Majel Boxer (Sisseton and Wahpeton Dakota)

Associate Professor of Native American and Indigenous Studies, Fort Lewis College

Majel Boxer, PhD, is an enrolled Sisseton and Wahpeton Dakota tribal member of the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of Montana. She is an associate professor of Native American and Indigenous studies at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado.

Dr. Majel Boxer
Majel Boxer (Sisseton and Wahpeton Dakota)

Written by Majel Boxer (Sisseton and Wahpeton Dakota)

  • Photo of the back yoke detail of a red jingle dress. Black contrasting trim and gold rick rack in a zigzag pattern across the back shoulders of the dress, and the individual jingle pieces are attached with black fabric. The jingles themselves are each made of the lid of a metal tobacco can, and curled into a conical bell shape. The small end is affixed to the black fabric, and as the dancer moves, the jingle pieces touch to create sound.

    Our Cultural Traditions Served to Heal Us

    Cultural practices tell Indigenous Peoples that concern and care for each other are how we understand the concept of “All My Relations.” These humble practices, however, were turned against us as the coronavirus preyed upon and spread among those gathered at social events and at ceremony. But we are resilient!