Who we are
HISGEXJĮ HORAK
verb (active): tell the truth, speak the truth
Introduction
Hisgexjį Horak was founded by two Ho-Chunk women with a commitment to empowerment, truth, and reconnection. We acknowledge that we are not all-knowing; rather, we walk this path as learners, carrying forward the lessons we gather and sharing them with our relatives.
Mission Statement
Our mission is to provide a safe, inclusive, and respectful space where historical, cultural, environmental, and social justice knowledge can be shared. We center truth-telling as a form of healing, and while our work is rooted in Ho-Chunk experience, we extend it to Indian Country and beyond. Hisgexjį Horak honors our ancestors, embraces our roles as learners, and holds firm to boundaries that protect both community and self.
Our Founders
Sunshine Thomas-Bear
Gišįnįšįnįxjį
Sunshine is a proud Bear Clan member of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. She was raised with the understanding that truth, respect, and responsibility are sacred — not only to oneself, but to one’s ancestors, community, and the generations yet to come.
Hisgexjį Horak, meaning “Truth Telling,” was founded from Sunshine’s deep love for her people and a commitment to speak honestly about the realities her community faces — even when that truth is uncomfortable. Her activism is guided by the belief that knowledge belongs to the people: it must be shared, taught, and used to uplift, not withheld or gatekept.
Though she does not claim to know everything, Sunshine walks this path as a lifelong learner, always willing to share what she can to ensure the continued strength and sovereignty of her people. She believes in standing firm, even when it means challenging colonized systems and mindsets, including those that exist within Native communities, because love for one’s people often means holding each other accountable.
Sunshine draws inspiration from the traditional Ho-Chunk clan and kinship systems that once guided every part of life — systems rooted in balance, humility, responsibility, and interconnection. These teachings remind us that no one stands alone and that our strength comes from community, not individualism. Reconnecting with these original ways of being, spirituality, and kinship is, to her, the path toward healing the fractures caused by colonization.
She acknowledges that colonization has profoundly impacted Native communities, shaping worldviews, dividing families, and teaching people to doubt or silence one another. Through Hisgexjį Horak, Sunshine seeks to challenge those patterns, unlearn colonial values that harm Indigenous peoples, and reclaim truth, accountability, language, and healing as cornerstones of collective resurgence.
For Sunshine, truth is not a weapon, it is medicine. Through that medicine, she believes, we find our way home — to ourselves, to each other, and to the ways of life our ancestors intended.
Gayla Whitewater
Mą̄xipį̄
Gayla Whitewater is a content creator and proud member of the Eagle Clan of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. A self-described “rez girl” from the Winnebago Indian Reservation, Gayla uses storytelling and digital media to uplift Ho-Chunk identity, culture, and community through creative expression and truth-telling.
Her experience as a former THPO/NAGPRA Representative deepened her commitment to protecting, preserving, and honoring her people’s history and cultural heritage. Working closely with ancestral items and within institutional frameworks revealed both the importance and the limitations of doing this work within colonial structures such as government and museums. These experiences inspired Gayla to pursue a path of independent cultural preservation that could center community voices, healing, and truth without constraint.
This journey ultimately led her to co-found Hisgexjį Horak. The project was born from her recognition of the transformative power of reconnecting to culture and language. A reconnection that has profoundly healed and reshaped her own life. Through this work, Gayla hopes to offer that same healing and sense of belonging to all her relatives, empowering others to reclaim pride in who they are and where they come from.
Through her platform, Gayla shares her ongoing journey of healing, cultural identity, self-acceptance, sobriety, and Indigenous reclamation as a Ho-Chunk woman navigating modern society. Her storytelling embodies resilience and love for her people, guided by the belief that returning to our original ways of being is how we heal, strengthen, and find our way home to each other.
Contact us
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