Building Resilient Communities: A Moral Responsibility | Nick Tilsen | TEDxRapidCity

Summary

Nick Tilson, a father and citizen of the Oglala Lakota Nation, shares his community's struggle with poverty on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. He emphasizes the importance of understanding their history, reconnection with culture, and leadership to build sustainable communities. The script highlights a transformative movement among the youth, focusing on healing, responsibility, and community engagement to combat challenges like unemployment and low life expectancy. Tilson discusses an ambitious vision for a planned community with high sustainability goals, breaking ground in Thunder Valley, aiming to inspire and improve the lives of indigenous people and beyond.

Takeaways

• 🏰 Nick Tilson is a citizen of the Oceti Sakowin Nation and a father of four, emphasizing the importance of understanding history for building resilient communities.
• 📚 Coming from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, he highlights the area's struggle and poverty, noting it didn't happen by accident and is part of a history that needs acknowledgment.
• 🌿 The speaker recalls the sustainable communities and economies of the past, particularly the reliance on the buffalo for sustenance, shelter, and societal roles.
• 👥 The leadership of indigenous peoples from the Great Plains is identified as a crucial element for the resilience and sustainability of their communities.
• 🤝 The speaker discusses the conflict between indigenous views of resources and the industrialization of America, which has led to disconnection between people and the environment.
• 🏞️ The importance of the land to indigenous identity is underscored, with the speaker noting that land loss and assimilation policies have had profound impacts on indigenous communities.
• 📉 The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation faces extreme challenges, including 80% unemployment, low life expectancy, and conditions akin to third-world poverty.
• 🔄 A movement of young indigenous people reconnecting with their culture, spirituality, and identity is described as a source of hope and empowerment.
• 🌱 The process of community engagement and healing is presented as essential for taking responsibility and solving the problems faced by indigenous communities.
• 🏗️ A vision for a planned community on Pine Ridge with the highest goals of sustainability is shared, including 100% water reclamation and energy generation.
• 🌐 The speaker calls for a collective moral responsibility to address poverty and support indigenous communities, emphasizing the need for change in philanthropy and policy.

Q & A

Who is Nick Tilson and what is his primary role?

Nick Tilson is a citizen of the Oglala Lakota Nation and a father of four children. His primary role is to be an advocate for his community, focusing on understanding history, building resilient communities, and addressing the poverty and challenges faced by his people.

What is the significance of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in Nick's narrative?

The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is significant as it is where Nick comes from and represents a place of struggle and poverty. It is also a place that holds historical context for the challenges faced by indigenous peoples and serves as a starting point for discussions on building sustainable communities.

How did the lifestyle of the indigenous people on the Great Plains contribute to a sustainable economy?

The lifestyle of the indigenous people on the Great Plains was centered around the buffalo, which provided food, shelter, and societal roles. This reliance on a single, abundant resource allowed for a sustainable economy and a way of life that was deeply connected to the environment and its resources.

What is the historical policy that impacted the indigenous identity in America?

The historical policy that impacted the indigenous identity in America was the assimilation policy, which aimed to integrate American Indians into mainstream society. This policy led to the suppression of indigenous culture and identity, causing a disconnect between indigenous peoples and their traditional ways of life.

What are some of the current challenges faced by the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation?

The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation faces numerous challenges, including an 80% unemployment rate, a low life expectancy for males (48 years) and females (52 years), and third-world poverty conditions. These issues are exacerbated by the lack of resources and opportunities within the community.

What role did the movement of reconnecting to culture, spirituality, and identity play in the Pine Ridge community?

The movement of reconnecting to culture, spirituality, and identity played a crucial role in empowering the Pine Ridge community. It led to a sense of responsibility and self-reliance, motivating the community to take charge of their future and address the challenges they face.

How did the community engagement process impact the vision for the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation?

The community engagement process allowed for the inclusion of diverse perspectives, from young people to elders. This inclusive approach led to a vision for a planned community with high sustainability goals, such as 100% water reclamation and energy generation, which was designed to transform not only Pine Ridge but also to serve as a model for the world.

What is the significance of the phrase 'kill the Indian, but save the man' in the script?

The phrase 'kill the Indian, but save the man' reflects the historical assimilation policies that aimed to eradicate indigenous culture while preserving the individual as a member of mainstream society. This approach was damaging to the indigenous identity and spirit, leading to a need for cultural reclamation and healing.

How does Nick Tilson view the role of leadership in addressing the challenges faced by indigenous communities?

Nick Tilson views leadership as essential in addressing the challenges faced by indigenous communities. He emphasizes the need for the same kind of leadership that existed long ago, which was capable of navigating difficult circumstances and making decisions for the collective good of the community.

What is the significance of the groundbreaking for the Thunder Valley development mentioned in the script?

The groundbreaking for the Thunder Valley development is significant as it represents the realization of the community's vision for a sustainable and resilient future. It is a tangible step towards creating a planned community with the highest goals of sustainability, marking a new chapter in the history of Pine Ridge.

What is the broader message that Nick Tilson hopes to convey to the audience?

The broader message that Nick Tilson hopes to convey is the importance of understanding history, reclaiming cultural identity, and taking collective responsibility for addressing the challenges faced by indigenous communities. He emphasizes the need for a bottom-up approach to community development, where solutions are designed and implemented by the community itself.

Outlines

00:00

🏞️ Historical Struggles and Sustainable Communities

Nick Tilson introduces himself as a citizen of the Oglala Nation and a father, emphasizing the importance of understanding history to build resilient communities. He hails from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, a place of significant struggle and poverty, which he attributes to historical events rather than mere accidents. Tilson highlights the once sustainable economies and communities of the indigenous people, particularly their reliance on buffalo for sustenance and societal structure. He also touches on the leadership qualities of his ancestors and the need for similar leadership today. The narrative discusses the conflict over resources and the differing views of indigenous people, which have contributed to the challenges faced by Native Americans. Tilson stresses the importance of the connection to land for indigenous identity and the devastating effects of land theft and industrialization on their communities. He concludes by describing the current dire situation at Pine Ridge, with high unemployment, low life expectancy, and third-world poverty conditions existing within America.

05:03

🌱 Cultural Reconnection and Community Empowerment

This paragraph delves into the transformative movement among the youth at Pine Ridge, who are reconnecting with their culture, spirituality, and identity. Tilson shares personal anecdotes of community engagement and the awakening of a sense of responsibility among the people. He recounts a pivotal moment in 2006 when a group of young people were challenged during a ceremonial gathering to stop complaining and start taking action. This led to the creation of an organization focused on addressing the root causes of poverty and taking full responsibility for solving community problems. Tilson emphasizes the importance of healing and the role of cultural identity and ceremonies in that process. He also discusses the community's vision for a sustainable and planned community with ambitious goals, including 100% water reclamation and energy generation, aiming to be a model for the rest of America. The narrative includes a touching story of a 92-year-old woman expressing her appreciation for being asked about her desires for the future, highlighting the shift from a top-down approach to a community-driven one.

10:06

🌟 Breaking Ground on a Visionary Sustainable Development

In the final paragraph, Tilson shares the exciting news of the groundbreaking for a new development project at Thunder Valley, set to take place on June 22nd. This project represents a commitment to a community-driven process and a solution to the community's challenges. He explains that the vision for this development is not just big but necessary, given the scale of the problems faced. The development is designed to be a model for sustainability and is the result of collaboration between community members, young and old, and designers. Tilson stresses that this is not an end but a beginning, a pathway for the community to take charge of its future and to address climate change through design. The project aims to consider people, planet, and prosperity in every decision, focusing on energy, water, and material cycles to build communities in harmony with their beliefs. He concludes by emphasizing the moral obligation to address poverty and the need for collective wisdom to ensure a sustainable future for all, highlighting the importance of community engagement and the potential for this project to inspire even greater achievements in the future.

Keywords

💡Pine Ridge Indian Reservation

The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is a region in South Dakota that is home to the Oglala Lakota people. It is depicted in the video as a place of struggle and poverty, being one of the poorest places in America. The speaker, Nick Tilson, hails from this reservation and uses it as a backdrop to discuss the history of indigenous communities and their resilience. The term is central to understanding the challenges faced by indigenous peoples and the efforts to build sustainable communities.

💡Sustainable Communities

Sustainable communities are those that are designed to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In the video, Nick Tilson discusses the historical sustainability of indigenous communities, particularly those on the Great Plains, which were built around sustainable economies and cultural practices. The concept is integral to the video's theme of creating resilient and self-sufficient communities.

💡Cultural Identity

Cultural identity refers to the sense of belonging and self-definition that comes from one's culture, traditions, and shared history. In the context of the video, Nick Tilson emphasizes the importance of reconnecting with cultural identity as a means of healing and empowerment for indigenous peoples. It is a key component in the process of building resilient communities and reclaiming a sense of self-determination.

💡Assimilation

Assimilation is the process by which a minority group adopts the customs, language, and practices of a dominant culture. The video describes the historical policy of assimilating Native Americans into mainstream society, which led to a loss of cultural identity and human spirit. This term is crucial for understanding the historical context of the struggles faced by indigenous peoples and the importance of cultural preservation.

💡Leadership

Leadership in the video is portrayed as a vital element from the past that is necessary for addressing contemporary challenges. It refers to the historical leadership of indigenous peoples living on the Great Plains, which was characterized by resilience and a hard yet meaningful lifestyle. The speaker calls for a return to this kind of leadership to guide the community towards a sustainable future.

💡Healing

Healing, as discussed in the video, is a process of recovery and restoration, particularly in the context of overcoming historical traumas and cultural disruptions. It is presented as a necessary precursor to taking responsibility for solving community problems and building resilience. The term is used to illustrate the importance of addressing emotional and spiritual wounds before moving forward with tangible solutions.

💡Resilience

Resilience in the video is defined as the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties and is closely tied to the concept of building sustainable communities. The speaker discusses the need for resilience in the face of historical challenges and current poverty conditions, emphasizing that the solutions to these problems lie within the community itself.

💡Regeneration

Regeneration in the context of the video refers to the process of renewal and restoration, particularly in terms of community and environmental health. It is presented as a goal for community development that goes beyond mere sustainability to include the healing of the human spirit. The term is used to describe the holistic approach taken in the development of the Pine Ridge community.

💡One Planet Living

One Planet Living is a concept that promotes living within the environmental means of one planet, ensuring that the needs of the present are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In the video, the speaker describes the Pine Ridge community's goal to become a one planet community, which is a reflection of their commitment to sustainable living and responsible resource use.

💡Community Engagement

Community engagement in the video is depicted as a critical process for involving all members of the community, including youth, elders, and stakeholders, in decision-making and problem-solving. It is highlighted as a way to ensure that the solutions developed are truly representative of the community's needs and desires, leading to more effective and sustainable outcomes.

💡Indigenous Peoples

Indigenous peoples, as mentioned in the video, are the original inhabitants of a particular region who have a historical connection to the land and a distinct cultural identity. The term is central to the video's narrative, which focuses on the struggles and resilience of indigenous communities, particularly in the context of historical injustices and the pursuit of sustainable and culturally respectful living.

Highlights

Nick Tilson, a citizen of the Oglala Nation and father of four, emphasizes the importance of understanding history to build resilient communities.

Tilson hails from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, one of the poorest places in America, with historical struggles not by accident.

The speaker acknowledges the need to look to the past to find solutions for poverty and build sustainable communities.

Sustainable economies of the past, such as those of the Great Plains Indians, are highlighted as a model for current community building.

Leadership from the past is identified as essential for addressing current challenges and building a better future.

The conflict over resources and differing views of indigenous peoples versus the West is discussed as a historical challenge.

Indigenous peoples' deep connection to the land and its impact on their identity and struggles is emphasized.

The historical policy of assimilating Native Americans into mainstream society and its effects on the human spirit is critiqued.

Land loss and its ongoing impact on indigenous communities, including the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, is discussed.

The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation faces extreme challenges, including 80% unemployment and very low life expectancy.

A movement among young indigenous people to reconnect with culture, spirituality, and identity is described as a source of hope.

The importance of taking responsibility for solving community problems and the role of healing in this process is highlighted.

The need for a bottom-up approach to community development, involving all stakeholders, is advocated.

A vision for a planned community on Pine Ridge with high sustainability goals, including 100% water reclamation and energy generation, is presented.

The process of community engagement leading to a shared vision for the future is detailed, emphasizing the importance of including all voices.

The groundbreaking for the Thunder Valley development, a significant step towards the community's vision, is announced.

The importance of a collective approach to solving problems, focusing on people helping people, is underscored.

The concept of designing communities with respect for natural cycles and one-planet living is introduced.

The moral obligation to address poverty and support indigenous communities is discussed, calling for a change in philanthropic focus.

The collective wisdom of meeting present needs without compromising future generations is presented as a guiding principle.

Transcripts

[Applause]

Nickson my name is Nick Tilson I'm a

citizen of theota nation um most

importantly a father of four

children um in order to really

understand the history or to understand

building resilient community

we have to understand the history uh I

come from the Pine Ridge Indian

Reservation it's a place of struggle

it's one of the poorest places in

America uh but it it didn't happen by

accident the Pine Ridge Indian

reservation and the poverty that exist

year um didn't didn't happen just we

didn't stumble upon this problem and uh

and so it's part of the history that we

we needed to acknowledge and as a as a

community in order for us to figure out

how we get out of poverty as a people

and how we're going to build sustainable

communities we look to our past and

realize that we lived in sustainable

communities built around sustainable

economies not that long ago in fact

Indian people living on the great PLS

were sustainable economies we had a

whole lifestyle that was surrounded

around the Buffalo it provided food it

provided shelter it provided a societal

roles for people and we built cultural

and governance structures around it this

wasn't that long ago that we did that

it's also really really important to

understand that we came from a people of

leaders who took leadership that living

on the Great Plains in the way that we

did a long time ago although it's

romanticized by Hollywood and other

places it was a hard lifestyle it was a

really hard way to live but we had

leadership that same leadership that

existed long ago go is the kind of

leadership that we need to that we need

to have

today we're in a place where conflict

and a view of different resources

created a challenging history for

America where we believed as indigenous

peoples our our view of resources was

very

different and that that led to

challenges for for the West it led for

challenges of how this country was built

and led a lot of Disconnect between

people in the in the natural

environment to really understand the

challenges that exist in Indian country

today you have to

really understand our connection to land

indigenous peoples have connection to

all surrounding especially land so the

steing of our land and the

industrialization of America was

directly related to the plight of

indigenous peoples in America America

the other part of that is our whole

entire identity as indigenous people was

connected to the land our identity was

really built around internal Foundation

of who we are and at one time in history

there was this saying uh kill the Indian

but save the man it was just the whole

idea to assimilate the American Indian

into mainstream society and policies

were created around that entire policies

were created of assimilating Native

Americans into mainstream society and

what that did to our human spirit in in

the history of this country and the

history of American Indian people that

led us to a place of Revolution it led

us to a place of of basically denying

that basically saying that the fact of

us living and moving forward as a people

we're going to have to do that the exact

opposite of what was done to us we need

to reclaim who we

are the land land loss that happened to

us as a people really continues to have

impact on us today the most important

thing about all this is today the Pine

Ridge Indian Reservation located in

Western South Dakota about 80 mi from

where we're at has some of the toughest

challenges facing anybody in

America 80% unemployment exist on Pine

Ridge over half of the young people are

under the age of

26 um life expectancy for males on Pine

Ridge is 48 years old 52 for women it's

actually the lowest life expectancy of

any community in the entire Western

Hemisphere with the exception of Haiti

and this is third world poverty

conditions right here smack dab in the

middle of America 80 mil south of

here but what's happening there right

now and the movement that I've been able

to be a part of is really really

exciting over the past 10 or 15 years

there's been a movement of us young

people that begin to reconnect to our

culture to our spirituality to our

identity all those statistics that you

that you sometimes read and hear about

Pine Ridge we are of th of those

statistics we are of those places and

through through our work we've been able

to reconnect to our culture and our

spirituality and in that a sense a whole

entire sense of uh responsibility has

come from that when we look at the

challenges that we're faced with we

recognize that the answers to the

solving these problems Is Us in fact we

used to sit around and complain about

the challenges that we have um as a

tribe and as a community in fact in

2006 there was a group of us probably

about 20 or 30 young people that were

sitting around a sweat lodge or in an

nepi and we were complaining about the

way that the re is the challenges that

we're faced with we went into that sweat

lodge and went into that inipi and the

in the through through through through

our ceremonial way of life a question

was posed to us as a group of young

people from our ancestors and the

question was how long are you going to

let other people decide the future for

your children are you not

Warriors and they said it's time to stop

talking and start doing to not come from

a place of fear but to come from a place

of

hope that motivated us that made us

realize yeah who are we waiting for and

although I'm talking about Pine Ridge

what I'm what I'm the message that I'm

saying is relevant

everywhere that led us to create an

organization that says okay we're going

to we're going to grab the problem by

the horns we're going to look at the

reasons why poverty is persistent in our

communities and we're going to take

full-on responsibility for solving the

problem but we also recognize that in

order for us to come to a place to do

that we had to get to a place of healing

and that's what this when we talk about

culture identity ceremonies these things

created healing for us to then take

responsibility because a lot of our

people and Indigenous peoples in America

have been

broken and fact I would actually argue

that a lot of America has been broken

for a long long time not just the

American Indian people and so we started

talking about

regeneration and resilience that doing

work in e iic development based on

regeneration based on resilience is as

much about as healing the human Spirit

as it is as creating green

buildings what this eventually uh led to

is a process a process of engaging our

community members just to give you an

example a few years ago when we were

doing community engagement processes on

Pine Ridge U there's a room probably as

much people that are in here and we had

stakeholders and we had elected

officials and we had Youth and we had

Elders at the end of that session that

we had I had a grandma come up to me 92

years old she shook my hand she said

grandson that was the best meeting I

ever went to in my

life and I said why is that wh why is

that she said my whole entire life

nobody ever asked me what I wanted for

my

future my whole entire life nobody ever

asked me what kind of jobs that I wanted

what kind of housing that I wanted

nobody ever asked me that she was 92

years old lived her entire life on the

pine R inan

reservation that that was shocking to me

because then I really realized what

we're doing what we're basically saying

is a top- down approach that created the

problems that exist in our community

that those days are over that those

solutions they were never Solutions

those strategies created and perpetuated

the problem and and that this movement

of re reclaiming who we are also has

huge ramifications when it comes to

policy the way um resources enter in our

community um and when when we become

empowered and take fullon responsibility

that we change the entire

Dynamic UN in our language means we in

our goal has always been that we are

better

together this process C of engaging the

community has led us to a huge

Vision a vision of creating a planned

community on the Pine Ridge Indian

Reservation with the highest goals of

sustainability than any other community

in America 100% Water

Reclamation 100% energy generation one

of the first Net Zero communities energy

communities in all of

America at Ground Zero Zero for poverty

in America

this development is about housing

community healing education about

designing the kind of communities that

we want to

live on our ideas of tomorrow being

actually implemented today these ideas

didn't come from Architects they didn't

come from Engineers they came from the

young people on penid they came from the

elders on pin Ridge and by combining

those ideas with our designers we have

created

a a design that we believe is going to

transform not only Pine Ridge but it's

going to transform the world and

throughout this

process so many people told me that's a

great

vision that's a good

idea but your vision's a little too big

Nick you're a little too all over the

place and every single time

100% of the time our answer was that's

just not true that our vision Vision has

to be at least as big as the challenges

that we're faced with at least as big

and that's anywhere in the

world so 3 to four years later I'm happy

to announce that on June 22nd of this

month we're actually breaking ground for

this development at Thunder

[Applause]

Valley

and and it's because our commitment to

process that we have arrived at this

solution that our commitment to that

this development and what we're doing is

not a destination it is absolutely a

pathway it's a pathway for people it's a

pathway to arriving at the solution in

fact we hope that everything that gets

inspired by what we're doing ends up

being 10 times better than where we

started at we hope that the Next

Generation takes it on even

further and this work also is about

human capital it's about people people

it's about people coming together

institutions organizations even

governments aren't going to solve the

problems people helping people is the

solution to solving the problems and

when people come together to build

community from all walks of life putting

in hard work with one another building

whether it be physically building houses

mentally uh building Community with one

another that's when you really see the

the true uh fruit of this process that's

what we're doing on Pine Ridge we really

are a gr a community of young people

that have come together who said that

we're going to take charge of our future

and that we're going to build a

community and we're going to tackle

climate change through design and we're

going to do that because it's simply

what's needed it's a responsibility that

we collectively have as a people and

that when we make our decision-making

processes we're not just going to look

at money we're not just going to look at

the people

we're going to look at people planet and

prosperity through one lens in every

decision that we make we're going to

look at the cycles of energy cycles and

water cycles material Cycles so that we

can actually build our communities by

respecting our

beliefs this is the thing that connects

us all that if everybody lived like an

American it would take six planets to

support life on Earth

that's just not right we have to change

that around we have to get back to One

Planet living and this community is on

its Pathway to becoming a one planet

community that of principles of living

within one planet by Design This isn't

complicated it's really about meeting

the needs of the present generation

without compromising the ability of

future generations to meet their own

needs this is a collective wisdom that

we must all

have even though Indian country

represents some of the most challenging

statistics in America less than 1% of

all philanthropy in the United States

goes to Indian Community that's wrong

that's another thing that we have to

change we have a moral obligation in

this country to make sure that nobody

suffers like the people on Pine

Ridge and that obligation is all of us

in our language we say

midak that we're all related

just like everybody in this room just

like everybody watching this we have a

collective moral responsibility to

solving poverty in the in the poorest

places in America in honoring the

Innovation that's there and we're

working hard to solve those problems and

we want to share those with the world

thank

[Applause]

you