02/22/2023
The team and volunteers at Wozu are quickly making their vision a reality for their People and community. We can all learn from the seeds they are planting. Wado to Wozu for their friendship and example!
ANNOUNCEMENT - Wozu Press Release 2-22-23
Hau Mitakeyapi.
Wozu wants to update the community on the progress of our ongoing projects. We would also like to invite everyone to our Grand Opening on March 15th. There will be a meal, door prizes and some activities after the ceremony. Everyone is welcome to attend. We expect to begin at 11am. If you are planning to come, please shoot us an email at [email protected] or message us on facebook, so we can ensure there are enough meals for everyone. To follow our updates, you can find us on facebook, to learn more about who we are and what we’re doing you can visit our website wozu.net.
Wozu is encouraged by the collaborations that are occurring across Standing Rock and we are happy to be a small part in the ongoing effort to bring new opportunities to our members. Everyone’s work is important. We have a long way to go, but we are confident that if we work together, we will get there.
In March of 2022 we held a community survey in Cannonball where we received a 24% sample population from both youth and adults. From this survey we have been building out programs and projects to address the ideas and concerns our members shared with us. We have created three focus areas, (1) Social Regeneration, (2) Land Regeneration, (3) Cultural Regeneration.
Wozu will be working with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in developing a 12.2-mile trail system in and around the Cannonball community. This is a multi-year project and when complete the trail will be accessible by the public. The trail will run along the highways, connecting to the Cannonball River, it will be non-motorized for recreational use: running, walking, biking, skiing etc.
We are also working in collaboration with SAGE development corporation to host a physical endurance event in June of this year where participants will run bike and kayak on an 11-mile course. There will likely be other events hosted by community members in concurrence with the event. We are still in the planning stages. For those interested in participating, volunteering, or hosting an event please follow SAGE and Wozu socials for updates.
We will also be working collaboratively with Sitting Bull College on a project studying regenerative agriculture practices. Our belief is that healing the land goes hand and hand with healing ourselves. The land has been abused for more than a century, just as our people have. We hope to show that by stopping the use of tilling & harmful chemicals that destroy our lands & poison our water, that we can be good stewards of the land & bring life back into the soil, grow food for communities and create healthy ecosystems at the same time.
We will also be working with the Mni Wichoni Health Circle in the spring to conduct a buffalo hunt and harvesting event where participants will learn about the buffalo. From historical stories to meat processing & hide tanning. If you are interested, please follow our socials for updates.
We would like to thank the NDSU Extension Office for their support in assisting us in creating a Bike Share Program where our members can check out a bike for use on the trail system. We will be implementing this program in spring 2023. We are also hoping to add kayaks to this program as well (equipment and water level dependent). We will be constructing a bicycle pump track and obstacle course in 2023. We are hoping to construct a BMX track in 2024.
We are preparing for the 2nd year of our garden program in the Cannonball community. We learned a lot last year in the challenges of having a home garden in the community. This year we hope to build off those lessons and assist with fencing around the home gardens. We will also be creating a large, secured community garden near our new facility where families, organizations or individuals can use a plot of the garden for their needs. The applications for these programs will be out soon. We are also planning to construct a greenhouse that can grow food year-round, we hope to have this completed by the fall.
Our 100 chickens last year produced roughly 7500 eggs (1200 pounds) of food that were dispersed to elders and those in need. We plan to double the number of chickens in 2023.
We are working with Standing Rock Community Development Corporation in our cultural regeneration work. We want to learn from our community members (our language, stories & history) to help preserve and share that information. Each of our families carry an important history about who we are and where we came from. We believe this information will be needed by our future generations.
We are also starting Youth Archery Courses this spring where participants will learn safety and fundamentals of traditional archery shooting. We have five instructors certified and we plan to take youth to compete in the region's NASP tournaments. We are also planning for a bow building course where participants will learn to make a bow from just the materials from the land. We will also conduct a youth hunting program later this year.
Our sewing nights will start soon as well, we will have equipment and materials for those in need. Our Community Support Fund will remain open for community members who need help with their independent community activities/events. You can find the application for the fund on our website. We will also be hosting the youth fishing fundamental event again as well in early June to include a fishing tournament (water level dependent).
If you are interested in volunteering, partnering, or getting involved with our work, you can email us at [email protected] or sign up on our website. We would like to thank everyone who has helped us this far and look forward to continuing the work and seeing everyone on March 15th.
Phidamayapi
