FRONTLINE RESPONSE AND BASIC SERVICES CONTINUED...

To combat social isolation and the stress from being under the Tribe’s long-term shelter-in-place order, PLHI created Ski Piikani, Ssto Ipapoki Tsiimaan, the Winter Family Wellness Project. This vision continues to provide safe cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and traditional games experiences towards reconnection with the land in both novel and traditional ways here within Blackfeet homelands for as many of the 17,000 residents of the Blackfeet Nation as possible each winter.

Ski Piikani began with outreach to Tribal members, partnerships with schools, and building outwards to positively impact families and the entire Tribe. With initial polling, more than 150 local residents and families indicated an interest in participating. Balancing this level of interest with safety considerations, staff accommodated 38 community ski days for organized ski outings in groups of less than 25. Over the last year, our numbers increased exponentially.

This community wellness was overlaid upon existing grant funded work focused on food and agriculture systems to restore food sovereignty, mental health and opioid response work throughout Tribal communities in Montana, and conservation efforts to preserve the sacred lands of the Blackfoot Confederacy.

The disruptions brought about by COVID make it evident that if Piikani Lodge is to carry out this programming indefinitely and also be present to care for vulnerable community members in times of emergency, a physical center for activities and operations would be necessary. Investing in organizations like PLHI means that our community will be better prepared to cope and recover from emergencies and will be able to grow and thrive during ‘normal’, non-emergency conditions.