[Vocalizing and drumming]
[Narrator:] The National Library of Medicine
spent four years collecting Native peoples' stories
about health and illness from all over the country.
Now the NLM is returning to the communities
that contributed their stories
by way of a traveling version of the Native Voices:
Native Peoples' Concepts of Health and Illness exhibition.
[Chanting and drumming]
The Spirit Lake Nation was the first stop
on a nationwide tour that will include
Indian reservations, Native health and cultural centers,
and regional medical libraries.
[Dr. Cynthia Lindquist:] Over 150 Native people were interviewed
for this exhibit from across Indian country
including Native Hawaiians. This includes
tribal leaders, tribal elders, spiritual people,
medicine people. It's a wonderful show this morning --
We're going to be opening the Native Voices exhibit.
[Clapping]
[Dr. Donald Lindberg:] In Indian Country and Alaska
and Hawaii we found that all three peoples
have much to teach us about health and
prevention of illness and managing life.
So we put together the exhibition really
to make public some of the good ideas
and some of the good accomplishments of
Native American peoples and to be shared
amongst them and also in the general population.
[Narrator:] The traveling version is smaller in size than the
Native Voices Exhibition at the National Library of Medicine
in Bethesda, but it contains all of the video interviews
of the original presented on iPads
with accompanying banners.
[Myron Wanna, Jr.:] I think it's important for us
as Native People to finally speak out and be heard,
so I think it's a great opportunity
for many of us to share our stories
because we have a lot of stories that need to be shared.
[Narrator:] The Native Voices traveling exhibition displays
personal stories from tribal leaders, healers, and
Native physicians who can serve as role models
for young people living on reservations.
[Dr. Lindberg:] The only sort of hidden agenda item for me
is that I wish that we could all do something
to encourage more Native Americans in health care,
medical professions. It has to start early.
Lift your eyes. Let your goals be high.
I think that this tribal college is trying to do exactly that.
[Narrator:] Cankdeska Cikana Community College
is the home college of the Spirit Lake Tribe
in Fort Totten, North Dakota.
Under the leadership of College President Dr. Cynthia Lindquist
the college has evolved from purely vocational studies
to more academically oriented programs.
[Eunice Davidson:] My grandmother Alvina Alberts
was very instrumental in starting the college.
She said 'tatanka' used to be our food -- being buffalo.
But now she said the 'tatanka' is through education
and that's what we have to go after.
[Narrator:] The Native Voices traveling exhibition
provides an opportunity for local communities
to showcase their own traditions and cultural offerings.
The grand opening at Cankdeska Cikana was the
finale to a week of healing events at the college.
Healers traveled from all over the Dakotas to
participate in panel discussions, and students
enjoyed movies featuring Native American actors.
The North Dakota Museum of Arts Songs for Spirit Lake Exhibit
was displayed on the campus where it landed after
a successful run in New York City.
In Songs for Spirit Lake, six artists explore how people live
within the landscape, who the people are, and
how they join the past and present in life today.
Three, two -- [speaking in Native language] I am proud.
My name is Jada-lanji [phonetic].
[Narrator:] Members of the Spirit Lake community
contributed their own stories to the week of festivities.
through a companion digital storytelling program
produced by nDigiDreams.
[Brenda Manuelito:] I think a lot of the stories
that we tend to hear about ourselves, we tend to
memorialize the past and this is really
celebrating the present, that we're still here.
We're still alive. We're still doing what has been
taught us, what has been given to us through our culture.
[Narrator:] Following the North Dakota launch
Native Voices will travel to sites in Hawaii,
Alaska, Seattle, and Oklahoma
and then to additional sites nationwide.
[Eunice Davidson:] I think it's wonderful
because the Indian people for whatever reason
never really talk about things.
And I think it's really important that we leave our history
with whoever we can, for our children, our grandchildren,
and I think if anything
it can bring Indian Country closer together.
[Flute and drum music playing]