Episode 45: Indigenous Immersion Initiative Mini-Series episode 8
May 31, 2023
Episode 47: Indigenous Immersion Initiative Mini-Series episode 9
June 3, 2023
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Episode 46: Gwen Lankford
Gwen Lankford is the President and Owner of Sapphire Strategies, a communications firm focused on providing support for effective constituency outreach since 2005. She is also a member of the Gros Ventre Tribe of Fort Belknap, and a direct descendent of the Salish Tribe of the Flathead. In this episode, Gwen talks about her deep connection to the land and to her tribal heritage on both sides of the state of Montana. Gwen also shares thoughts on her work and passion to bring differing groups together to see and hear one another amidst challenge and conflict. Gwen also describes the gifts and divinity she sees in all people, her thoughts on the value of indigenous teachings and pathways, her work for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, and much more.
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Gwen Lankford
Powerful Quotes
“I’ve got two children and I know how deeply I love those little girls, and I know the kinds of sacrifices I make for them, and I know that the work that I try to do, just so many of the things that I try to do in this iteration of my life, is really focused on trying to create stability, trying to create healthy experiences, but just it comes from such a deep place of love for those little girls. And at some point, if I’m lucky and I get to be a grandmother for their children, I’m going to love those babies too. I know they’re just going to be so awesome, that’s going to be an exciting opportunity. And at some point, there will be another set of babies, and another set of babies, but at some point, I will no longer physically be here, but my love will continue on. And all the work and all the sacrifice that I have in this lifetime I understand that in terms of that moving forward and each generation.
But the crazy thing is, is that I have to remember that I’m one of those babies. And so I get to benefit from all of the sacrifice, all of the work, all of the obligations that my lineage offered me, that maybe they didn’t know my name, they didn’t know when I was going to come, but that’s the love that I also get to live here with. And for me, that’s also, again, in the landscape, because there are probably instances, especially if you understand some of the more recent history that we have as Salish people, as tribal people, where they probably even gave their life in terms of trying to create safety or security or whatever it was. There are probably even those instances of ultimate sacrifice for me to be here today and to have this breath and to have this beautiful life that I have. And so you know, beyond even just the physical aspects of those cycles of birth and death and life, there’s also the really critical kind of spiritual aspect of it of just all the contributions that the lineage that I come from have made for me to be here and to be allowed to have this breath to be here in this beautiful day, to just have all the blessings and abundance that I get to experience in this lifetime.”
“There’s been so many instances where just again, elevating the voices of the tribe has created an understanding and even a desire and an invitation to be in partnership and to be in a collaboration that has benefitted, immediately, families or the region of the community and that’s really incredible when that happens”
