S4 E3
Say More with Nick Tilsen
On this season’s third episode of Say More, I spoke with Nick Tilsen, the President and CEO of the NDN Collective. Nick is a citizen of the Oglala Lakota Nation with over 18 years of experience in working with nonprofits and tribal nations on projects that have a social mission. He has deep knowledge of what it takes to build place-based innovations that have the ability to inform systems change solutions around climate resilience, sustainable housing and equitable community development.
Catch the full episode here or watch below.
Nick and I had a conversation about collective liberation, self-determination and leadership in Indigenous communities and what it takes to build communities of tomorrow.
Here’s what I’m taking away from this conversation:
To frame our conversation, Nick shared with me a beautiful saying in the Lakota language. It speaks to a worldview reflecting our interconnectedness that drives his work with the NDN Collective. To me, it speaks of our interdependence, and the need to get closer to each other to ensure our collective future.
“In the Lakota language we say, ‘Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ,’ which means that we are all related. That we’re all relatives, we’re all related. All people, all animals, all living things and all systems are interconnected.” - Nick Tilsen
Less than half of 1% of philanthropy goes to organizations led by and serving Indigenous people. Nick speaks to the pervasiveness of white supremacy in our ways of thinking about philanthropy, and how that affects the way dollars and resources move through Indigenous communities. Philanthropy needs to show up on the front lines, where the real lived experiences are. Philanthropy needs to recognize the genius that comes from proximity.
“Many of the philanthropic institutions that exist are way far away from the problem and they’re making decisions way far away from the front lines…yet they’re making decisions to directly impact those places.”
We spoke about how erasure is used intentionally as a strategy to advance and perpetuate white supremacy. The fact that 26 states do not teach Indigenous history is more than what history books are used in schools – erasure impacts every asset of life and is one of the biggest weapons of white supremacy. Nick shared a powerful quote from his great grandmother that speaks to the power of truth-telling and honesty.
“The history of an oppressed people lives in the myths and agreed upon lies of the conqueror.” - Meridel Le Sueur
When we actualize self-determination and prosperity for Indigenous communities, we’ll enable liberation for us all. We can’t buy into the scarcity mindset that white supremacy tries to sell us. Instead, Nick shows us how to reframe our thinking, and focus on the abundance of genius and potential within our communities.
“Is it possible that the best days of our people are actually in front of us and not behind us?”
Thank you, Nick for an inspiring conversation about not only what we need to do to dismantle oppressive systems but how to think about fearlessly building the communities of tomorrow.
What resonated most with you? Let me know in the comments.
Resources:
Nick Tilsen’s Ted Talk: Building Resilient Communities: A Moral Responsibility
Nick in SSIR: Partnering with Philanthropy in Native America
Nick in SSIR: Building Indigenous Power and Investing in Indigenous Self-Determination