Tiyate Glipi Anpetu They Are Back on the Homelands Day🧡
On Tuesday, July 14, our Sicangu Co offices will be closed in observance of Tiyáte Glípi Aŋpétu (They Are Back on the Homelands Day), a tribal holiday established by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe to honor the return of nine of our Sicangu Lakota children who were brought home from the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania in 2021.
This day carries deep meaning for our Oyate. It is a day to remember our relatives, honor their journeys, and reflect on the strength and resilience that carried them home.
The journey home began years before their return. In 2015, members of the Sicangu Youth Council of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe traveled nearly 1,500 miles from our homelands to Pennsylvania to visit the graves of nine Sicangu children who had been taken from their families and buried at Carlisle Indian Industrial School more than a century earlier. What began as a visit to honor our relatives became a six-year effort led by our youth to bring them home.
Through petitions, advocacy, and direct engagement with the U.S. Army, our young relatives helped move the repatriation process forward. Their commitment showed the strength of our youth and the responsibility we carry to remember and care for those who came before us.
This photo was taken during the burial of the children, wrapped in buffalo robes and sage, back to the comfort of Unčí Maka in their ancestral Lakota lands.
On July 14, 2021, a formal ceremony at the Carlisle Barracks cemetery marked the return of the nine children to the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. From there, our Sicangu delegation carried them home back to South Dakota. When they crossed back onto Sicangu homelands on July 16, 2021, our relatives were welcomed home through traditional Lakota ceremonies and surrounded by the prayers, songs, and love of our community.
They were finally returned to the land that held their ancestors. Six of our relatives were laid to rest at the Sicangu Akicita Owicahe Tribal Veterans Cemetery, and three were returned to their families and buried in family cemeteries according to the wishes of their descendants.
On this day, we honor:
Lucy Take the Tail (Pretty Eagle)
Rose Long Face (Little Hawk)
Ernest Knocks Off (White Thunder)
Dennis Strikes First (Blue Tomahawk)
Maud Little Girl (Swift Bear)
Friend Hollow Horn Bear
Warren Painter (Bear Paints Dirt)
Alvan (Kills Seven Horses)
Dora Her Pipe (Brave Bull)
These children were among the thousands of Native youth who were taken from their families and sent to federal Indian boarding schools created to separate them from their languages, cultures, and identities. Their stories remind us of the deep wounds our communities continue to carry, but they also remind us of our strength, our resilience, and our commitment to caring for our relatives.
While we are grateful that these nine children are home, we also recognize that many Native children remain away from their families and homelands. The work of bringing our relatives home and healing from the impacts of the boarding school era continues.
Tiyáte Glípi Aŋpétu is a day of remembrance, healing, and reflection. It is a day to honor our children, our ancestors, our youth, and the enduring spirit of the Sičáŋǧu Lakota Oyate.
We invite our relatives, friends, and supporters to take time on July 14 to learn about this history, reflect on its impact, and join us in honoring those who have come home.
They are home.
Growing Together
One Garden at a Time🌽
There is something special about watching a garden take shape. What begins as an empty patch of ground soon becomes a place where families can grow fresh food, spend time together, and strengthen their connection to Unčí Maka (Grandmother Earth).
This spring, our Sicangu Health Initiative helped bring that opportunity to families across the community through our Home Garden Project. We had some young tribal members lend a helping hand and join the team: Ashley Witt, Wyld Colombe, and Kolton Rattling Leaf. Beginning in April, our team traveled throughout the reservation, testing soil, building raised garden beds, and providing seeds, compost, tools, and other resources to help new gardeners get started with confidence.
The excitement around the project was immediate! Nearly 100 families signed up (75 within the first day!) and over the course of the season our team installed 48 home gardens, each one representing another family taking a step toward greater food sovereignty and self-sufficiency. 🌾
The support doesn't end once a garden is built. Throughout the growing season, participants are invited to hands-on workshops covering topics like container gardening, hydroponics, and companion planting, and they're always encouraged to reach out with questions or ask for additional guidance. Building confidence is just as important as building the garden itself!
One of the greatest joys has been hearing from families after their gardens are complete. From thankful phone calls to excited text messages, their enthusiasm reminds us that this work is about much more than growing vegetables. It's about creating opportunities for learning, strengthening food traditions, and caring for one another as Oyáte. ❤️
This year's Home Garden Project was also made possible through the generosity of Sicangu Co staff, community members, and supporters who donated materials like compost, cardboard, and other gardening supplies. Their contributions helped our team focus on what mattered most, which was getting gardens built and families growing. While the season went smoothly, we're always looking for ways to strengthen the program! Additional equipment, such as tilling machinery, or donations to purchase our own would help us prepare larger garden spaces more efficiently and allow us to serve even more relatives in the future.
As another growing season continues, we're grateful to everyone who helped make these gardens possible. From our dedicated staff and tribal member contractors to the families who welcomed us into their yards. We look forward to seeing these gardens flourish and continuing to grow together in the seasons ahead.
Meet the Team Leader!
Originally from New England, Hannah Cuzner recently joined Sicangu Co as a Project Manager for the Food Sovereignty Initiative and Sicangu Health Initiative. With degrees in Environmental Science and Conservation Biology & Land Management, she brings a passion for sustainable growing and community education to her work. Hannah helps support home gardens across the Rosebud Reservation, shares gardening knowledge with families, and is helping introduce hydroponic systems in local schools. When she's not working, you'll likely find her exploring the outdoors, caring for her growing collection of houseplants, or tending to her own home garden. ✨
