Tipi Iyokine STEM Initiative

The Native BioData Consortium in collaborative partnership with Turtle Island, LLC has initiated a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) Education Initiative titled Tipi Iyokine, in the Lakota language translates into “raising of the tipi’s (collectivity).” The Tipi Iyokine merges ancient traditional knowledge with STEM education modules. The Tipi Iyokine STEM initiative is comprised of culturally tailored modules designed to meet the learning styles and behaviors of members of the Lakota people in South Dakota. The Tipi Iyokine STEM initiative provides culturally tailored modules in consideration of cultural sensitivity. The initiative is a one-year program that consists of four modules each highlight one of the four core foundational STEM applications while simultaneously integrating traditional knowledge embedded in the Lakota language as a two-fold language and learning emersion technique. Each module will involve Face to face (F2F) learning activities, hands-on experiments, group projects, mentorship from subject matter experts, utility of computers, Wi-Fi, application-based learning modules and culturally relevant learning techniques. In addition to the in-class and online interface, design of Tipi Iyokine places emphasis on external, culturally tailored, community-based STEM projects to support ongoing efforts by indigenous peoples in preservation of cultural heritage and native languages. The use of multicultural and multilinguistic education modules will be utilized over the course of the year. The Tipi Iyokine STEM Initiative is designed to advance career interests in STEM related careers, support academic and cultural initiatives that provide long-term sustainable developments, entrepreneurial opportunities while advancing the preservation of indigenous cultural heritage and languages. 

Our proposed STEM centered education modules offer hands-on and minds-on concentration activities that are fundamental towards co-creating a learning space contributing to the already existing traditional knowledge-based systems within members of the Oglala Lakota Tribe. The application of technology used is a two-fold approach, the first academic curricula that uses a combination of Technology, Engineering blended with Sciences and Mathematics curriculum. In the first stage of concentrated areas of education, each incorporates various aspects of technology under STEM, such as, electronics, sensing, motion, and programming (Algorithm development), prototyping, and building real-world projects models from LED to Robotics applications. External variables include application learning, controlling, collecting, and analyzing real world data from various real-world applications (agriculture, aquaponics, mechatronics, physical gaming, medical, safety & security and many more). The outcome is to produce individuals with greater interest in Science and Math related subjects as well as enhancing their skills in Problem Solving abilities, Computational Thinking, while leveraging Design Rational, Ingenuity, Communication, Partnerships, Data and Digital Literacy all of which encompasses the basic fundamental components of Computer Sciences.

To carry out the above activities to achieve the outcomes, we incorporated software and hardware tools such as FlowLogic 6, a simple beginner’s visual flowchart-based Algorithm development tool that runs on Windows OS computers and interfaced with Arduino Uno microcontroller, in which various Digital devices, sensors, motion actuators will be connected to it, for learners to carry out engineering and innovation works by building prototypes, incorporating various STEM elements related to real-world solutions and or designed as a tool to evaluate and compute data, and later, work with hands on experts to identify pivotal advancements to increase efficiency, identify gaps, and correlate machine learning with cultural preservation initiatives. The real-world functionality of their innovation will be driven physically by the Algorithm developed (no coding required) by using FlowLogic 6 via the Arduino microcontroller connected the computer USB port, which deepens their thinking processes, expands knowledge bases where individuals will be able to synthesize and develop multifaceted algorithms, increase conceptual knowledge towards improving innovations and in turn empower industrial development. FlowLogic 6 software was solely developed to simplify STEM exploration to cultivate the fundamental hard skills of the Industrial 4.0 technologies and thinking processes such as computational, critical and design thinking learning initiatives, which are core and fundamental strategies towards enhancing innovation within emerging fields of Engineering. This approach has proven effective as a strength-based learning strategy implemented in part of technology advancements to encourage future STEM educators for the digitalized world. 

The Lakota reside on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation located in South Dakota with a land mass of approximately 3,468.85 square miles, making it the second largest Indian reservations in the United States. Pine Ridge is located in the counties of Oglala Lakota, Bennett, and Jackson counties, of the 3,142 counties in the US, these counties are the poorest. The reservation has an 89% unemployment rate, average per capita income is $8,768 per year, where 48.2% of Lakota people live below the poverty line. There is little industry to provide adequate jobs or adequate sources of economic development due to federal Indian laws that subjugate the basic legal and human rights of tribes to assess socioeconomic needs adequately. The life expectancy for males is 48 years; females is 52 years on the Reservation. The maternal mortality rate for Native women in South Dakota is 121.77 deaths per 100,000 births, significantly higher than the national average of 32.9 deaths per 100,000 births. Infant mortality rates are one of the highest in the nation per capita. Cervical cancer is 500% higher along with diabetes at 800% higher than the U.S. national average. The Federal Commodity Food Program provides high fat and processed foods increasing rates of diabetes and heart disease. Moreover, 1 out of every 4 Lakota children born are fostered or adopted out to non-Indian homes causing severe emotional, behavioral, issues. High teenage suicide rate which is 150% higher than the U.S national average. The key aspects of the population served is the importance of sustaining cultural heritage or often referred to as “living heritage’ is important because it offers individuals a sense of identity, belonging, and purpose. Due to intergenerational impact of colonization, the psychological and physiological impact of loss of culture, language, kinship systems severely impact longevity of population. 

Gaining access to Indigenous people's invaluable traditional knowledge, including subsets of knowledge infused into indigenous languages, cultural ethos, and kinship systems may provide opportunity for alignment with western liner modern sectors in technology and science. Advancements as such provide opportunity for expansion within existing knowledge systems, sustainability, while advancing STEM-based initiatives leading to innovative solutions towards current challenges (humanistic, climate, socioeconomic, cultural). Aligning Indigenous people's cultural heritage with today's advanced STEM curriculum can lead to higher interests in STEM education within indigenous populations, improve socioeconomic status, increase system efficacy, mitigate policies, and influence challenges facing humanity such as climate change. Additionally, ensuring capital investments in STEM education modules designed through a culturally diverse lens will support new spaces where the interfaces of western knowledge and indigenous knowledge systems merge. The long-term investment in culturally centered STEM modules can provide modernization of ancient knowledge systems while improving on existing advancements in science and technology, by doing can increase greater outcomes for all living beings (human and non-human) including climate adaptation and preservation of ecosystems. This is the first initiative that will seek to explore interrelations utilizing multicultural, multilingual, and culturally centered versatile approaches working directly with indigenous communities. Exchanging of knowledge sharing of ancient ethos in this modern dichotomy of which indigenous peoples exist under the illusion of sovereignty could support, revitalize ancient knowledge, and defuse intergenerational discourse through diversity and humanism.

By aligning traditional knowledge of Indigenous peoples with today's advanced STEM curriculum can lead to greater outcome influencing acceptance and support of diversity, inclusivity, and equality. The psychological to physical (wholeness of one being) can be influenced through humanistic attributes that consider the collective of all peoples not siloed ethnicities. To seek unity and healing of all creations begins with learning of all life creations, which includes STEM modules. These STEM modules will provide living framework, access to advanced knowledge sets of cultural ethos aligned with STEM modules. Economic growth is based on a one-sided perspective that elongates the issues rather than seeking collaborative approaches such as Tipi Rising. The base goal is to enhance vision building goals, utilize capital measures, and to enhance intergenerational STEM Cultural Educational modules for future utility and long-term sustainability. Tipi Rising will utilize STEM education modules to Indigenous communities, non-indigenous, members, and train future indigenous cultural STEM stewards. Ensuring capital investments will aid in securing access to vital resources such as computers, provide access to Wi-Fi, employ cultural mentors and support staff, each vital aspects necessary to improve quality outcomes and overall sustainability. Such investments would allow access to contract and employee community members as cultural advisors and are fluent in their native language(s) to provide cultural guidance, linguistic analysis, and further redesign and develop STEM education modules by indigenous peoples in a knowledge sharing capacity for use in current challenges impacting humanity, life itself.

# of people serving: 10+
# of people serving in one year: 100
# in 5 years: 200-500+
# of people directly and meaningfully affect: Incalculable - Intergenerational

Tribal members and enrolled students who reside on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Key contributors are the following: Oglala Sioux Tribal Education Committee, Education Director, Pine Ridge School for Girls Board of Directors, Director, and Administrator. Stakeholders include STEM Education Company President/CEO and Vice-President of Turtle Island, LLC as partners. Fiscal agent and partner includes the Native BioData Consortium who provides support for academic related initiatives related to STEM education. 

As an enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota Tribe I have always given back to my people, protected future generations through my advocacy work in cultural sustainability, and shown through my actions that I stand in spiritual solidarity with my oyate (people) just as we are taught. It is a cultural teaching to learn and return to help our people in any which way possible. 

Through this scaled initiative I aim to be able to replicate this solution within various tribal nations and indigenous populations within the United States and internationally. The approximate number of individuals and or indigenous populations is incalculable and contingent upon the data and outcome of approaches and succession of scaling initative.