When changes happen within long-standing organizations, often the memory and spirit of that organization changes at a fundamental level.
But it does not have to be that way.
The Oak Lake Writers’ Society began with a single notion that tribal writers needed a group that would provide peer support, review and a place to be D/N/Lakota. The two early authors of that idea were professors at SDSU (at the time), Lowell Amiotte and Charles Woodard.
On the second day, Amiotte stopped into the recent meeting of Oak Lake and visited with a few of us, hoping to see his good friend Woodard (who was unable to attend this year). While there he reminded several of us, including two of OLWS current group of officers, of that early mission.
OLWS President Mabel Picotte, OLWS Secretary Nick Estes, OLWS Treasurer Tasiyagnunpa Livermont Barondeau, and OLWS Director Sarah Hernandez, met with Elizabeth Cook-Lynn the previous day for an important business meeting. Chris Bordeaux also attended.
In that previous day’s business meeting, Cook-Lynn, an early founder with Amiotte and Woodard, continued as she has for years, gifting her time and energy as OLWS co-mentor of each summer retreat and gathering. As we have met with transition as an organization towards self-determination as a fully functioning non-profit, Liz keeps the officers and director reminded that not only are we a writers’ group, but we are also the only tribal writers’ group to engage in the writing, reading and critiquing necessary for tribal sovereignty and self-determination in our communities.
At breakfast the first day, Cook-Lynn, Picotte, Hernandez and Barondeau discussed many things regarding American Indian Studies, including the necessity for responsibility to be taken by tribal members to act like D/N/Lakota people. We agreed that as issues and obstacles come and go, the accountability to the group also sets apart Oak Lake Writers as a true society. Not that we are guilty of group think, but the power of seeing one another yearly, facing up to other tribal writer peers, whether of the academy or not, is powerful.
OLWS always ruled itself by consensus with coordination of the retreat handled by Woodard. As these things shift, and many of our original charter members reorganized and elected younger, newer members as officers and hired a director (unpaid), moving forward in a good way is of utmost concern. We also recognize the need to act and achieve results that our fellow members and board (of primarily elders) expect from us.
While budgets, finances, and non-profit goals were also discussed (OLWS members may expect an email from Estes with minutes), suffice it to say our leadership team kept first things first throughout: to know who we are, where we come from, and to whom we answer to.