Blackfeet Eco Knowledge

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Blackfeet Eco Knowledge

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The goal of all projects undertaken by BEK organization is to reverse the effects of historical trauma that have impacted not just our people, but also our culture, language, and environment.

10/12/2026

Happy Indigenous Peoples' Day! 🤎

Today we honor and celebrate the strength, resilience, and rich cultures of indigenous peoples, past, present, and future.

At Blackfeet Eco Knowledge, Indigenous Peoples' Day is a reflection of the work we are dedicated to every day. Through language revitalization, cultural preservation, land stewardship, and the sharing of traditional knowledge, we strive to ensure that Niitsitapi ways of life continue to thrive for generations to come.

Our ancestors carried this knowledge before us, and it is our responsibility to honor their teachings, strengthen our communities, and carry these ways of life forward.

May the knowledge of our ancestors continue to guide us, and may the generations yet to come always know who they are, where they come from, and the beauty of our Niitsitapi ways of life. 👣

10/09/2026

👣 Meet the BEK Team | Joe Wagner

Okii! Meet Joe Wagner, Mikkastoowa (Red Crow), one of Blackfeet Eco Knowledge’s Oo’ootaakaaks (Shield Keepers).

Joe is a member of the Blackfeet Nation, born and raised on the Blackfeet Reservation. Raised by his parents and grandparents, he developed a deep connection to Blackfeet culture, ceremony, and the mountains.

Joe began his career as an intern with the Department of Agriculture at Blackfeet Community College. During this time, he witnessed disturbances at sacred cultural sites on Chief Mountain and reported the incident. This led to a high-alpine archaeology internship, where he spent two years learning alongside archaeologists to identify, document, and map cultural resources, including historic campsites, hunting structures, and other culturally significant features. He later became one of the first Blackfeet individuals to hold a Cultural Resource position on the east side of Glacier National Park.

Over the past several years, Joe has worked with the Blackfeet Tribal Historic Preservation Office (THPO), documenting and mapping cultural sites across Blackfeet Country, including Glacier National Park and Badger-Two Medicine. His work has taken him across 78 mountains, with recent efforts involving cave exploration and high-elevation site documentation. He also participated in repatriation efforts, helping bring the remains of Lawney Shorty home from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, to the Blackfeet Nation.

As a member of the Brave Dog Society with ties to several Beaver Bundles, Joe carries the teachings of ceremony into his work on the land. An avid trail runner and ice climber, he hopes to pass his mountain knowledge and cultural mapping skills to future generations. His dream is to map the Rocky Mountain Front, documenting significant sites throughout Blackfeet traditional territory.

Through his role as a Shield Keeper, Joe continues to protect sacred sites, preserve Blackfeet cultural knowledge, and strengthen connections to the land.

We’re grateful to highlight Joe and the dedication, experience, and knowledge he brings to the BEK team. 🪶

10/07/2026

🤍Meet the BEK Team | Tedi Burns

Okii! Meet Tedi Burns, Naatowaapisiaaki (Medicine Wolf Woman), BEK’s Way of Life Project Coordinator.

Tedi is currently pursuing a career in Social Work and is nearing completion of her associate degree. As a mother herself, she is passionate about supporting Blackfeet families, strengthening cultural connections, and creating a strong foundation for generations to come.

Tedi also plays an important role in the Oyiss Prenatal Language Project, a project especially dear to her heart that she often refers to as her “baby.” Through Oyiss, she is helping create opportunities for Blackfeet language and cultural teachings to begin before birth and continue throughout a child’s earliest years.

Through her work with the Way of Life Project and Oyiss, Tedi is dedicated to strengthening Blackfeet language, culture, and ways of life while helping create opportunities for future generations to remain connected to who they are.

We’re excited to highlight Tedi and the heart she brings to the BEK team. 🤎

10/05/2026

🦬 Meet the BEK Team | Napi Wadsworth

Okii! Meet Napi Wadsworth, one of BEK’s Oo’ootaakaaks (Shield Keepers).

Napi is a member of the Kainai (Blood) Tribe and the Blackfoot Confederacy. Born and raised in Canada, he was raised by his grandparents with strong Blackfoot values, cultural teachings, and a deep connection to ceremony and the land.

Napi is a third-generation hide tanner, carrying forward knowledge passed down through his family. He also practices a variety of traditional arts and cultural crafts and is actively involved in Blackfoot ceremonial life.

As a Shield Keeper, Napi continues to strengthen his knowledge and skills in land stewardship, conservation, and traditional ecological knowledge. His work brings together the cultural teachings he grew up with and hands-on experience caring for the lands and natural resources throughout Blackfoot territory.

Napi is committed to continuing to learn, practice, and carry forward the cultural and land-based knowledge that has shaped him.

We’re excited to highlight Napi and the knowledge, skills, and dedication he brings to the BEK team! 🖤

10/02/2026

🤎 Meet the BEK Team | Wendy Bremner

Okii! Meet Wendy Bremner, Akai’ahkwinimaaki (Many Pipes Woman), BEK’s Development Officer.

Wendy is a Blackfeet community leader, cultural advocate, and program developer dedicated to strengthening the cultural, linguistic, and community systems that have supported the Blackfeet people for generations. Born and raised on the Blackfeet Reservation, she is also a mother and grandmother with a deep commitment to her community.

Wendy holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a minor in Native American Studies, as well as a Master of Interdisciplinary Studies focused on sociology, statistics, and Indian law. Following a long career in Tribal justice, she brings extensive experience in community initiatives and systems change to her work with BEK.

Throughout her career, Wendy has helped develop culturally grounded programs focused on language revitalization, cultural knowledge, healing, justice, youth and family wellness, and reconnecting Blackfeet people to ancestral ways of knowing.

As BEK’s Development Officer, Wendy works to create pathways for Blackfeet knowledge, language, values, and relationships with the universe to continue thriving for generations to come.

We’re proud to highlight Wendy and the knowledge, experience, and dedication she brings to the BEK team. 🪶

09/30/2026

🪶 Meet the BEK Team | CJ Smith

Okii! Meet CJ Smith, Aakainamaahka (Many Guns), one of BEK’s Oo’ootaakaaks (Shield Keepers).

CJ has been a Shield Keeper with Blackfeet Eco Knowledge for two years, where his work focuses on attaining, protecting, and carrying forward Blackfeet ways of knowledge. He has a deep passion for learning from elders and participating in Blackfeet ceremonies, where much of the knowledge he carries today has been shared with him.

For CJ, being immersed in the Blackfeet way of life has been transformative. The teachings and knowledge he has received have helped shape who he is and shown him the value these ways can bring to others.

CJ sees it as his responsibility to help his family, friends, and fellow Blackfeet people by sharing what he has learned and being a stepping stone for others seeking a deeper connection to the Blackfeet way of life.

We’re proud to highlight CJ and the dedication he brings to BEK and the Shield Keepers. 👣

09/28/2026

🌿 Meet the BEK Team | Ray C. Yazzie

Okii! Today we’re highlighting Ray C. Yazzie, Matompsaipii Ponokamita (First Charging Horse), who served as BEK’s Oo’ootaakaaks (Shield Keepers) Supervisor.

While Ray has recently moved on from BEK to pursue an exciting new opportunity, we still wanted to take the time to recognize him and the amazing work, leadership, and dedication he brought to Blackfeet Eco Knowledge and the Shield Keepers.

Ray is from the Blackfeet Nation in Browning, Montana. During his time as Shield Keepers Supervisor, he helped guide and coordinate the Shield Keepers as they worked collectively to carry out projects for BEK and strengthen their work across Blackfeet Country.

Ray attended the University of Montana in Missoula, where he studied Business Marketing, before moving to Los Angeles to pursue his career. During his time away from home, his appreciation for the priceless lands and waters of the Blackfeet Nation continued to grow, ultimately leading him back home.

Since returning to Blackfeet Country, Ray has worked to preserve and actively practice Blackfeet Ecological Knowledge through time spent on the land, listening to elders, and continuing to learn.

We’re grateful for everything he contributed to BEK and are excited to see where this next opportunity takes him. His work and impact will continue to be a valued part of the Shield Keepers journey. 🖤

09/25/2026

👣 Meet the BEK Team | Brantlee Fish

Okii! Meet Brantlee Fish, Akai’aasaamiakii (Many Medicine Woman), BEK’s Language Project Coordinator.

Brantlee coordinates the Blackfeet Language Project and works on BEK’s Kincentric Co-benefits Project. She holds two associate degrees in science and brings professional experience from her previous roles as a Tribal Credit Loan Processor/Officer and Department of Revenue Compliance Officer.

As a dedicated mother of three, Brantlee is committed to continuing her education and growing in her work with BEK. She plans to pursue her Bachelor’s degree in Blackfeet Culture and Language at Blackfeet Community College.

“My current work with BEK has been an incredible experience, and I am excited for the future as we honor and preserve our way of life.”

We’re excited to highlight Brantlee and the important work she does to support Blackfeet language and our community. 🤎

09/16/2026

📣 OYISS BLACKFEET LANGUAGE PROJECT — ENROLLMENT RELAUNCH

We are excited to announce that, in addition to the mothers already participating in the Oyiss Blackfeet Language Project, we are reopening enrollment for 10 more expectant mothers! ❤️

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we have an opportunity to welcome additional families into the program. For this relaunch, we are especially seeking mothers who are earlier in their pregnancies, preferably in their second trimester. We are hoping to have more time with baby in utero, allowing mothers and babies to begin their Blackfeet language journey together from the very beginning.

The Oyiss Project is a 3-year commitment, supporting Blackfeet language learning from in utero through age 3 through language immersion, cultural teachings, storytelling, lullabies, ceremonies, and learning alongside first-language speakers and Knowledge Keepers.

Mothers who were part of our original group and have since given birth are still welcome and encouraged to continue participating! This relaunch is simply an opportunity to welcome more mothers and babies into the program. 🧡

📧 Interested in joining? Please email [email protected] and [email protected] for more information.

09/11/2026

Blackfeet Eco Knowledge had the privilege of attending the 2nd Annual Tribal Maternal Health Convening today! Our Co-Founder & Project Officer, Lona Runningwolf, shared the purpose of Blackfeet Eco Knowledge and the work we are currently doing through our Oyiss Blackfeet Language Project, which supports Blackfeet language learning with babies from in utero through age 3. ❤️

We were lucky to hear from so many amazing individuals and programs, and our team left with so much knowledge that we’ll carry with love into our Oyiss project. We also made some amazing connections and can’t wait to share more in the future. Thank you for the invitation and for bringing us together for such a meaningful day!

Address

Browning, MT
59417

Website

http://www.blackfeetecoknowledge.org/

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