IFS is still looking for 18-30 year old Sierra Nevada Indigenous young adults to join the “Nation Builders” cohort at the Sierra Nevada Tribal Summit on Lake Tahoe, Oct. 17-19. Email Ariel for details – [email protected].
Get to know our Nation Builders Council – introducing Sadie Hampshire – a member of the cohort who is helping us design the special Nation Builders pre-summit gathering on the 17th.
Homa’kani! Hince’nape Yapem Ni!
Tanku Nisenan, Telmelti Washoe Nan Ni
Cikam pikandi Nan Nim Opule Nan
Wallace, Enos Nan Humwak!
Hello! My name is Hince’nape or English name is Sadie,
I am Tanku Nisenan and Telmelti Washoe
I am from Clipper Gap and Auburn
I am apart of the Wallace and Enos family
I am a Cultural Prescribed Burn Practitioner and knowledge bearer! I practice my traditions and ceremonies, I’ve grown up in my culture my whole life, my grandma, April Wallace-Moore, taught me almost everything I know, she’s an elder and a heavy influence in my life at an early age. I make beadwork/ modern indigenous jewelry, I’m an artist and beginner weaver, I help inspire the youth to continue their traditions as well and when I can I do public speaking about cultural fire, traditions, and sovereignty rights.
Q1: What does identity mean to you?
To me identity is everything, knowing, understanding, and being proud who you are and where you come from is a huge part of identity, it plays a key role in
Q2: What is your favorite place in the Sierra Nevada, and what connects you to this place?
For me it’s and easy maybe cliche answer but it’s most definitely all of Tahoe, it’s a heavily touristy spot unfortunately but anytime I am able to be in Tahoe feels like a tranquil, spiritual, and sacred connection. I’ve been to Tahoe countless times and I cant stop from going back, I feel at peace and aligned with myself and my spirit, it’s a blessing to be able to come from and call Tahoe my hu(home). As soon as I enter I can feel my ancestors around me, I know I can let my worries/stress go and feel enlightened when I’m in Tahoe.
Q3: What are some ways Native youth can be more active in their communities or advocate for their rights?
My usual answer is, always ask questions, make connections with people and take any opportunity you can because you’ll never know where it leads you too, even if it’s just learning more knowledge, it’ll help you down the road. My detailed answer is become involved in your community, talk to your council members, be informed what’s happening in your community and even town, see what you can change first in your area, educate yourself on indigenous rights, be well-spoken and confident in yourself and your people, follow your intuition and listen to the older people and elders in your community but also your peers too, see how you can incorporate their knowledge/ideas together, don’t be afraid to speak up and share.
Q4: What does being a “Nation Builder” mean to you in your community?
To me, what being a “Nation Builder” means to me in my community is being able to uplift and hear those around you, being able to take into account what your community wants/needs and putting that into action but also listening to yourself and your needs too, such as knowing when help is needed and being able to listen to others, even criticism, and not taking it to heart. But mostly being apart of putting a good change to your community, wanting to be part of that good change for a better future for the upcoming generations.
Q5: What does being you think needs to change in the world for Native Youth to thrive?
This is something I’ve thought about very often but what I think needs to change for Native Youth to thrive is them being taken more seriously because our youth can listen to our elders and understand/practice traditions and blend that with the modern world effectively because they’ve grown up in both, a lot of the youth want to be involved in something bigger and educate themselves on how to go about it that even non-natives can agree with, they know how to connect with the people around them and to get them to understand in their own way. They need to feel welcomed in spaces or that their voice will be heard and not just “taken into account” they need to know that when they speak, they’ll be listened too as well. There’s a sense of underlying “competition” that some people want to “be better” to the people around them, I’ve noticed it in a lot of communities, native and non-native, there’s a sort of competition to “do better” and “be better” than what the person next to them is saying so it’s almost like a “threat” when a well-educated youth speaks, some people take it as “demeaning” or “over confidence” rather than a native youth wanting to make actual change to the future, so if there was some way to curb that I truly believe a lot more youth will speak up and want to make good change.
