What We Give, What We Carry, What We Remember
2026 Backpack Drive
Just before the school year kicked off, we hosted our 2nd Annual Backpack Drive here on Sičáŋǧu makoce (land)!✏️
Pilámayayapi to our Human Resources Department and CEO's Office for purchasing over 400 backpacks for our Sičáŋǧu wak̇aŋyeja. We were able to give away 248 in just a couple of hours during our weekly Farmers Market with the Food Sovereignty team. The remaining backpacks will be taken to our local schools.
Our dedicated Community Engagement Team, made up of Sičáŋǧu Co staff volunteering their free time, had an amazing time putting this event together while also juggling many other community events that we're excited to share more about through this newsletter and social media posts!
If you are interested in making a monetary or in-kind donation to next years backpack drive, reach out to Brandi Charging Eagle at brandi@sicangu.co🎒
Mní Tȟo Wakpála
September 3rd 1855 - Massacre at Blue Water Creek, Nebraska
September 3rd was a day off for Sičáŋǧu Co in observance of Mní Tȟo Wakpála.
On September 3rd, 1855, over 250 Sičáŋǧu and Oglala Lakota's, mostly families, were camped peacefully along Mní Tȟo Wakpála (Blue Water Creek) in present-day Nebraska under the leadership of Chief Little Thunder.
U.S. Army forces under General William S. Harney attacked the camp, killing 86 Lakota men, women, and children. 70 women and children were captured. The soldiers also looted and burned the camp and belongings.
For generations, the U.S. military and many non-Native historical accounts referred to the event as the Battle of Ash Hollow or the Battle of Blue Water Creek. For Lakota people, it is remembered for what it was: a massacre.
Leaders who survived that morning include Iron Shell, Spotted Tail, and Red Leaf, each of whom also bore lineal descendants living upon Sičáŋǧu territories today. According to the family, oral history passed down through generations tells the story of the younger Little Thunder, a boy who survived the Massacre and subsequently journeyed to join his relatives once again. Without his survival, the Little Thunder Tiospaye (family) would not exist today.
Remembering & Healing
Remembering Mní Tȟo Wakpála is about more than remembering a tragic event. It is about honoring the relatives who lost their lives, telling the truth about our history, and recognizing the resilience of our oyate. ❤️
In 2017, members of the Little Thunder family returned to the massacre site to share this history with the public and continue a process of healing. Through ceremony, prayer, education, and an Ancestral Healing Walk, they honored the relatives who were lost and worked to bring home the spirits connected to belongings taken from the site more than a century earlier.
Their work continues to remind us that remembering history is also an act of healing. By telling these stories and honoring those who came before us, we carry their memory forward for generations to come. ✊🏼
As we observe this day, we invite our relatives, supporters, and community to reflect, remember, and honor those who came before us, and the resilience that continues today!
Every Child Deserves a Chance to Play👟
Help Wak̇aŋyeja Ki Ṫokeyaḣc̄i expand athletics this year and create more opportunities for students to learn, grow, and thrive! Our children are ready, and we don't want lack of resources to be the reason they miss out.
Donations accepted via debit/credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, Donor Advised Fund, ACH (bank account), or check. Reach out to brandi@sicangu.co if you need help or have any questions.