Our need for a quick response to the Department of Interior’s new proposed rules for the American Indian Probate Reform Act regulations by the comment deadline March 8, 2021 is great. To help address the need for information outreach to Indian people directly affected by the Department’s proposed updates, we are welcomed to have Ms. Marisol “Mari” Lopez joining our Get Involved, Stay Informed, and Share Information campaign.

We have been honored with Ms. Marisol “Mari” Lopez, named Wambli Wakita Wiyan, of the Four Feathers clan of the Lakota Nation. In response to the March 8, 2021 deadline, she is Getting Involved by helping with information outreach, Staying Informed by Joining the Discussion, and Sharing Information by drafting content for our www.NativeProbate.org Blog.

Mari is a Native American woman who is trying to help her tribal community get involved and stay informed. By supporting our organization, the Stewards of Indigenous Resources Endowment “SIRE”, she will provide a narrative highlighting the inept Indian policies currently out there. This narrative will provide information that will allow people to Get Involved, Stay Informed, and Share Information.

Hi I’m Mari. Short for Marisol. Named Wambli Wakita Wiyan. I come from the Four Feathers clan of the Lakota Nation. Medicine men are in my history, and their ways are in my blood. I am a proud native

My mom’s family comes from the Rosebud reservation in South Dakota. She was a child of rape, and things didn’t get much better from there. She, her sisters and brothers were brutally kidnapped from their mother and grandmother so they could be educated in the St. Francis boarding school. From there physical, sexual, and yes even ritual abuse became part of their way of life.

I am the first generation of that trauma. Did you know that trauma can actually impact the DNA of those who come after? Injustice is in my blood, and I have to fight that injustice every day. Just like you. That’s why Stewards of Indigenous Resources Endowment (SIRE) is my cause. Their motivation is fighting injustice. This program can help. Really.

I am you. My concerns are embodied in everyone around me who can claim even one drop of native blood. My worries are felt and heard in the cries of every child born to my people. My life is in your life and you are in mine. And that’s why I am telling, even begging you to call Ms Roberta Armstrong of SIRE. She can help. How?

By getting you a will and assigning power of attorney. Let the government know that what’s yours is yours, not theirs. The only way to do that right now is through well written and clear wills. Ms Roberta Armstrong can help you with that. Use your voice and give her a call NOW. Ms Armstrong is doing this service free of charge until March 8th. Now is your chance to seal your wishes and desires for you and yours even after you die.

I am you. My concerns are embodied in everyone around me who can claim even one drop of native blood. My worries are felt and heard in the cries of every child born to my people. My life is in your life and you are in mine.

Which is why I feel so passionately about the legal trials of my people. The government is finding new and more subtle ways of taking what is ours from us. I want to help stop the injustice. If I can do that by passing on a few tips, or pointing toward the direction of SIRE and Ms Roberta Armstrong and her services, then that’s what I have to do. Helping one person is worth all the effort.

I am Mari,

I’m honored to meet you.

We Welcome Mari to the team! For your FREE Indian Will, please visit our Blog page: Free Indian Wills Until March 8, 2021.

These new rules will give Native Americans even less due process and protection for Indian landowners. It is vital that you be involved and learn what these new regulations mean for you and your future generations. The proposed changes and presentation materials can be found on our Blog page: AIPRA Proposed Rule Presentation Materials.

We have accepted the Call to Action by our Elder Jolette Bird Bear of the Fort Berthold Reservation. To know more about the injustice of the timing and method the Department is using in rolling out these new regulations, listen to the video on our Blog post: Elder’s Plea to Delay AIPRA Rulemaking during Pandemic.

We hope you Join the Discussion by signing up for our Blog newsletter at www.NativeProbate.org. Get Involved, Stay Informed, and Share Information.

If you have any questions or comments, I can be reached at Roberta@IndianWillsOnWheels.org