Bring Them Home/Aiskótáhkapiyaaya Film Screening Reflections

On Tuesday, November 18, 2025, the Hisgexjį Horak team had the honor of hosting a free community screening of Bring Them Home at Little Priest Tribal College’s Elk Auditorium in Winnebago, Nebraska. The film, narrated by Lily Gladstone, centers Indigenous leadership, bison restoration, and the powerful resilience of Native communities. Seeing relatives gather, share space, and experience this story together reminded us exactly why we do this work.

How This Event Came Together

This screening was born from a moment of inspiration and connection. In 2024, while working with the WTN Cultural Preservation Department, members of our team attended a screening of the SUGARCANE documentary. Deeply moved by the film and its impact, I reached out to the SUGARCANE team to explore the possibility of bringing that screening to Winnebago for Every Child Matters Day. Sunshine quickly got to work and made it happen.

That event was a success! And more than that, it opened a door. We were genuinely delighted when the SUGARCANE Impact Team reached out to me to offer additional films for educational community screenings. We were already brainstorming ideas for events for the Winnebago community. This felt like an answer to our prayers! Bring Them Home felt like a natural next step: a story rooted in Indigenous knowledge, land stewardship, and collective healing. Values that resonate deeply here at home. It felt especially meaningful considering November is Native American Heritage Month!

Why Events Like This Matter

Access matters. In our community, many relatives don’t have reliable transportation, are navigating financial hardship, and yet still deserve meaningful, uplifting entertainment and educational opportunities. Bringing events directly to Winnebago isn’t just convenient, it’s necessary. When we remove barriers, we make room for connection, reflection, and joy.

We were thrilled to welcome 30 community members to this free screening. That turnout represents more than a number, it reflects a hunger for stories that honor who we are and where we come from.

Gratitude for Community Care

We are especially grateful to Emmy Scott and our friends at Winnebago Two Spirit, who graciously provided popcorn and drinks for attendees. Their generosity added warmth and care to the evening, and we are continually inspired by the work they do in support of 2SLGBTQIA+ relatives. We admire their leadership and look forward to many more collaborations rooted in love, safety, and visibility.

We also want to extend our heartfelt thanks to our dear relative, Professor Alexandrea Walker and Little Priest Tribal College for allowing us to hold this screening in the beautifully renovated Elk Auditorium. The space itself elevated the experience and made the evening feel special for everyone who attended.

We are incredibly proud of Alex! Not only for the work she does at LPTC, but for how consistently supportive she has been of community-centered initiatives like this one. Her encouragement, trust, and willingness to open doors for opportunities such as this screening mean more than we can express. Having allies within our institutions who genuinely believe in making education and art accessible to the community makes all the difference.

Taking Action, Together

One thing this night reaffirmed for us is something we’ve always known: our women and Two-Spirit relatives don’t sit around waiting or complaining about what our community needs… We take action. Even with limited resources and little support, we show up, we organize, and we create spaces of care and learning. That is powerful.

Moving Forward

The success of this screening encourages us to keep going. Hisgexjį Horak is committed to continuing this work: bringing films, conversations, and community-centered events to Winnebago that are accessible, affirming, and rooted in our values.

To everyone who attended, supported, shared, and helped make this night possible: thank you. We are so happy to do this work with and for our community… and we’re just getting started.

Wā’įnįginąp šąną,

-Gayla Whitewater
Hisgexjį Horak