A Rosebud nonprofit hopes to heal trauma through traditional arts

A healing movement, that is what a nonprofit out of the Rosebud Reservation wants for their people.

"We're going to heal ourselves, we're going to help ourselves, we can't wait for others to do it for us," said LeToy Lunderman, Inyan Hocoka Tipi Ki Prevention Resource Center.

Their resource center hopes to tackle difficult childhood experiences and poverty in Indian Country through traditional art.

"We're looking for ways of how do we empower ourselves and give our families the tools that they need to understand first of all, where this trauma's coming from, once they understand where the trauma's coming from, then we can look at solutions to help create balance," said SunRise Black Bull, Inyan Hocoka Tipi Ki Prevention Resource Center.

What's your superpower? That was a key question they posed during their presentation to a group of women from various reservations.

"We don't want to just focus on the trauma, the negative effect of it because the other thing that has followed us through generations is the resiliency that our people have, so that we're still here because of that resiliency, and we want to put a positive spin on every aspect that comes out of Inyan Hocoka Tipi Ki," Lunderman said.

Lunderman said the more resilient they are, the better they will handle trauma and heal in a more positive way.

"Not only are we looking at a holistic point of healing, but now we're looking at industrious, being the second poorest county in the United States where we come from, there's not a lot of job opportunities so not only are you able to do a traditional art and you're not worried about anything that's going on right now, it's you and that piece of art," Black Bull said.

Black Bull said art helps you focus on the here and now.