I’m back in the news

I spoke with Denver 9 news about my video calling out the D.A.M and with Native news online about finding my grandmothers name in the National Indian Boarding School Archive.

Update from last week: I was on the Denver 9 news. They reached out to ask a few questions about my video. I gave the interview from my hotel room, I am currently at my first Indigenous conference that’s about amplifying indigenous voices.

@showme_yourmaskReplying to @🏳️‍🌈ShowMeYourMask #TeamOrca #showmeyourmask #indigenous #indigenoustiktok #greenscreen

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“These items are very, very sacred," Sam said. "They belong to families, and they are used in ceremony.”

Sam cited a quote by the museum’s Native art curator John Lukavic.

“We’re not in the business of just giving away our collections,” Lukavic said to the Denver Post  in April. “Nobody is.”

“I felt in my core, how so many tribes were not in the business of having their artifacts stolen," Sam responded. "And that's how so many of these museums acquired their collections, through unethical means." 

Lukavic apologized for his words in a posting on the museum’s website. The museum also posted a message on its Facebook and Instagram pages indicating it was in discussion with the tribe for “repatriation.” 

“I want to hold off on calling this a win until the items are home,” Sam told 9NEWS. “It means something that they feel as if they have to go into damage control mode and make a statement and address the public's concerns.” 

Here is the article by Denver 9:

https://www.9news.com/article/news/community/race-and-culture/denver-art-museum-sacred-indigenous-items/73-b053ca99-ae91-45a5-85de-1e4fe7b7d0d8

Native News Online interviewed me about this video I made here:

@showme_yourmaskThere is a lot coming to light for the #nativeamerican #indian #boardingschool investigations. My dad works in repatriation for our tribe. Please hold space for the #indigenous #community as many of us are processing many generations of #grief Please amplify videos you see about this #history

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Article: https://nativenewsonline.net/sovereignty/nation-s-first-online-boarding-school-records-repository-launched-by-nabs

“The biggest feeling was validation because up until this point, there’s been so much denialism around the subject,” Sam told Native News Online. She always knew her grandmother, Bessie Kitka, who died in 2008 at 88 years old, had attended boarding school, but she never heard her speak about her experience. “It’s one thing to know, it’s another thing to read her name in the records. It grounded me in a way that I haven't been able to find my footing since Oregon.”

Sam has also received comments from at least four others saying they, too, were able to find relatives using the database.

“It's the closest to closure that I expect to get in my lifetime,” she added. “So at this point, anything above and beyond this is a pleasant surprise.”

For information about locating your relatives on NIBSDA, visit here.