Young Warrior Society: Advocating for Cultural Resiliency and Sovereignty
Dan Nanamkin and the Land Project
In 2018, community leader Dan Nanamkin began “sovereignty land camps,” which were then called the “Land Project.” These camps demonstrated Indigenous culture and presence on their land on the Colville Indian Reservation, or Nespelem, WA.
Folks from across the world representing each sacred color (i.e., red, yellow, black, and white, which are a part of Indigenous medicine wheels) attended these seasonal camps to participate in skill-sharing activities and practices. Thanks to the surrounding community, these camps were free to participants and supported the vision for accessible education that connected people to each other and to the land.
Some of the practices taught at the camps were:
Gathering traditional foods and medicinal plants
Gathering survival tools
Permaculture
Food preservation
Flint napping
Weaving, beadwork, and hide tanning
Wisdom from community elders
Giving back to elders
Since their collaborative start, the Land Project has grown to what is now known as the Young Warrior Society (YWS).
Young Warrior Society Today
The education that continues to be offered at YWS camps are rich in topics such as: historic survival skills, herbal medicine to battle COVID-19 and grief, as well as nutrition and food sovereignty to enhance folks’ quality of life. After all, the community sits in a rural and highly impoverished area where no organic foods are available. Their hands-on educational experiences introduce participants to bio char fuel, soil health, composting, and green renewable energy.
YWS's outreach education connects with local organizations (e.g., from Sandpoint, Port Townsend, Leavenworth, and Spokane), nationally, and even to Canada. For example, Dan Nanamkin shared a TED Talk in Spokane in October 2020. Through song, dance, and storytelling, Nanamkin shed light on what it looks like when a community and the land they inhabit nurture each other.
Soon after Nanamkin’s TED Talk, YWS produced a theatrical performing arts presentation titled Since Time Immemorial, which was recently shared with Cusick, Omak, and Pateros schools, the Paschal Sherman Indian School, Grant County School administrators, and the Washington State Indian Education Association. The presentation focuses on food sovereignty, cultural resiliency, and healing from inter-generational trauma as Indigenous people.
Additional Stories and Resources
To find out which Indigenous nation your state or region is on, visit https://native-land.ca/
Methow Arts has featured Dan Nanamkin in several articles around preservation of Indigenous culture.
Nanamkin’s presence in film includes his role in Z Nation, which was filmed in Spokane, WA. In April 2022, Nanamkin will debut in the feature film Hostile Territory.
In 2015, Washington State Legislature required school districts to integrate Indigenous curriculum, called Since Time Immemorial, into social studies or history curricula.
In 2020, Washington State Legislature made effective a revised code of Washington (RCW) that protected American Indian and Alaska Native K-12 and higher education students who are members of federally recognized tribes so that they could wear traditional regalia at graduation ceremonies.
The Na'ah Illahee Fund is an organization that focuses on grantmaking, capacity-building and community-based intergenerational programming. They support the leadership of Indigenous women in the ongoing regeneration of Indigenous communities in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.
To find out more about Young Warrior Society, you can visit their page on Dan Nanamkin’s website. You can contact Dan via email at dan.nanamkin@gmail.com, or explore Dan’s Facebook page.
References:
Confederated tribes of the Colville Reservation. Native Land Digital. (2022, March 9). Retrieved April 2022, from https://native-land.ca/maps/territories/confederated-tribes-of-the-colville-reservation/
Home. Na'ah Illahee Fund. (n.d.). Retrieved April 2022, from https://www.naahillahee.org/
Hostile Territory. (2022). IMBD. Retrieved April 2022, from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8859236/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cl_sm.
Nanamkin, D. (2020, October). The power of sharing history through story-telling! TED . Retrieved April 2022, from https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_nanamkin_the_power_of_sharing_history_through_story_telling
Native Education. Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Education. (n.d.). Retrieved April 2022, from https://www.k12.wa.us/student-success/access-opportunity-education/native-education
Rosenbaum , C. (2018, September 11). Tribal member Dan Nanamkin starts sovereignty camp in Nespelem. Tribal Tribune. Retrieved April 2022, from http://www.tribaltribune.com/news/article_6d7f7bfa-b60b-11e8-a757-37d356247fb9.html
Since Time Immemorial: Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State. Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Education. (n.d.). Retrieved April 2022, from https://www.k12.wa.us/student-success/resources-subject-area/time-immemorial-tribal-sovereignty-washington-state
Supporting education journeys. Washington State Indian Education Association. (n.d.). Retrieved April 2022, from https://wsiea.org/
Young Warrior Society - Land Project. Nanamkin. (n.d.). Retrieved April 2022, from https://www.nanamkin.com/young-warrior-society-land-camp
Z Nation. (2014-2018). IMBD. Retrieved April 2022, from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3843168/?ref_=ttloc_loc_tt