Encouraging our youth to embrace their talent, creativity, and individuality, while strengthening a healthy well-being and cultural identity.
Lemonade Festival 2023 was held in New Town ND. The time, effort, and creativity these young entrepreneurs put into their lemonade stands shined through! The kids learned a bit about entrepreneurship and enjoyed a day of selling their creations, karaoke, face painting & more! UNITY Regional Representative, Koya Bearstail was this years keynote speaker. Warren Chase won the Peoples Choice Award and earned himself a spot to sell his famous lemonade at Little Shell Powwow. Awesome job to all involved, your support is appreciated!
The Black & Gold Gala was a success! It was a great evening of music, talent, food & fun! We were proud to honor Jesse White with the Trailblazer Award for his accomplishments that created a positive impact among our youth and community. It was an honor to present the Delvin Driver Sr. family with the Legacy Tribute, which acknowledged Delvin's substantial contributions to our people and recognized his accomplishments and teachings that live on through his family, students and community. The artists all did an amazing job performing- the Powwow Dancers, Drum Group- Descendants, Singers- Kyla Roberts, Zintcana Roberts, Fort Peck Sioux, AgonyBoyz, Chingy, 112. All money raised from this fundraising gala will go towards ImagiNative Inc.'s upcoming youth programs.
It’s always awesome meeting up with the youth that are featured in our magazine ROOTS. Jerritte Caldwell Jr. & Giana Rainey shared their stories of singing- how they started singing, singers they look up to, singing responsibilities, and their ongoing love of their culture. Very inspiring! We’d like to thank them for sharing their gifts with the world. Look for these 2 on the powwow trail near you!
Check out the Tribal Check In & Boys with Braids section!
Ready To Ship!
Our bimonthly, youth magazine
Roots is the only one of its kind!
It was created to
educate, showcase & engage our youth.
​
Great for classrooms, colleges, Education Departments, libraries, Health & Wellness Programs, Tribal Offices & more.
​
There are Yearly Subscriptions and School Subscriptions available!
Click BUY NOW, go to Shop tab or email us if you would like more information.
​
​
ROOTS
"Thank you for the wonderful magazine. My students enjoyed reading the many wonderful parts of this issue because so much of it related to their culture. They know some of the students and the veteran featured in the article" - Ms. Uses Many
Edwin Loe Elementary School
Edwin Loe Elementary, along with other schools in ND, are implementing Roots in their classrooms.
“It shows how different our culture is and how strong our talents are” - Kezawin, 6th grade
ImagiNative Inc. Presents
Bear's Braid
North Dakota Author Publishes Social Justice-Themed Children’s Book About Identity and Indigenous Culture.
Mascot Books announces the release of Bear’s Braid written by Joelle Bearstail, ImagiNative Inc. Executive Director.
Join Ben and Bear as they come up with a plan to strengthen their connection to their roots and bridge the gap between schoolmates and family!
ORDER YOUR SIGNED COPY TODAY!
​
​
​
​
Sahnish (Arikara) Pronunciations in Bear's Braid
​
We would like to give a special thanks to Thomas Plenty Chief & Thomas Bearstail for providing the pronunciations for the Sahnish words in Bear's Braid.
Additional Info. from ROOTS, youth magazine
Chiefs & Warriors
There are many chiefs, warriors, and notable people throughout our tribal history. It is important to remember that no matter what tribe you are, you come from a long line of smart, resourceful, resilient, holy, beautiful people. We are descendants of these great people that laid the foundation of which we live. Our ROOTS are strong! We highlighted some of these historical, influential leaders from the North Dakota region.
Mandan
Crow's Heart was born in 1856. He was a good warrior and was the leader of the old wolves during a war party at the age of nineteen. He gained most acclaim as a ceremonial leader and owner of a number of rights and bundles. At the age of 23, he first went out to trap eagles. At about the age 30 Crow's Heart bought the right to make fish traps from his clan uncle Old Black Bear who taught him how to make the trap and how to use it.
Hidatsa
Crow Flies High, also known as Raven That Flies Highest and Heart, was born in the early 1830’s at Like-A-Fishhook Village. He was a member of the Hidatsa Tribe. His parents perished in the 1837 Small-pox Epidemic that devastated the Upper Missouri region. He was raised by a poor family and was unable to buy into the prestigious Men’s societies. He compensated by fasting, experiencing visions, and proving his bravery in war. His bravery and religious vision enabled him to become a head war chief. Crows Flies High and his band left Like-a-Fishhook Village in 1869 to get away from the changes that the reservation system was imposing on his people.
Sheheke also known as ‘Coyote’ was born about 1765. He was the principal chief of the Mandan, who lived in the lower village below the mouth of the Knife River on the Missouri. When the Lewis and Clark expedition came to the upper Missouri in 1804, Sheheke was one of their first visitors and later helped them survive through the winter. In recognition for his help, he was given a U.S. Peace Medal. He brought them 100 pounds of meat and in return they gave him presents and an ax for his wife. Lewis & Clark were especially impressed with his vast knowledge of the geography of the region.
Long Bear was born in 1834 to Cherry Necklace (Hidatsa/Crow) and Bug Woman. Long Bear would marry three times. He was a member of the Night Grass Society. He was among those of Crow Flies High's Hushga Band that in 1870 left the reservation to live near Fort Union and away from U.S. Government interference. In 1894 when the Hushga Band was making their journey back to the reservation old Chief Crow Flies High decided to step down as Chief.
Arikara
Sitting Bear was born in 1844. He was raised west of the Missouri near Washburn, North Dakota. In 1862 he had his first taste of war against an Assinibione, whom his party encountered. A year later while out hunting near Ft. Berthold, his party was surrounded by Sioux, and was the first to strike one of the enemies horses. Throughout his life he participated in twelve battles, led six war expeditions, two of which were into enemy territory. The other battles occurred while defending his village from Sioux attacks.
Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate
Bull Neck was born in 1836. He had his first war experience at the age of sixteen along with a party of six others. He floated down the Missouri to what is now South Dakota. They succeeded in running off some horses at a Sioux encampment. Bull Neck, the youngest of the seven, was charged with the duty of driving them home, while the others returned afoot on the other side of the river. Bull Neck participated in numerous encounters with the same enemy, some of them being engagements of his own seeking, others the result of attacks upon the Fort Berthold village. He counted first coup in a winter campaign. Bull Neck was a Buffalo medicine-man in the medicine fraternity.
Chief Sleepy Eye- Ishtakhaba, was a signer of at least four treaties with the United States government, including the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux, and met with President James Monroe in Washington, D.C. in 1824. Chief Sleepy Eyes was known for his friendships with explorers, traders, missionaries and officials.
Chief Standing Buffalo- Tatanka Najin, after the 1862 Dakota conflict (historically referred to as the Sioux Uprising or Dakota Conflict of 1862), Chief Standing Buffalo, a prominent Sisseton Dakota leader left American territory to prevent further trouble and loss of his people. The Dakota people’s resistance was the result of tensions between Dakota Indians, corrupt Indian Agents and traders.
Lakota
Chief Gall, Phizí, Hunkpapa Lakota, was one of the major Indian field commanders at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. He made crucial tactical decisions that contributed to the Sioux and Cheyenne's overpowering defeat of the five companies of cavalry led by Custer of the 7th Cavalry.
Oglala Lakota Chief Red Cloud was an important figure in the 19th-century land battle between Native Americans and the U.S. government. He successfully resisted developments of the Bozeman trail through Montana territory and led the opposition against the development of a road through Wyoming and Montana for two years—a period that came to be known as Red Cloud's War. Mahpíya Lúta was an important Native American leader who fought to save his people's lands
Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa
Little Shell III was the last in line of the hereditary Chiefs. He was the Chief of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. Little Shell III is noted for his involvement in the McCumber Agreement. He did not agree with its terms and refused to sign the McCumber Agreement. Chief Little Shell III had two wives. One of the wives died before Little Shell III reached the age of 56. He had four children: Mary, Joseph, Genevieve, and Pierre.
Red Thunder was a secondary chief to Little Shell III. Red Thunder is recognized for the speech he gave to the McCumber Commission: “When you (the white man) first put your foot upon this land of ours, you found no one but the red man, and the Indian woman, by whom you have begotten a large family and (pointing to the half breeds present) these are the children and descendants of that woman. They must be recognized as members of this tribe. We are all glad that our Great Father sent you here and we hope that you will relieve us from starvation, for we have nothing to eat.”
"Imagination is more important than knowledge"