Life in the Land: Blackfeet Nation: Piikani Lodge Health Institute; Kim Paul

Piikani Lodge Health Institute (PLHI) is a community-driven organization that integrates traditional lifeways to create resiliency for the people and biosystems of the Blackfeet Nation, in Northwest Montana. They use holistic approaches and the guidance of traditional lifeways to meet community led and community focused needs. They lead programs on the ground and conduct research, integrating both Western and Indigenous Research Methodologies. Their work encompasses climate adaptation, job and career creation, opioid misuse prevention, regenerative grazing, and youth outdoor programs, recognizing the interconnectedness of community well-being with the health of the ecosystem they are a part of, and connecting to traditional lifeways. We hear from Kim Paul, Director and Founder of PLHI, on her own journey to this work, the importance of holistic approaches and efforts that are truly community-led, and the empowerment in connecting with traditional lifeways and cultural history that have been pushed away through assimilation policies of the last 200 years. We also hear from Tyrel Fenner, Hydrologist for PLHI, on his work with their climate adaptation and regenerative grazing programs, as well as Jimi Champ, Vocational and Horticulture Teacher at Browning High School, who is partnering with PLHI on a snow fence project.

LINKS:

Piikani Lodge Health Institute, also on FB & IG

The Blackfeet Climate Adaptation Plan

Blackfeet Agricultural Resource Management Plan, FB Page

Blackfeet Community College

This episode is part of the Life in the Land project, which is a series of films and podcasts produced by Stories for Action, which hears from folks that interact with the complexities of Montana's landscapes, speaking to the value of locally-led work and the holistic approaches needed for the health of communities and the ecosystems they're a part of. Find out more about the project and watch the films at LifeintheLand.org

This episode was Co-Produced by Lailani Upham of Iron Shield Creative.

Stories for Action holds a mission to use the power of storytelling to create human connection and advance a thriving planet for all. StoriesforAction.org  Follow along on our Instagram and Facebook: @StoriesforAction