Today Leah and Cole chat with Jewell Arcoren (Sisseton Wahpeton Nation). Jewell is a community activist and the Executive Director for Wicoie Nandagikendan, an Ojibwe and Dakota language immersion preschool in Minneapolis. There, she pursues her commitments to early childhood education, language revitalization and addressing intergenerational historical trauma. Jewell talks about how cultural integration is a key to healing and moving forward, including language revitalization and traditional foods. She shares about her journey with Wicoie Nandagikendan, the schools hope to expand and how culture can put people onto a path of healing. Wicoie Nandagikendan is language immersion pre-school that teaches through Ojibwe and Dakota languages. They are located along Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis within the American Indian corridor. Since 2006, they’ve been a national leader in language immersion. https://www.facebook.com/WicoieNandagikendan/ Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. Online at https://minnesotanativenews.org/
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is a weekly, half-hour radio program hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce — a.k.a. Minnesota — to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community.