Tribes: Lakota, Ojibwa, and Taos Pueblo

age: 24

name: Elyssa Sierra Concha (commonly known as Sierra)

-What are the first 3 words that come to mind when you hear the word healing?

The first three words i think of are liberation, peace of mind, and forward.

-Bio and backstory, tell us what you do and a but about how you came to do it?

I am a Lakota language immersion kindergarten teacher at Red Cloud Indian School. I'm employed under Thunder Valley CDC and I'm apart of the partnership between both organizations (Red Cloud and Thunder Valley CDC). I teach my students reading, writing, math, and all subjects in our language. I began learning the Lakota language the summer of 2018 and began teaching August 2018. I studied day and night whenever I wasn't working in order to achieve proficient fluency by August 2019. I incorporate our way of life and culture in any way I can at school. Rather than rules, I teach them our seven Lakota values, last summer we focused on plants and animals on our Reservation as well as a four-week course on the history of our medicine wheel.

I graduated from Black Hills State University with a Bachelor's degree in English. I had no idea what I wanted to do, but this job arose and I've never adapted to anything better. I also teach Level 1 lakota language classes for adults five nights a week 5-6pm fall and spring semester. I work over twelve hours most days, and it is the most rewarding work I could imagine to do. I am teaching children solely in our Lakota language, created a curriculum that fits state standards, learning old stories, histories of our ceremonies, and so much more. I get to speak 45 minutes a day in our language with our fluent speaker hired to help the employees and students, and I attend level 3 lakota language classes five nights a week 4-5pm. I learn as well as teach every day. I am proud to be apart of the revitalization movement on our Pine Ridge Reservation.