Wicozani - to have spiritual wealth
The Wicozani Wellness Program focuses on promoting holistic wellness among Lakota youth and veterans of the Oglala Lakota Nation in Pine Ridge, SD. Through practices like yoga, meditation, skateboarding, reiki, and the Lakota Way of Life, the program aims to address historical and generational trauma, alleviate stress, and promote physical healing.
A key component of the program is teaching youth that they are the creators of their own medicine—
empowering them to take an active role in their healing using holistic methods deeply rooted in Lakota philosophy.
This approach fosters resilience and well-being by integrating cultural traditions with modern wellness practices, ensuring that the healing process is both personally
transformative and culturally relevant.Over the years, we have accomplished many important milestones in our mission to support mental health, including expanding our services and increasing accessibility to mental health resources.
A Relative's Reflection
“Working with health coach Jeanne was a transformative experience. She provided a safe, supportive space where I could laugh, cry, and openly share my life experiences without fear of judgment. Her compassionate and empowering coaching style helped me take meaningful steps toward my health goals. Jeanne’s unique approach beautifully blends her cultural roots with her deep passion for health coaching, making every session both inspiring and impactful.” — Kisha
Woyute ki Etaŋ Pežuta Oayé- Journey with Food as Medicine
Wóyute ki Etaŋ Pežúta Oyáye – Journey with Food as Medicine
Wóyute ki Etaŋ Pežúta Oyáye – Journey with Food as Medicine brings together cultural heritage, health education, and hands-on cooking to promote holistic wellness. Using the Healing Meals Grant and collaborating with the Knife Chief Buffalo Nation Society, we’ll host courses where local youth prepare traditional Lakota meals with fresh, locally sourced ingredients—learning healthy eating, reconnecting to ancestral foods, and creating Sovereign Nourishment by infusing Lakota/Indigenous ingredients and recipes with modern cuisine.
Rooted in wicozani—the balance of body, mind, and spirit—this project empowers our community to reclaim health through bison, chokecherries, wild rice, blue corn, turnips, and other traditional foods that have nourished our people for generations. We do this in part through our annual buffalo harvest, which provides both sustenance and teachings on living in harmony with the land.
We honor and support our families, our relatives, and organizations as they cultivate nutritional wellness and put it into action. This is how we embody wicozani: by turning traditional knowledge into daily practice and empowering people to live well in body, mind, and spirit.
Guided by elders’ wisdom, we strive to live in harmony with the land, our families, our relatives, and Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ, nurturing a future where the Lakota community is empowered to care for its health and create its own medicine.
Harvesting
Takoja Bea harvesting canpas "chokecherries"
Tatanka Harvest 2024
Takoja Ashton with Leksi Scott, Twoobz and Arlo
