Cutline: Lori Pourier, Oglala, has been acknowledged and honored for her work in promoting creativity in the rural lives of Native Americans.
Oglala Lakota receives international women’s award
By Karin Eagle
Native Sun News Staff Writer RAPID CITY- The 2013 Women’s World Summit Foundation Prize for Women’s Creativity in Rural Life has been bestowed upon an Oglala/Mnicoujou Lakota from South Dakota. Lori Pourier, the president of First Peoples Fund, is one of ten laureates to receive the award this year, and the only honoree from the United States. The Women’s World Summit Foundation is an international, non-profit humanitarian organization based in Geneva, Switzerland. Since 1991, the foundation has worked to promote the contributions women and children make in creating a more just and peaceful world. The award, given every year to ten women worldwide, recognizes women who exhibit exceptional courage and creativity in improving the quality of life in rural communities. This year’s recipients come from Algeria, Myanmar, Nigeria, and India, as well as here in the United States. American Indian environmental activist Winona LaDuke said that Pourier “has a gift for taking a vision whether it is her vision or someone else’s and making it more powerful.” “Lori is connected to communities through cultural and spiritual practices,” LaDuke said. “She is a trusted, cherished leader. She has an excellent ability to directly communicate with people in a way that allows them to realize their dreams and their visions for themselves, and their people.” As president of First Peoples Fund, a non-profit organization whose mission is to honor Native American culture bearers and provide support and voice to creative Indigenous artists committed to passing down culture from generation to generation, Pourier has been an influential, active presence in Native American communities across the United States. Under her leadership, the organization has grown into a leading arts organization that offers fellowships and grants for seasoned and emerging artists, and training programs that cultivate an entrepreneurial spirit and help Native arts businesses find unprecedented success in Indian country. Founded in 1995, First Peoples Fund has served nearly 1,000 Native artists to date through its grant and training programs. More than $1 million in grants have been awarded to support the work of Native artists and more than half were women. $260,000 in artist fees and honorariums have been paid. Pourier has said that she hopes this award helps those very people and other unreached artists in Native communities around the world. “While this award is certainly humbling, what it really does is recognize the commitment Native artists make every single day to keep their culture alive, and pass on traditions,” she said. “I have been fortunate in my lifetime to be surrounded by talented, dedicated culture bearers who have inspired not only me, but future generations. It has been an honor to work alongside them, and celebrate them as they realize their dreams.” “Lori’s work has impacted tribal communities since the 1980’s, and has since had a ripple effect across the United States,” said Theresa Secord, a board member of First Peoples Fund and the founder of the Maine Indian. “Through First Peoples Fund, Lori has helped alleviate poverty that overwhelms some tribal communities by helping artists to understand the value of their art—as well as its value in a global marketplace. Lori has also had a dramatic impact in the recognition and celebration of some remarkable tradition bearers whose important cultural work would otherwise have gone unnoticed,” Secord added. “I have learned so much from Lori about what it means to be a strong woman—what it means to overcome obstacles and hardship,” said Faye Brown, program director at Our Great Lakes Commons in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Brown said that she first recognized Pourier’s unique leadership abilities when she met her at a Sustainable Communities Gathering for the Indigenous Women’s Network, which Pourier coordinated. For Brown, the event was an example of Pourier’s solid organizational skills, the ability to bring people together and an unparalleled desire to confront the issues that face Native people and bring solutions to the table. Since that time, Pourier has held multiple leadership positions that many say have changed the landscape of the Native arts and culture marketplace. Pourier was born and raised on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, and did her undergraduate work at Antioch University in Seattle, Washington. She went on to earn a graduate degree in business from Southern New Hampshire University. Pourier is the recipient of the Center for Social Innovation fellowship at Stanford School of Business honoring fifty outstanding arts and culture leaders, as well as the Louis T. Delgado Distinguished Grant maker Award from Native Americans in Philanthropy. More information about the award and this year’s recipients can be found at womensection.woman.ch/index.php/en/prize-for-women-s-creativity. (Contact Karin Eagle at staffwriter@nsweekly.com) Copyright permission by Native Sun News
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