Waniyetu Wicoti 2025 teaches Lakota culture and western science

INTERIOR – Genera­tions Indigenous Ways (GIW) presents its Wan­iyetu Wicoti 2025 (Win­ter Camp) on February 14 – 16, 2025, at the Yellow Bear Canyon on the lands of the Oglala Lakota Na­tion. Campers ages 11 years and older will learn about the Lakota winter plant harvesting, the nonmigra­tory bird nation, snow flake sciences, Lakota astronomy and historical geology, and their connection to Lakota creation stories.

Application deadline is Wednesday, February 5th, 2025. Go to tinyurl.com/22amc4tz for the camp application. For questions regarding application pro­cess please call Helene Gaddie at 605-454-8425 or Waylon Gaddie 605-454- 8893, or the GIW Office 605-433-5007. You can also email camps@giways.org.

Campers who are ac­cepted will receive camp supplies needed to have the best quality experience at Waniyetu Wicoti. Only completed applications will be considered. Participants need to be able to commit to 2 1/2 days of camping, checking in Friday, Feb­ruary 14th and going home Sun­day, February 16th.

GIW is a community based Na­tive nonprofit organization ded­icated to empowering American Indian youth with the knowledge of science, technology, engineer­ing, and mathematics (STEM) education enhanced by Oglala La­kota values and way of life. It is currently located near the commu­nity of Lost Dog on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. GIW is fiscal­ly sponsored as an affiliate of Sev­enth Generation Fund, a 501(c)3 Native non-profit organization.

The GIW website quotes Rich­ard Two Dogs, an Oglala Lakota spiritual leader, who said “Woce­kiya ki ecela” – Prayer is the only way.

GIW offers a K-12th grade In­digenous science curriculum de­rived from the Medicine Wheel Model established by the success­ful outcomes of the Native Science Field Centers at Hopa Mountain and on the Blackfeet Reservation.

GIW provides year-round ed­ucation programs for Native stu­dents from the large land base of the Seven Council Fires, which covers the state of South Dakota. Its current range and focus encom­pass the Pine Ridge reservation area. However, GIW welcomes the participation of youth from all backgrounds who have a desire to understand and strengthen the Oglala Lakota relationship with land through discovering and ex­ploring the unique ecosystems and environmental issues of the area.

According to co-founder and Executive Director, Helene Gad­die, “GIW has an after-school program that runs throughout the school year that teaches the basics of the scientific method and how to implement it with the Lakota cultural aspect.

“Then one of the focuses is sea­sonal camps based off a Native Science Field Center model which was successful in bringing the sci­ences back to the culture our La­kota people lived in everyday life. We broke it down into the differ­ent seasons and we incorporated the sciences to match the seasons of our way of life.

“There’s a fall camp, a winter camp, a spring camp, and a Sum­mer Science Field Institute. As part of the Summer Science Insti­tute we have one week committed to Lakota physics. We do it in a fashion of bow making. Each stu­dent who comes to camp will take home their own bow that they made and they learn how to inte­grate a scientific method into that. …”

“Making their own bow also teaches strength and endurance. They learn fortitude. They learn how not to give up. When they fin­ish, you can see the confidence in them. …Whenever you bring La­kota culture and Western science together, they have a really strong impact.

“We founded GIW to save our land, to save our waters, and to build leaders in our community. We founded GIW to hang on to our culture and to build strong fu­ture scientists…

“Not everybody who comes through GIW programming will be a scientist or engineer. They’re learn to be stewards of the land. They’re learn to be good natured humans.

“We teach our traditional foods. We teach our traditional ways of life. The kids take those practices and those values home. Our youth that take part in our program are becoming leaders in their tiospaye.

“From them taking that extra step going into the unknown of bettering themselves, they bring their families with them. Whether it be learning about recycling or learning about respect or learning about togetherness, they’re bring­ing pride to their family and into their entire community.

“You can see the kids that have been coming for three years, their parents are now volunteering, their family members are now vol­unteering in this program.

“This has proven to be a pre­vention program also in the most positive way – suicide prevention, drug and alcohol use prevention… When a Lakota child knows where they come from and knows their culture, they’re stronger individu­als and they’re more likely to suc­ceed at anything that they do.”

The 2025 calendar of GIW sea­sonal camps includes:

– Winter Camp, February 14-16, 2025 – Lakota Astrono­my & Historical Geology

– Spring Camp, June 3-5, 2025 – Lakota Physics Camp – Bow Camp

– Summer Camp, June 30- July 3 & 7-10, 2025 – Journey to the Center of the Earth

– Fall Camp, November 24- 30, 2025 – Lakota Culture Sus­tainability & Wild Life Sciences

An eloquent 7-minute You- tube video about GIW featur­ing Helene Gaddie is available at tinyurl.com/yjzastap. GIW can be contacted by phone at 605.433.5007 or by mobile phone at 605.454.8425. GIW’S Facebook page is: Facebook.com/ GIWAYS. The mailing address is 20750 BIA 2, Interior, SD 5775

(Contact Grace Terry at grace­terrywilliams@gmail.com)

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