BIG FALLS, Mont. – A Blackfeet woman founded a nonprofit organization to collect and share information, resources, and the history of the tribe with travelers in Montana and Canada. The project encourages interaction and public contribution. Souta Calling Last gathers centuries of information through storytelling, facts, and social trends to help tribal members and tourists better understand the area in which they live or explore.
Calling Last grew up in Heart Butte and also has Blackfeet relatives in Canada. She knows how difficult it is to find exact details of her tribe’s cultural history as many stories are passed down orally. She decided to create Indigenous vision, a website and future travel app that provides a simple digital platform for everyone to follow social and environmental trends related to land and water. Calling Last was a water and resource professional for many years. She is also a member of national tribal programs and wanted to combine all of her skills to help people better understand Blackfeet culture.
Launched in 2013, Indigenous Vision has grown into a one-stop online database of maps highlighting over 500 recreational areas, works of art, traditions, languages, cultural and environmental information from centuries. Points on the maps indicate a specific location and provide historical context about the area. The site also has many different tabs with links to various sources. These include an online business directory, articles on the Movement of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples, social injustice, and police deaths.
“All of this is talked about, but this map lets us visualize it. Soon, Montana will be able to see where missing / murdered tribes are missing or murdered, compared to police deaths versus self-reported discrimination and acts of violence or racism. We have never seen these three aspects visually. So we don’t visually know where they accumulate in our community. So we can actually determine which community has the worst violence against tribal peoples, “Calling Last said .
With the help of maps, people can easily identify areas where Native American hate crimes occur, a major issue that has gained national attention in recent years. Indigenous Vision also includes suicide and mental health numbers that people can use to visualize what is happening on reservations in Montana and Canada.
Calling Last carefully collects all data as part of a Citizen Science Project, in which people share personal family stories spanning decades to preserve cultural language and memories, confirm past events, and insights into the changes in Blackfeet Nation’s daily life over the years World to get years. She has heard stories all her life and knows the importance of preserving Aboriginal history.
“Let’s say I get a tribal report that is not Blackfoot. I have partners across the country in Tribal Historical Preservation and Culture Offices, Language Offices. I’ve worked in many national tribal programs so I have great connections and networks. So I’ll write Create a short profile, submit it, and then I contact the cultural center and guardians of that tribe. I approve it and then they either approve it or throw it away. It’s really great to say it’s not just from me It’s not about indigenous people, it’s about us, “said Calling Last.
She tracks, logs, and verifies stories and facts by sending every detail to an official tribal office for covenant review. Articles are either approved and can be instantly added to the site within minutes or months, depending on the content. People can add letters, documents, pictures, video, picture and audio elements Here.
Souta said the combination of social history and environmental impact helps educate everyone. Tribal members and tourists. The website was costly to set up. In the past four years, Calling Last has spent over $ 25,000 in grants and donations to help make their plans come true and give people more access. The non-profit association plans to launch an app for all smartphone devices by the end of the year.
Calling Last also hopes to one day install kiosks in many areas to get information on-site. Some places are the Capitol, Giant Springs State Park, and Flathead Lake. Each kiosk can cost nearly $ 10,000. Calling Last is currently raising funds to set up the first one in Glacier National Park by next summer. The non-profit association is dependent on donations.
If growth continues, Indigenous Vision could travel into classrooms and eventually serve as the primary encyclopedia encompassing the preservation of indigenous history. The non-profit association also holds sessions to empower young people. See theirs for more details Facebook Page.
