OST Tiwahe Initiative

The OST Tiwahe Initiative is a comprehensive, family-centered initiative dedicated to supporting children and families involved with Child Protection Services (CPS), the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), and those identified as at-risk. Rooted in the Seven Lakota Values, the project works to strengthen the safety, stability, and cultural identity of Oglala Lakota families through coordinated, trauma-informed, and culturally grounded services. Tiwahe integrates resources across child welfare, housing, behavioral health, and family preservation programs to restore balance, promote healing, and empower families toward long-term stability. By addressing the unique needs of vulnerable children and their families, the OST Tiwahe Project advances the Tribe’s vision of protecting wakanyeja (children), preserving Lakota culture, and reinforcing tribal sovereignty and self-determination.

We envision a future where Oglala Lakota children are safe, nurtured, and raised within the embrace of their families, tiospaye, and community-where their identity, language, and culture are not only protected but actively strengthened. This future is guided by Lakota values that place children at the center of the circle, recognizing them as sacred gifts and carriers of our nation’s future.

In this vision, families are supported with compassion and respect, honoring Wówačhiŋtognake (generosity) and Wóksape (wisdom) by ensuring parents and caregivers have the resources, knowledge, and culturally grounded support they need to thrive. Children remain connected to their relatives, their homelands, and their cultural teachings, reinforcing Wóohitika(bravery) and Wóksape through strong identity and belonging.

Systems serving Oglala Lakota children work in true partnership with the Tribe-upholding Tribal sovereignty, respecting jurisdiction, and centering Lakota ways of knowing. Collaboration replaces fragmentation, and healing replaces punishment. 

Decision-making is guided by Wóuŋšila (compassion) and Wówačhaŋtognake (care for one another), ensuring responses to families are holistic, preventative, and rooted in cultural understanding rather than crisis.

This future reflects Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ-the understanding that we are all related. When children are protected, families are strengthened. When families are strong, the Nation is strong. Through unity, cultural knowledge, and respect for sovereignty, we create systems that do not separate children from who they are, but instead walk alongside them as they grow into healthy, confident Oglala Lakota people.

The OST Tiwahe Program was created in response to the ongoing and deeply rooted need for culturally grounded advocacy and support for Oglala Lakota families navigating child welfare systems, including Child Protective Services (CPS) and the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). For too long, Native families have been required to move through systems that were not designed with their cultural values, lived realities, or Tribal sovereignty in mind. Tiwahe exists to help bridge that gap-ensuring families are not navigating these processes alone.

Our work is shaped by lived experience, community knowledge, and the teachings of our Elders. We understand that effective advocacy requires more than policy expertise-it requires cultural understanding, trust, and relationship. Tiwahe advocates walk alongside families, helping them understand their rights, access resources, and navigate complex systems while honoring Lakota values and ways of knowing. We believe families are the experts of their own lives, and our role is to support, strengthen, and uplift them.

At the heart of the OST Tiwahe Initiative is a commitment to keeping Native children connected to their families, tiospaye, culture, and homelands. We recognize that a child’s wellbeing is inseparable from their identity and sense of belonging. Whenever it is safe and possible, we prioritize prevention, family preservation, and culturally appropriate interventions that keep children within their communities rather than separated from them.

Tiwahe also works to strengthen collaboration between Tribal, state, and local systems, advocating for practices that respect Tribal sovereignty and uphold the intent of ICWA. Through culturally grounded advocacy, coordination of services, and community-centered support, the OST Tiwahe Initiative promotes healing, accountability, and long-term stability for Oglala Lakota children and families-today and for generations to come.