When Stephanie BadSoldier Snow’s children were younger, they performed the story of their Swan Clan together as a family. Choreographed movements mimicked a mother bird teaching her cygnets to take flight. Daughter and son danced as a new generation, ascending into the unknown.
“To us, it’s a message of survival and resilience,” Snow explained. The Swan Clan is one of the eight clans of the Meskwaki Tribe.
Dance is just one of many artistic mediums the Meskwaki anthropologist and mother uses to honor her heritage. She’s also an accomplished singer and sought-after expert on food sovereignty, thanks to the teachings of her ancestors.
“I’m a miracle,” Snow said, detailing a family history shaped by the trauma of the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative and forced sterilizations of many Native American women.
Raised by her great-grandmother, Snow remembers foraging in the woods and planting and harvesting corn, squash and beans alongside her elders in the old ways.
“I give credit to my great-grandmother every time I speak or share, because I wouldn’t have the base knowledge or the sense of identity that I have without her,” Snow said.
Crossing Cultures to Inspire Change
As an enrolled member of the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin and a leader on the Meskwaki Settlement in Central Iowa, Snow is often called on as a voice for her community.
She recently served as emcee for ‘A Gathering of Indigenous Artists,’ a group show co-presented by Lakota artist Lyle Miller Sr. and Mexican-American artist Siriaco “Siricasso” Garcia, who met in Springboard for the Arts Rural Regenerator Fellowship.
Snow and Garcia were introduced through a mutual connection. He was instantly impressed, saying Snow ‘stands up for her people and wants to represent her culture in a positive way.’
Snow, who is also fluent in Spanish, performed in the Grinnell College Latin Jazz ensemble as a student. She started singing backstage alongside her talented grandfathers and uncles and recorded with a group that supports the Moms Clean Air Force “EcoMadres” program.
Field organizer Karin Stein, who is a longtime friend and touring musician, considers singing alongside Snow “sheer joy.” They share a belief that storytelling through a variety of art forms can connect people to a cause.
“I think music is part of a tool set,” Stein said. “If we can make people happy, and if we can make them relax because we speak their musical language, maybe they’ll be patient and listen for another five to 10 minutes about an important environmental or social message that we have.”
A Meskwaki Mother’s Wish
Like the mother swan in her dance, Snow is preparing for her youngest to graduate from high school. She fears sending her children off during this era of political upheaval, but tending to tradition helps. Snow is preparing mirrored beadwork that will adorn a harness her son will wear during his graduation ceremony.
“Our belief is that shiny things you have will reflect bad energy away from you,” Snow said. “I pray for the day that someone doesn’t call me resilient anymore.”