Native American Women: Voices Across Generations

For over a decade, we have amplified the voices of courageous Native American women. Many have survived intergenerational traumas and transformed their communities affected by violent colonization. We strive to provide a platform to amplify their achievements and stories. 

As part of documenting survivors' testaments and personal stories from Native Women, we had the honor of documenting LeAndra Nephin, an enrolled member of the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska and Iowa who currently resides in the United Kingdom. She is a Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist and has spent the last six years working with survivors of sexual violence and domestic abuse. She shared with us in her own words: “Native people will often talk about walking 1 ft in the white world and 1 ft in the native world. But when you're living in Britain, which is basically the colonial empire, there's this kind of third layer that occurs. Because we are such a small community over here in Britain, there is this relative invisibility that occurs. For many people, Native Americans are seen as nonexistent. That's changing, though.”

In recent years, LeAndra has developed a strong advocacy and education remit, worked as a podcast presenter and Social Impact Adviser, as a board member for the Beyond the Spectacle project, the Omaha Tribal Historical Research Project, and Incomindios UK, as a panel expert for the International Commission on Missing Persons, amongst other accolades. She still feels “Really proud to be Omaha. We did a lot of things in the service of our people. It’s that connection to the clan and the land, and the celebrations, the songs you hear there stir this pride inside of me and a lot of emotions. As Omaha, we carry a certain energy, strength, and resilience. I carry an important responsibility towards my heritage and future generations.”

Without YOU, we could not continue hearing stories and demanding change. 3G continues to focus on the disproportionate violence Native women and girls face. To continue supporting Native Women and to stay updated on our work, please visit our website, 3generations.org,sign up for our newsletter, and engage with us on social media. We thank you for your ongoing support and generosity. 

For over a decade, we have amplified the voices of courageous Native American women. Many have survived intergenerational traumas and transformed their communities affected by violent colonization. We strive to provide a platform to amplify their achievements and stories. 

3G is proud to celebrate Lily Gladstone’s historic Golden Globe win as the first Native woman to win Best Actress in a Drama Motion Picture for her role in Killers of the Flower Moon (2023). Starting the speech in her native Blackfoot language, Gladstone concluded by dedicating her award to “Every little rez kid, every little Urban kid, every little Native kid out there who has a dream, who is seeing themselves represented and our stories told by ourselves in our own words, with tremendous allies and tremendous trust with and from each other.”

As we witness Gladstone’s dedication to her craft and community, we can not help but draw parallels to subjects from our feature documentary, A Different American Dream (2016), which follows the remarkable attempts of tribal leaders to save their land and the future of their society. Since our film's release, we have been honored to witness our subjects’ triumphs and growth. One such subject, Jayli, continues to lead with grace and perseverance: “When I was a little girl, I didn’t meet colonial beauty standards. I was teased and struggled mentally with my features. As I grew with the understanding of my beauty as an indigenous person, I learned that the stars and flowers aren’t the same, but they’re both immensely beautiful in their unique way. Society can be the ugly one. Miicagihda’ac (we are all beautiful)”

Without YOU, we could not continue hearing stories and demanding change. 3G continues to focus on the disproportionate violence Native women and girls face. We center on how atrocities against women and Native communities are particularly egregious. To watch our films that amplify Native women and support our causes, please visit our website at 3generations.org and connect with us on social media @3_generations.