For generations, the Stoney Nakota people living near Waka Mné (Lac Ste Anne) have faced the loss of important family, cultural, and ceremonial connections. Historic government policies and displacement separated families from their relatives, traditions, and ancestral ties to the Black Hills and the Oceti Ŝakowiŋ, also known as the Great Sioux Nation.
The Red Road to Black Hills project helps young people reconnect with that history and strengthen their sense of identity. The project grew from the healing journey of a Residential School Survivor who spent years reconnecting with his culture, relatives, ceremonies, and homelands. His experience inspired youth to learn more about where they come from and the connections that continue today.
Through a partnership between Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation, MacEwan University, the Future Generations Foundation, and the National Geographic Society, youth worked alongside Elders, Knowledge Keepers, researchers, and storytellers. They learned about their history, recorded community knowledge, and built skills in research, oral history, interviewing, and multimedia production.
One of the project’s key outcomes was Finding Your Nakota Spirit, a podcast and short film featuring four youth from Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation: Jennie Bearhead, Harmony Cardinal, Steven Kennedy-Potts, and Sunflower Paul. Through their stories, they explore identity, culture, and healing. They share what it means to reconnect with history, language, ceremony, and community while navigating a modern world.
The project also preserved stories, teachings, and cultural knowledge for future generations. By recording community perspectives and elevating youth voices, participants created lasting resources that support cultural revitalization and strengthen Stoney Nakota identity.
This project was supported through FG Foundation’s Organization Funding Program. To learn more about how the program supports support community-driven programs that strengthen education, healing, language, culture, and reconciliation visit our Organization Funding Program page.
