Restoration Magazine

The White Buffalo Calf Women’s Society (WBCWS) on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota celebrated 45 years of providing shelter to women and children during the 147th Annual Rosebud Fair and Wacipi (Pow Wow) in August 2023. The Native Women’s Society of the Great Plains joined WBCWS in honoring Verna Mahto Istima, a WBCWS Advocate of 30+ years. We honor and thank everyone who helped to found, staff, and support WBCWS over the last 45 years. WBCWS has played an important role on the Rosebud Reservation as well as helping to advocate for social changes statewide and nationally, including:

• In 1978, hosting the founding meeting of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence;
• In 2003, through a cultural exchange with Maori domestic violence shelter advocates in Aotearoa (New Zealand) organized by Clan Star, Inc. for a delegation of Tribal Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Coalitions, which ultimately resulted in the drafting of the Tribal Title in the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization of 2005;
• in 2010, providing technical assistance and training on the Tribal Responses to Sexual Assault funded by the Office on Violence Against Women; and
• in 2012, in partnership with Buffalo Nickel Creative/1491’s and St. Francis Indian School, WBCWS created the public service announcement Reclaim the Fire.¹

WBCWS has impacted many lives through all they have done for women, children, and families. This is just a glimpse of WBCWS’s footprint.

Pilamiyaye (thank you).

^{1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8a--KWF3II}