Event
Native America Speaks - Hike - Iron Shield Creative
Fee:
Free.Location:
Meet at the South Shore Trailhead (next to the Two Medicine Lake Boat Dock), Two Medicine ValleyDates & Times
Date:
Time:
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Type of Event
Description
Members of the Blackfeet Nation and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes share personal knowledge of their history and culture as part of the Native America Speaks program.
This program began in 1982 and is the longest running Indigenous speaker series in the National Park Service. Native America Speaks is made possible by donations to the Glacier National Park Conservancy.
This special Native America Speaks program is a cultural presentation and hike along the South Shore Trail in the Two Medicine Valley.
Iron Shield Creative
Lailani Upham is an Amskapi Pikuni (Blackfeet Nation) tribal member and a descendent from the Aaniiih, Nakoda, and Dakota tribes. Lailani grew up on the Blackfeet and Fort Belknap Indian reservations where she explored her home landscapes as a kid and got into trouble for taking off into the mountains without notice on adventures. She grew up hearing the stories and history of her tribal people and was grounded in identity through the passing down of oral traditions from her grandparents on both sides of her family and tribal lineage. Lailani is the Blackfeet Tribe Tourism and Economic Development Administrator leading to make the Blackfeet homelands a destination spot in Western Montana. She is also the visionary behind Iron Shield Creative LLC, a consulting platform crafting Indigenous stories and holding creative Indigenous workshops from indoors to the outdoors. She is a multidisciplinary journalist, photojournalist, and filmmaker specializing in Indigenous storytelling, land stewardship, and culturally relevant activities. She is passionate about land conservation efforts as well as traditional and contemporary Blackfeet and Native cultures. She says her experience and passion have led her to a closer connection to nature and like-minded storytellers while vamping up a hunger to encourage others to tap into their voice through written and visual storytelling. Above all, Lailani loves being a grandmother, mother, daughter, sister, auntie, and friend; and takes these roles very seriously. Lailani is a U.S. Army veteran and Indigenous woman business owner where she promotes tribal and cultural values every day by living her best, strongest, fearless, and hilarious life.
Carrie Bear Chief is a Native American and enrolled in the Blackfeet Tribe. For 18 years, Carrie worked for her Tribe helping elderly community members with Long Term Care Services, including five years as the managing director. She has dedicated many years of her life to helping the elderly and disabled in her community, which has helped her build a strong relationship with the elders and caregivers on the Blackfeet reservation. Carrie has always worked in her community, both paid and volunteer, because she has a heart and passion for her people. She has always tried to inspire Indian people to rise up and take their place in today's society. She tries to be a voice that encourages them and let them know they have worth and talents that they can contribute to the Blackfeet Nation and the world.
Carrie has had the opportunity to speak at many venues across the United States and across Indian Country, representing and advocating for her fellow Native people. She has always been a spiritual person, and being around her elders has taught her to look at life through that spiritual lens. This led Carrie to becoming an ordained minister, and she currently serves as the associate Pastor of Faith Dominion Center on the Blackfeet reservation.
Carrie is excited to have the opportunity to continue to strengthen a bridge of understanding and share cultural values through her knowledge of the Blackfeet customs, stories, and history. Carrie lives by words of wisdom from her elders, including these from her uncle Chief Earl Old Person, "We have learned to live with what we have while we hope for a better future for our children, more dignity for our old people and better opportunity for ourselves. All we need is time and cooperation.”
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