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Buffalo Youth Nation

Buffalo Youth Nation Project has a simple yet powerful vision:
Improve resource availability for Native/Indigenous youth of the Great Plains region so they rise to become Future leaders and healers of our Nations.

Our Story

Native Women Led, Native Women Strong

True love for her Nation is what empowered Lisa, and her kids, to drive 800 miles across the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Reservation in the summer of 2018 with school supplies. Who would’ve known this single act would immortalize a greater impact. Fortitude, Generosity, Kinship, Prayer, Respect, Wisdom, and Compassion are the 7 Lakota virtues that gathered women warriors (Akicita) from all walks of life, instilled with the spirit of healing, they established BYNP 501(c)(3) in April 2021

Fortitude - Wowačintanka

Facing and accepting challenges with strength, confidence and bravery and finding solutions that will benefit all.

Generosity - Wačáŋtognaka

Contributing to the health and wholeness of one’s people and all life by sharing and giving freely. To share from the heart, to give from the heart openly. Generosity is a way of life.

Kinship -wótakuye

Kinship is essential and it includes the ideas of living in harmony, belonging, relations as true wealth, and the importance of trusting in others.

Respect - Waóhola

Respect For The Self, Family, Community And All Life. All People And Things Are Relatives. This Respect Is Expressed In Prayer And By The Way We Act. The Outcome Of Respect Is Peace.

Compassion -wówaunšila

Compassion And Care For All, Especially The Old Ones, The Young Ones. Care For Others As You Would Yourself Because We Are All Part Of This Circle Of Life. Compassion Is Important As We All Work Together.

Prayer - Wóčekiya

All life is sacred, being in direct communication with creator in all aspects of being we see all life as sacred

Wisdom - Woksape

We live and understand our cultural values and traditions as a way of healing. We share this wisdom with others and incorporate this wisdom into our everyday life.

Our Testimonials

What People Say About Us

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Board of Directors

Lisa Ansell Frazier

Founder | Director | President

Lisa Ansell Frazier is a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and currently lives in Wyoming. She is a mother of three beautiful children and a dog mom to three amazing dogs. She is a Tribal Trauma Crisis Counselor, Native Nations Advisory Panelist and a Continuing EducationTeacher and student at the Institute of American Indian Arts. She spends her free time hiking with her family and gardening. Her mission is empowerment of Native youth, Indigenous food security, creating stability and nurturing self-esteem

Lydia Lerma

Vice President

Lydia Lerma is a member of the Lipan Apache and currently lives in Colorado. She is the mother of three children and a black lab. She is also a grandma to three sweet kitties. Lydia is an avid outdoorswoman and maintains her tribal tradition of big game hunting. She is a community activist/advocate and serves on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (OMMIR) Community Advisory Board and the Childhood Sexual Abuse Survivors (CSAS) State Task Force. Her mission is to empower survivors of sexual abuse and their families so that they can all experience healing.

Anaya Echohawk-Flint

Director | Secretary

Anaya Echohawk-Flint is a member of the Paiute, Pawnee, and Yakama Nations. She spends her time with her husband, three children and pug. She is currently working on her undergraduate in Psychology. She hopes to make mental health resources more accessible for Indigenous populations.

Katrina Vermillion

Director | Treasurer

Katrina is an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. She is an artist and passionate creator of many forms of craft. She loves spending time in nature, whether it be by forested mountains or the fresh air of the oceanside. She has enjoyed the last twenty-six years providing care and connection to many animals in her community at the Frontier Veterinary Clinic. Katrina believes her purpose in this life is to help others with her voice and heart, especially children. She does so in honor of her beautiful son and his kindness campaign, Bkind4b.

Jonathon Okute Maza

Director of Media & Marketing

Jonathon Okute Maza is a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and resides in Dakotah territory Minnesota. He is father of two and believes family is the most important in our journey to sovereignty and reconnection. He is the Founder and a journalist/analyst of The Western Hemisphere Indigenous News Network, whose focus is breaking stories that impact the indigenous community most. He is also a Strategy & Tactics Action Team Co-founder of & voting Alliance member of the StrongHold Treaty Alliance based out of Montana & a Media Consultant for Indigenous Direct Action. His mission is to empower all indigenous voices and organizations to bring back indigenous values, traditions and languages, while holding governments and institutions accountable for active indigenous rights violations that have kept indigenous people at the bottom of every social health and economic indicator from Argentina to Alaska.

Email : buffalowakanyeja@gmail.com