Our Tiospaye // Our Family

South Dakota’s reservations are too often defined by deficit narratives. Poverty, unemployment, substance abuse… these themes obscure the profound relationships and rich cultural legacies that are the heart of life in Indian country.

This is the story of three Pine Ridge-bound educators who arrived with radically disparate perspectives on the place. Shaped by the contours of the land, the support of their communities, and the strength of their students, each discovered a deeper purpose.

Each in their own way found a tiospaye, a family.