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The New Horse: Honoring Our Ancestors by Creating What’s Next

NGC Guest Article
Feather LaRoche
Kul Wicasa Oyate, Lower Brule Sioux Tribe
Founder and Executive Director, Relentless Feather
Rebuilders Cohort 13

 

Why We Started

As a kid, I was drawn to the computer. Always a fan of sci-fi, I knew this beige and boring-looking box could take you somewhere, and I could feel it held power. But I didn’t know what exactly it could do at the time besides to get things done faster, print out my name on the pin fed – tractor printer, or learn to type. I knew there was more, I just didn’t know what that “more” was back then. Around eight years ago, in a completely different field, I started noticing more signs that tech skills were becoming essential – not only to land a job, but to stay relevant in a world that’s becoming more and more dependent on tech. I started reading and paying attention to how much of our lives, systems, and services were becoming more reliant on these evolving digital tools. And I began to realize something else: there was an opportunity here.

Not just for individual success – though that matters, but for our communities to grow, to problem-solve, to communicate in new ways, and to build what we need on our terms. I kept asking myself: how can we prepare our Native youth for what’s ahead? And I began to see tech as a space where they could lead – not follow.

I didn’t grow up coding, heck we didn’t have teachers or mentors to share this skill set. I’m not blaming anyone, that is just how it was then. But I feel that you could also say that technology was something that wasn’t targeted for our communities. Even without social media and only having 13 channels, exposure to tech was pretty close to nonexistent growing up in Lower Brule, South Dakota. 

But over time and the growth of tech, I began to understand that we can learn and use these tools to shape our future and communities. Tech could be the empowering opportunity that we have been searching for. And we can use it to protect and strengthen our sovereignty.

Relentless Feather was born from that understanding. We are a Native-founded and led nonprofit focused on empowering Native youth to step into the world of technology not just as learners, but as leaders. Every lesson we build weaves coding with culture, tradition with innovation, and history with possibility. Our focus is that when Native students see themselves in tech, they don’t just learn how to write code – they learn how to use that code to tell their stories, preserve their knowledge, and build what their communities need most.

 

Our Vision: 140 Hours of Learning by end of 2025

We* have a big goal: by the end of 2025, Relentless Feather will have 20 full coding lessons ready to go. Each lesson has 7 stages that take about 45-60 min each to complete. This adds up to around 140 hours of computer science instruction grounded in our culture and values.

 

Lesson 1: MN 11 Tribes

Our approach in the very first lesson is for students to learn basic HTML by creating a webpage that honors all 11 Tribal Nations in Minnesota. The focus is on structure and layout using headers, paragraphs, and lists. This lesson was designed to encourage students to explore land, language, and Tribal sovereignty while learning how to build and organize HTML structure. It supports standards like CSTA 2-AP-13 and ISTE 1.1.d, which help students build foundational web development skills and begin thinking critically about how digital tools present information.

 

Lesson 2: This is Me in Tech

For lesson 2, students design personal websites that tell their story: who they are, where they come from, and where they can see themselves with a future in tech. I designed this lesson to focus on identity, reflection, and connection through code while establishing confidence building. Students learn to add colors, images, and links while thinking about personal representation and real possibility as a tech creator. The, This is Me in Tech lesson supports ISTE 1.6.c and MN Arts 6.3.1.5, which promote creative communication and the use of technology for self-expression.

 

Lesson 3: Read All About It

I thought it would be fun for students to roll into this third lesson by building a personal blog or online newspaper. This lesson calls for students to write in their voice on four short topics: personal story, a story about their community, one on current events in Indian Country, and a story about a historical event or era. The aim of this lesson is to help students practice research, digital storytelling, and journalistic design. This lesson supports MN ELA 6.3.3.2 and ISTE 1.3.d, emphasizing digital literacy, research, and voice.

Learning web development and design gives students a way to express themselves and build confidence. They also enjoy seeing their work on a real website instead of just in a Word doc. Each lesson we design we make sure to align them with educational and computer science standards so teachers can readily use them in the classrooms. We use ISTE, CSTA, and Minnesota academic standards and CS benchmarks to support skills like digital literacy, creativity, and problem-solving. Moving forward, we will also include these standards from North and South Dakota for schools in those states. Relentless Feather is making  it as easy as possible for educators to bring our lessons into their classrooms.

 

Skills That Build Futures

Native American students are still underrepresented in tech. According to the Kapor Center and the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), Native Americans make up less than 0.5% of the high-tech workforce. In computer science, the numbers are even lower. That’s why access to meaningful, culturally relevant computer science education matters. It helps close gaps and creates more opportunities.

Research shows that students who study computer science in high school are more likely to go to college and find higher-paying careers. Coding gives students a strong foundation. They learn technical skills, but they’re also building confidence, learning to think through problems, and working with others. These soft skills are exactly what many employers are looking for.

The World Economic Forum lists resilience, creativity, leadership, and self-awareness as top skills for 2025, and I see the importance of those skills only growing. Our lessons are designed to support that growth. Through coding and designing, students develop both technical and personal skills. They learn to express ideas, stay curious, and collaborate. Being able to see the value of these skill sets gives them more options; in school, in future jobs, and as future leaders in their communities.

In addition to benefiting from all these learned skills, we want to attach the importance of understanding and capturing the correct narrative. We make it a point to ask students to think about how our stories are told. What’s the difference between a story written about Native people and a story written by Native people? That’s a powerful question and the cool thing is (because it is very cool) they start honing in their critical thinking through code.

 

Coding with Care and Intention

Our lessons are built with care. We talk about accessibility and the importance of alt text. We explore respectful visual representation, and how design choices can communicate values. Students use GitHub Pages to publish their work– a moment that always feels big. Their websites go live. Their voices go public.

But the most important outcome? They begin to see themselves as digital creators. That shift changes everything.

I’ve seen students light up when they see their name on a webpage. I’ve heard them describe the pride in sharing their site with a sibling or a parent. These small moments matter, and these are the first steps toward bigger futures.

 

The New Horse: AI and Indigenous Sovereignty

Over the past few years, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking and learning about generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). Generative AI is a powerful tool that gives people the ability to create, build, and imagine things we might not have thought possible before. As AI continues to grow and quickly shape more parts of our lives, I keep coming back to this one thought over and over:  AI is our new horse.

The horse wasn’t a part of our way of life or our world until they were introduced by the Spanish in the 1600s. Yet over time, our Native Nations across the Plains and beyond adapted to this new relationship. But we did more than just embrace the horse, we became masters of this new technology of that time. The horse became such an integral part of how we moved across the land, how we hunted and traded, and how we protected our communities. The horse reshaped our economies, our daily lives, and even our ceremonies. That beautiful and powerful animal forever changed what was possible, and we made it our own.

AI carries that same kind of potential. And like the horse, it must be treated with respect. It needs to be guided with care, intention, and purpose. It should serve our communities, not take from them.

AI can help protect and strengthen our languages, education systems, and stories. Imagine a student using AI to explore traditional ecological knowledge, track seasonal patterns, or create a digital story in their own language. That is the kind of future we are working toward.

To get there, we need to build with ethics, consent, and leadership from our communities. That means having local control over how data is gathered, stored, and shared. Every Tribe has different values and different ways of understanding. Our systems must reflect that.

When Native Nations own the tools and the data, we are not just users. We become the builders, the designers, and the protectors of our digital future.

 

Technology as a Tool for Sovereignty

Learning technology, code, and AI is critical for Native youth because it equips them with the tools to lead in a world that’s increasingly shaped by digital systems. Tech jobs are some of the fastest-growing, highest-paying careers, and many can be done remotely, which is especially valuable for our Tribal communities. But beyond economic opportunity, tech can help carry our traditions forward. From language revitalization to digital storytelling to tools that reflect traditional ecological knowledge, our students can use technology to protect what matters most.

This work ties directly to sovereignty. Sovereignty today includes land, but also includes data, infrastructure, and who controls the story. If we are not building the tools, there will be others who will keep creating systems that intentionally leave us out. So when we talk about data sovereignty, we are also talking directly to the importance of teaching our Native youth how to code and how to use AI. It empowers them  as digital creators to protect our knowledge, tell our stories, and design systems that reflect who we are. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

 

The Realities of Building Something New

This work has also come with its fair share of challenges. Right now, Relentless Feather is a one-person operation. Every lesson, every workshop, every proposal – it’s all being built piece by piece with limited resources and a lot of determination.

Securing grants and funding has been slow and, at times, a struggle. But even through the uncertainty, I’ve stayed committed. This fall, I plan to take an even bigger leap. In September, I’ll be stepping away from my full-time job to focus on growing Relentless Feather full time.

It’s a big risk. There’s no guaranteed funding yet. But I believe this work matters. It’s part of Native Nation Rebuilding – a responsibility to our youth, our communities, and the generations ahead. Our future deserves intentional design, care, and opportunity. And I’m betting on that future, even when the path feels tough.

 

Looking Back, Moving Forward

I think about our ancestors a lot when I write these lessons or do pretty much anything with regards to Relentless Feather. What would they think about all this – the computers, technology, coding, and AI? Maybe it would seem strange to them and maybe it wouldn’t. That has always been the beauty in us. We have always adapted, always innovated, always looked forward. I don’t remember the exact moment it came to me, but it was early on in the beginning stages of  Relentless Feather, “Our Ancestors Are Watching. Let’s Show Them Our Future.” Our ancestors are the inspiration that moves us brightly into the future. And in this future, we’re riding a new kind of horse. And OUR future is wide open. 

And now, as my dad would say, “Let’s get to work.” 

To learn more about our work or to bring Relentless Feather to your community, visit www.relentlessfeather.org.

 

Resources

 

* I use the term “we” because, even though I’m currently the only person at Relentless Feather, this work was never meant to be done alone. It’s going to take time, care, and support from across our communities to bring this vision to life, and I know this organization will grow. Using “we” is also a reminder: this work is rooted in collective strength. Everything we’re building is for future generations, and it will be shaped by many voices, not just mine.