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This embroidered 2.5 inch X 2 inch patch, representing the tribal shield of The Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Community, is available exclusively from the MMDC by sending a check or money order of $8.00 plus $1.00 for shipping and handling, all of which is tax deductible, to:
Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Community at PO Box 50835
Mendota MN 55150.
Please allow two weeks for shipping.
Below is a explanation of the tribal shield.

Six Sacred Directions:
Blue Half Circle - Sky
Green Half Circle - Earth
Red represents the north - where we came from
Yellow represents the east - where the sun is born
White represents the south - journey to the spirit world
Black represents the west - where the sun dies and life-giving rain comes
Upper Left Quadrant - The confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. Ancestral homeland of Mendota.
Upper Right Quadrant - Pipe signifies prayer.
Lower Left Quadrant - Survival as a People
Lower Right Quadrant - Father Sun - Mother Earth
Seven Feathers - Oceti Sakowin - Seven sacred fires of Dakota or Sioux Nation.

MINNESOTA INDIAN WOMEN’S RESOURCE CENTER

Employment Opportunity

FAMILY ASSESSMENT WORKER

10/14/08

MIWRC is seeking a dedicated individual to work with families accessing the Family Stabilization Program.

QUALIFICATIONS:

1. Bachelor’s degree in human services preferred; 2 years college required.

2. At least 2 years experience working with American Indian families in social service

or other related field with a specific focus in child welfare issues.

3. Knowledgeable in the Indian Child Welfare Act and the Minnesota Indian Preservation Act is required.

4. Knowledgeable in the current social service systems.

5. Knowledgeable in the American Indian culture, and the current resources available in the community.

6. Knowledgeable and have computer skills.

Other Qualifications:

7. Valid Driver’s License with a satisfactory driving record.

Must have own vehicle and be willing to transport as needed.

8. Must have no current problem related to alcohol or drug use.

9. Must submit to DHS Rule #3, Criminal Background Study.

Demonstrated ability to:

1. Maintain highly confidential and sensitive information.

2. Ability to exemplify professional conduct and ethical standards.

3. Provide effective communication: interpersonal and listening skills with clients and staff.

4. Work in a cooperative team relationship with MIWRC agency staff, and county staff

to coordinate client services and programming.

5. Ability to be flexible to meet scheduled intakes with Child Protection Investigator.

6. Perform at a highly multi-tasking position and maintain professionalism under stressful situations.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

7. Maintain an active caseload of 15-20 families; majority of client services will be delivered in various settings.

8. Deliver direct services to client families including:  strengths & needs assessment, assessment service plans,

develop referral services and complete case termination reports.

9. Maintain client case documentation and keep current on a weekly basis.

10. Facilitate Family Service parenting group when needed.

11. Provide client transportation when needed.

12. Present weekly client cases for consultation with Program Manager and Licensed Health Professional.

13.  Respond to other duties as assigned.

REPORTING AND SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Family Assessment Worker reports directly to the Family Stabilization Director and has no supervisory responsibilities.

JOB CLASSIFICTION: Full-time; Regular; Exempt

TO APPLY: Send Resume to skincade@miwrc.org and request Employment Application from the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center , 2300 15^th Avenue South , Minneapolis , MN 55404 .  Phone 612-728-2000, fax 612-728-2039.

Visit www.miwrc.org to learn more about us.

Equal Opportunity Employer

JA-08-011

A-Famservassessment

If you are looking for a very interesting book to read, I recommend Dan O’Brien’s true account of his buffalo ranch.  The title is ‘Buffalo For The Broken Heart‘ Restoring Life to a Black Hills Ranch.  Here is a brief synopsis - For twenty years Dan has struggled to make ends meet on his South Dakota cattle ranch.  He becomes inspired at a yearly buffalo roundup, converts his ranch, The Broken Heart,to buffalo.  His journey restored the buffalo to his land for the first time in more than a century and a half.
Check it out at your local library

Becky Wiggins

by Waziyatawin (Author), Ph.D. (Author)

The story of the Dakota People in Minnesota since the  arrival of Europeans in their homeland is one that has been repeated throughout the Americas. Indigenous Peoples have suffered genocide, ethnic cleansing, mass executions, broken treaties, and land theft—a partial list of the traumatic circumstances that are still affecting Native societies today. In What Does Justice Look Like?, author Waziyatawin relates the history of her People in Minisota, providing historical details about treaty violations, resource theft, and the  deliberate destruction of Dakota culture. She shows how Dakota People paid and continue to pay the ultimate price for Minnesota’s statehood.  She then goes further, to outline a vision of what it would take for the historical harms to her People to be made right.
This book explores how we can embark on a path of transformation to respectful coexistence with those whose ancestral homeland this is. Doing justice is central to this process. Without justice, many Dakota say, healing and transformation on both sides cannot occur, and good, authentic relations cannot develop between our Peoples.

Waziyatawin is a Wahpetunwan Dakota scholar and activist of the Pezihutazizi Otunwe in southwestern Minnesota. Her book What Does Justice Look Like? offers an opportunity to learn the long-untold history and what it has meant for the Dakota People. On that basis, the book offers the further opportunity to explore what we can do between us as Peoples to reverse patterns of genocide and oppression and instead to do justice with a depth of good faith, commitment, and action that would be genuinely new for Native and non-Native relations.

What Does Justice Look Like? stands as a powerful contribution to the national and international discussion of Indigenous Peoples’ rights.

Gathering for Our Children & Returning Adoptees

Pow wow

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Minneapolis American Indian Center

1530 East Franklin Avenue | Minneapolis , MN 55404

Emcee: Jerry Dearly

Special Guest: Senator James Abourezk—Former South Dakota Senator who originally introduced ICWA to congress in 1977

Co-Host Drum: Healing Spirit Drum Group

* * * *

1:00pm –Grand Entry

· Special Honor Song and recognition of Foster Children and Foster and Adoptive Families

· Honor Song for those who worked on ICWA legislation

5:30pm—Feast

7:00pm—Grand Entry

· Wablenica Ceremony: Jerry Dearly & Sandra White Hawk

· The Wablencia Song will be sung for those returning adoptees and fostered individuals and their families.

* * * *

This pow wow is a celebration of our community’s strengths. As we continue to gather and acknowledge the strengths of our families, we heal from the intergenerational trauma within our extended family systems. As our families and communities heal, we are better able to adopt and foster our Native children.

Sponsored by: Hennepin County , First Nations Orphan Association, Ramsey County , Division of Indian Work, Indigenous Women’s Network

LIMITED VENDOR BOOTHS!!! Vendors contact Sandy White Hawk

Contacts:

· Sandy White Hawk: 651.442.4872 | sadoptee@yahoo.com

· Tina Knafla: 612.348.9662 | tina.knafla@co.hennepin.mn.us

· Rachel Kupcho: 612.669.6644 | rkupcho@hotmail.com

EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!!!