael Yellow Bird’s work seeks to cultivate healing by weakening the effects of colonization through Indigenous mindfulness practice, facilitating resistance, and opening opportunities to promote traditional practices. Dr. Yellow Bird has been practicing mindfulness meditation since 1975 and has integrated this practice to support the healing of Indigenous people and helping professionals working with Indigenous communities.

Dr. Michael Yellow Bird is a citizen of the Three Affiliated Tribes, (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara). He is the author of numerous scholarly articles, the co-editor of four books about decolonization and Indigenous studies and social work, and the co-author of two recent books: Sahnish (Arikara) Ethnobotany (2020); and Decolonizing Holistic Pathways Towards Integrative Healing in Social Work (2021). His community and scholarly work focuses on the effects of colonization and methods of decolonization, Indigenous mindfulness practices, ancestral health, mindful decolonization and neurodecolonization, and the cultural significance of Rez dogs. He is the founder of The Centre for Mindful Decolonization and Reconciliation at the University of Manitoba and has been active in re-introducing mindfulness approaches to Indigenous communities around the world.

Indian Boarding School Cemeteries and Missing Children

Wednesday, May 26, 2021
12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. CT

Presenters: Heather Whiteman Runs Him (Absaalooke), Marsha Small (Tsitsistas), Lauren Peters (Aleut), Christine Diindiisi McCleave (Turtle Mountain Anishinaabe)

On June 14, 2021, the Army War College will honor the request of Rosebud Lakota and Aleut family members for what will be the fourth disinterment and repatriation of students from the Carlisle Barracks Post Cemetery at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. Join us on May 26th for a panel discussion regarding the intersections between Indian boarding school cemeteries, the UN filing on missing children, and the call to form a federal Truth and Healing Commission on Indian boarding schools. The panel includes Heather Whiteman Runs Him (Absaalooke), Marsha Small (Tsistsistas), and Christine Diindiisi McCleave (Turtle Mountain Anishinaabe)—all of whom filed and provided testimony to the United Nations on missing children of Indian Boarding Schools. Joining them will also be Lauren Peters (Aleut) who has been coordinating with the Department of Defense for this summer’s disinterment at Carlisle. Watch here.

Carlisle Cemetary

Beyond Historical Trauma: Indigenous Traditions Lead The Pathway to Resilience and Healing

Wednesday, April 21, 2021
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. CT

Presenter: Nancy Bordeaux, President/Founder, Tawacin Tanka

Healing the whole person, families, and Indigenous communities can happen whether you are a boarding school survivor or you have experienced trauma in other ways. What has been broken can be healed, what has been disconnected can be reconnected. Watch here.

Nancy Bordeaux

Nancy Bordeaux is Lakota from the Oceti Sakowin Tribe. She was born and raised in Rosebud, South Dakota. Nancy has worked in the Minneapolis and St. Paul Minnesota area for 20 years in Indian Child Welfare as a Tribal Liaison and as a Program Director for Domestic Violence and Sexual. Currently Nancy works in partnership with the Nonprofits in the Twin Cities metropolitan area as a consultant, in historical-intergenerational trauma education, intervention, recovery and healing for nonprofits and state programs and community members. Nancy’s approach to her work is through her Lakota traditions and knowledge. Nancy’s traditional practices inform her current work today through transference of information, knowledge, and concepts to enhance her work.

#TruthAndHealing: The Movement and the Commission

March 31, 2021
12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. CT

Presenter: Christine Diindiisi McCleave (Turtle Mountain Anishinaabe), CEO, National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition

Join NABS CEO, Christine Diindiisi McCleave, as we kick-off this year’s webinar series titled, “Boarding School Healing: Mind, Body, Heart, and Spirit.” During this first webinar Christine will offer a comprehensive overview of NABS’s work, and will examine how we are growing into a new era of Truth, Healing, and Justice. This holistic session will also offer insights into the development and organizing behind an Indian Boarding School Truth and Healing Commission in the United States and how you can support and be a part of the Truth and Healing Movement. Watch here. 

Christine McCleave

Christine Diindiisi McCleave, enrolled Turtle Mountain Anishinaabe and CEO for the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, was the Coalition’s first employee and has grown the organization since 2015. McCleave is a descendant of boarding school survivors. She completed her Master of Arts in Leadership thesis on Native American spirituality and Christianity, including the legacy of Indian boarding schools on spirituality today. McCleave also has a Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies.