Belinda Joe

Lakota family history and ceremony

Belinda Joe sees spirit and tradition everywhere around her on the Crow Creek Reservation, but she fears for its survival in an atmosphere of poverty and struggle. For her, teaching young people is the best hope for reclaiming the strength of Native culture, so she started a group on the reservation to study and learn together and share their knowledge with the community.

Several of the group members were her apprentices in 2006-2007—twin brothers Arlen and Alan Bagola, Janice Sazue, and her daughter Lindsey Isburg. Each apprentice researched their own family history and made a poster of their family tree, and the group attended ceremonies, visited sacred sites, talked with elders, learned traditional songs and stories, and reflected on the role of tradition in their own lives. The young people are now giving presentations on their own to other Indian youth, encouraging them to learn about their culture and use it as a foundation in their lives.

Belinda learned Lakota beading during an apprenticeship with Linda Thompson.

Arlen Bagola, Belinda Joe, Camela Isburg, Janice Sazue, Alan Bagola, and Belinda’s grandson Jvon.