Hope, Prayer & Indigenous Laughter

Dallas welcomes two very special guests to the podcast — his mom, Hope Anne Two Hearts, and his sister, Georgina Drapeau — visiting from the Lower Sioux Indian Community in southwestern Minnesota. Spoiler alert: it becomes very clear where Dallas gets his comedic timing from.

In this deeply personal episode, Dallas shines the spotlight on his mom as she reflects on joining AIM, participating in the 1972 takeover of the Bureau of Indian Affairs office in Washington, D.C., raising her children on their treaty lands, and dedicating her life to bringing Native women together through ceremony, prayer, and cultural teachings to ensure ancestral ways continue for future generations.

It’s a conversation rooted in love, resistance, family, and community — with plenty of hearty Indigenous laughter along the way.

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Produced by Matika Wilbur

Episode Edit & Social Media: Mandy Yeahpau

A/V Production and Mastering: Pancho Sánchez

Scoring: Mato Wayuhi

Episode Artwork: Kitana Connelly

Episode Transcript:

Hi, Mom. Hello, Dallas. Mom, I was going to ask, since you're here and Georgina's here,

who's your favorite? 

Oh, that put me on the spot. Come on, you already told me it was me, but tell everybody else. Mom, really? 

No, I can't say it. I froze up. I don't remember. I like you all the same. 

Mom, you tell me. that I'm your favorite all the time. If you guys buy me

stuff, you're my favorite. If you feed me, you're my favorite. So then Colette's your favorite.

Yes.

As this moment, she is my favorite. Whoever bought you the last thing, that's rich right there.

One of the reasons I brought Georgina is because my mom was really nervous. 

I don't look nervous.

I don't look nervous. Oh my god, you... 

She's like, why do they want to talk to me? 

Well, yeah. What the hell's wrong with them? They want to talk to me. Don't they know anybody?

It's a wonder right now. We are sitting in Seattle with her because she is terrified of flying.

She has immense anxiety. When's the last time you flew? 

The last time I had anxiety.

Okay, fair. No, she literally, bro, she didn't have her ID. I got the text early in the morning

that she forgot her ID. But she still got on the plane somehow. Yeah. And then she forgot her

phone. So this woman is in the wild. No phone, no ID. She's living like the old ones right now. 

I was afraid of ICE. My God. They could have picked me up. I had no ID. 

Ma, they can still pick you up. Well, yeah. You still don't have an ID.

Oh, my God. 

You still don't have an ID. 

They're after me. I just know it.

So we made it. We made it. And it was a good flight. Will you fly again? 

Yeah, I would. 

Oh, we break the curse. Are you willing to fly now? This woman, this woman,

literally, I offered to fly her to Hawaii with us as a family. I said, I will pay for your ticket. And she said, no, thank you. Why? You tell me why.

The water. How are you going to go across and you don't see land forever and ever and ever and there's water? Common sense. You don't belong up there. There's water. But I changed my mind now. We got to go to Hawaii now, Dallas.

Oh, fair enough. The last time she flew. She there was a baby crying on the plane and she was like, well, someone shut that baby up. She's like, I'm getting anxious. I think that's when we banned her from like, no more flying. You're cut off.

And we say that to this day, whenever we hear someone crying, well, someone shut that baby up. Now they say, shut that cushy up talking about me. 

Welcome back, relatives. This is Dallas Goldtooth. Today, I get to interview my mom.

The joy from which I was born and from which gave me so much energy and inspiration to be the person I am today.

My sister is here. My sister Georgina is here in the studio. And I want all of you to say hi to my

mom. Hope.

I also gave you... Like kleptomaniac and fire starter and see what else? Obsession compulsiveness. Multi-personalities. We all know that one, right? So anyway,

he's healthy. I made him healthy. 

I want to introduce my sister, Georgina. So this is my baby sister, also known as Jay. So Georgina, say hi and introduce yourself to everybody. 

Yeah, my name is Georgina. I'm Dallas's youngest sister. No, not youngest. I'm of my mom's children.

It's complicated. Yeah. It's very complicated. We got one of those Indian families. Yeah, so many

siblings. Look, if you're Native and you're listening to this, this is going to sound very familiar.

There's about 21 siblings we have. I think three stepdads, a couple other babies' mamas in there. Siblings to this day. That's where we're at. Yes, we definitely are.

Traveling over here today to Seattle gave me a lot of memories that came because back in 81,

I met Dallas's father who just got out of the service. And we both went to a community college.

Where at? Tacoma Community College. I had an associate's degree and a technical arts degree under social work, which I never... Never used. I couldn't help people. They were so broken.

I didn't want to do that.

I thought you were serious. Oh my goodness.

I didn't want to help people. Heck with it. She had a change of heart. Yeah. She had a change of

heart. Just too much drama and counseling and talking and shut the fuck up. I don't want to hear it. So anyway, we were here about seven years and we ended up moving to your

dad's residence, Dine’, and it was total culture shock for me. Because I was a city girl. I was used to cussing at people on the car. I was used to being a big bully on the road, all that stuff. But up there, there's... A big bully on the road?

Yeah. What does that mean? Well, figure it out. I was just like, I'm going here and you're in my

way and honking the horn and get the fuck out of the way, you know, that kind of driver. Even with the ambulances, could you stop now with the ambulances? But anyway, I went down there.

Did not know the language, didn't know the customs of the Navajo people. I was used to the city

life, always a place to go, things to do. And there it was just tumbleweeds across the road,

you know, and I had to get used to that. Let's step back a bit. Where were you born?

Where'd you grow up? St. Paul. And part of my journey was in Little Park in California and then on the Res, Lower Sioux. And you're, we're Dakota. And also a little bit of Ho-Chunk.
Yeah. So I ended up having this dream. My grandfather told me to come home. And the next morning I told your dad, Tom, I said, I'm going home. I'm taking the babies and I'm moving. I got this dream. And so we did that. We started to build a life there. And my auntie, gosh, she had like seven children. I mean, our family, Dow family, is just huge. And out of everyone, she gave me...land. 

The land that you currently live on. This is 1863 plotted land.

This is what they call the old assignments back in the day when they wanted to make the Dakotas farmers and live off the land and have a cow or whatever. And even at that time,

even though my uncles went to war and stuff, We were treated like third-class citizens.

A lot of prejudice and all that. This is in the Lower Sioux Indian community. Yes,

yes. Folks that don't know, we're a tiny res southwest Minnesota Dakota community. So the leader, one of the leaders was Wabasha, but we're direct descendants of Chief Little Crow. And what had happened back in the 1860s is our people were getting, we were hungry, they were hungry, starving, and this man said, let them eat grass. Next day, he was found dead with grass in his mouth, and that started the Lower Sioux uprising.

The result of that, and this is ironic to me sometimes, kind of pisses me off, is everybody yells

around how great Lincoln was, and he freed the slaves. And this very man hung 38 of our men.

Largest mass hanging in United States history. That was December 26, 1862.

Correct. That happened in Mankato, Minnesota. And yeah, President Lincoln signed a death warrant for all 38 men to be hung simultaneously. 

Right. So it's really a small community. They broke us up into three other communities. But anyways. Part of that history, to me, that land was always so precious. And my auntie did give it to me and Tom, and we started building on it. I want to step back again. I love hearing about my dad and all this,but I want to hear about you and your story. And part of that is before you met my dad, you grew up in the Twin Cities, Minneapolis area. St. Paul is known. That's where a lot of Dakota families lived and a lot of folks grew up.

American Indian Movement. and all the activism back in the day, how were you involved?

How did you find yourself in that? My auntie was pure choice. She was Christian,

but she also believed in our Indian ways. We were having difficulties in the public school system, so she sent us to AIM Survival School. And it's there, at that time, a lot of our people had to connect with their culture, their heritage, the things that make you the being of making you Native American, indigenous. And I got that with AIM. And at that time, they had the... 

The Trail of Broken Treaties, yeah.

And we got to go. My auntie let us go. 

Who went? 

Me and my two sisters, we went.

How old were you? 

You know what? I was only about 16.

You were 16 years old. You guys went to D.C. with the caravan? Yeah. 

And folks don't know, this was a caravan organized by the American Indian

Movement to caravan to Washington, D.C. to voice the resistance, to bring voice and elevate the issues of recognizing indigenous rights, treaty rights in particular. ended or it culminated in the takeover of the BIA and the Bureau of Indian Affairs headquarters in Washington, D.C., where they took over. And were you there? 

Yes, I was there to see that, and it was amazing. And different places where they protested, I ended up being there also. And just being around Natives that we had pride and we were something, and to rise up and teach us something as youth was the most amazing gift.

I received in those days. 

So can I jump forward now? Yeah.

I know you're the interviewing, but I'm the interviewee. So anyway, what I wanted to talk about,

okay, so blah, blah, blah, all this stuff happened, right? Now what I do with my life is at one

point I was married to a medicine man and for several years. I helped with ceremonies. At the same time, I had six kids, and a lot of people would come for help. And I started learning our ceremonies, and my companion said, if women come and you say, well, you've got to go sun dance or you've got to go fasting, and if you haven't done it, how are you going to tell them to experience that?

And so in that way, I danced for eight years as a sun dancer. And fasted about eight or nine times. But through that also was a healing for me, my own spirit and all the things that had been done to me. And I healed through that. I wasn't part of my life. And you'll see it now with some of our women. They're angry, angry Indian women. but there's so much that happened to them that made them that way. But there's ways to heal from that. And so what I've done in our community is I gather women. We had one weekend with women from all different tribes, not just Minnesota, and we were called Sisters of Spirit. And in that was a time for talking about

our issues and helping each other heal. And that just lasted two days, but it made a really big impact. 

I remember that. I was in middle school or early high school.

You formed the group and you had all those women come together, which I'd never seen before. I mean, you took us and my dad take us. We'd go to all these conferences, powwow ceremonies, but it was actually my first earliest memory of convening of indigenous women.

of Native women. I think there's also non-Native women there too, but just talking, coming

together in a space, holding space as women. And you pulled that together.

Sisters in Spirit is the group that you started. Honestly, I'm thinking that was the first time I

seen that. That influenced me immensely. 

Actually, some of this stuff that you just spoke about today, I didn't know some of that. So I'm actually learning more about you all. You were a wee little one, a little baby. are trying our hardest to help the women and right now we do sweat lodge and then afterwards we eat

together and laugh and i'm i want women to know to have a relationship with the creator and in this pipeway there's a lot of really good teachings and so i bring them together and i'm starting to to um teach them songs And also, might not know it, but there are people that don't know how to pray. And just helping these women make, and they've grown stronger, and I've heard them start to sing loud in the sweat lodge, which really makes me feel good. So we have all these different projects going. And 80 to, I think, my granddaughter, what is she, 16, all in between, of girls and women that want to know. our culture and language. And then there was this guy, he has a sweat, whatever, and it got back to me, and don't go to her, she don't know anything. I was like,what, is he going to teach the women? Why do men always have to think that they're the ones with all the answers and we've got to go running to them, somehow creator listens to their prayers and not ours? So it made me more want... help our women.

And there's a reason for it now because there's guys like that, you know, what do you call that?

Masculinity, whatever, whatever. 

Toxic masculinity. 

There you go. So I turned that around and my energy became even more focused. And so that's what we work on. We do language. We make sun sweat dresses.

We do different activities with the women. And at the same time, they're learning.

And they have that sponge, like they want to absorb that. And that's like, because one day I was like, creator, I'm just sitting here. I know all these things. I know the songs. I know all this stuff.

Utilize me. And that's when this came about, is working with the women in our community.

Yeah, so that's what we're currently at. She's an undergrad student, her and Diego,

her friend. And now she runs sweats, and my other daughter, Gracie, runs sweats. So I'm feeling like there's an urgency that I should have taped a long time ago all the songs, the sacred songs I know. So whatever comes up, I'm trying to teach them.

You know, before, I'm not, I worry that sometimes we're not going to carry this on as Indian

people. And then there's days that my daughters would do something amazing and I'll just feel like inside we're going to be all right. We've got our culture. We've got our ways.

So, okay, that's seriousness. I'll end with that. 

I want to give, I want to color that in a little bit. I really, I love that. I appreciate that so much. I think that there is a. We've talked about this as family, right? We've talked about it, about like there's a need. Yes. There's a need. People, the community has a need, right? People are desiring connection, relationships, trying to figure out how do we relate to each other. Right. And there's almost like, oh, well, we got to bring in from someone from outside to figure that out for us. But then what we're cultivating, what I'm hearing, like what I see you doing is like, well, let's do it. Let's do it ourselves. How do we empower ourselves to step up and say, no, we can figure this out because this is our lives, this is our family, this is our homes. And I think that's essential for people to hear because I think that's a part of, that's how colonizing works, is that you feel disempowered and you feel like you don't have the right to speak up. Or you feel like you don't have... All the information needed for that moment, that's very human. Like, oh, I'm not the right person for this. But if there's no one else stepping up and you feel the need and there is a need, then you have every right to step up. That's your people.

I want to ask, you didn't grow up around the sweat lodge, right? 

No. Me and our sister, because of you and because of our fathers and our experience, we grew up around ceremony. I feel very privileged. I didn't realize that until I was like... Dude, I was in high school, middle school, and I realized even my own folks that go to school with, the other natives, they didn't grow up as quote-unquote traditional. So I recognized that as a privilege. You used to always tell me about learning your first sweat songs. How old were you when you started coming back to the spiritual ways? I had to have been about 23. And your dad and I,

we had Byron, my oldest son, and then I was pregnant with my second child.

And we finally said, you know what, we got to sober up. quit smoking weed and have a spiritual

connection and start really knowing our ways. And we made a decision. That's what the way,

put the alcohol, all of that aside. And now that we're built on this family, that's what we're

going to do. And at that time, we're talking 1980, there wasn't a lot of sweats on the reservation.

There wasn't a lot of people going the pipe way. It just started to...your dad and two other men and myself would go and sweat, and we would know only one song. And so for four rounds, we only sang that one song. And now, because of singing and drumming in ceremony, I know many spiritual songs.

As Indian people, we have a song for everything, for birthdays, for somebody pass away.

Round dance songs and all that. So that was a personal part of me that I really cherish that I

could give my kids is to sing. And my oldest son, I used to take down to the basement and bring a drum and a drumstick, and I would sing to him, and I would tape him, and I'd stop it,

and then I'd play it back. And today she tells, I've learned all what I learned from my mother as

far as singing. And you know what's an amazing part? is throughout learning all of that,

I would have Indian men say, women aren't supposed to be singing those, women don't drum and like that. I was like, what do you do when you're a single mother and you have four boys?

How are you going to teach them if there's no man around to do that? So shut the hell up and I'm going to teach my own kids. You know, it's like that keeping us down, sometimes our own men.are, I don't know, scared that we might know something more than they do. You know,

it's just sad how some men are that they can't accept and encourage women to learn and for the boys to learn. So that's how we started out. And then it just grew from there. And then Sundancing and all that. And today, ceremony songs are young people. Oh, my gosh, the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. And I know it's going to only grow and get better, and they're carrying it on. Look at our powwows, the outfits, the beadwork, and the beauty of it is so beautiful. So, yeah, we started out small, but we were determined to learn, and we were determined to teach our children. So if I can honestly say that I've done right, That's one in one area. I feel very proud and I'm glad my kids are who they are because each one has a gift and each one can help in their own way. And I love that. I love that about my children. 

I love that.

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us out (t̓igʷicid\) (tuh-gwih-tsid).

What does it mean to be a good relative?

Everything. Helping, praying, you know. giving it's just it encompasses a lot of things like our

values of generosity and today sometimes seems pretty cruel life seems pretty cruel for some people and very hard for some people but as relatives we can make it better even if it's just a prayer or even if it's a hug or something like that I think we can go a long way yeah You always were willing to share your story with us and allowing us to process that and also learn from it.

I appreciate that. You don't hold back your thoughts and feelings. And also, where do you think

that you, I'm amazed to this day, I'm amazed of like, you're so joyful and you're always like,

there's a mantra. What's your mantra? What's the mantra? Hold on, I'm having a moment now.

No, go ahead.

And what is a mantra? I don't know a mantra. My mom has these little sayings.

I don't know if other people have, but she has sayings. She's always said, what are some, Jay?

Don't sweat the small stuff. That is a saying she's always said, don't sweat the small stuff. I'm

so mad I could spit. That's another one. I've never heard you say that, but okay, that's one.

Well, that's when I'm angry.

No, and then they have a mama voice for me. I hate it. Each one of them have how they copy me.

This is the thing. This is the thing. At the beginning of the day, how do you say it?

All right, so I have this memory. It's a fond memory of mine. I have a cousin,

Calvin. I'm going to name him right now. One time we were at the house. I don't know why, but he came over and he was drunk. He was trying to fight. Who was he trying to fight? You or was it somebody? He was asking for money. He was asking to borrow money and he got turned down. So, of course, he was missed. He got mad.

He started like, oh, fucking. And he started arguing. And it was like my brother was trying to

argue with him. He's like, get down. And they started fighting. And my mom comes out. My mom. It's the matriarch. And she's like, hey, you guys stop fighting now. Get out of your cousins. Go on. Get out. Like, just stop it now. Get over it. Your cousins, you have to, like, you know that whole angle. Family don't fight. So Calvin's, oh, fuck you. And he looks at my brother.

He's like, fuck you, you son of a bitch. And then my mom is walking away. And she stops.

She's like, hey. means you're calling me a bitch and she grabbed the chair and threw it and knocked my cousin in the head she's like hey she knocked him out almost and that's my mom you haven't answered the question oh you did actually i just want you to say i'm your favorite child but it's okay if you can't.

 ain't gonna happen ed.

She'll tell you later when we leave you guys at the hotel. Colette is because she fed me.

She took me to TJ Maxx. She's lying. She's like, and then we got to go to Starbucks.

We're legit all her favorite in a certain moment. She'll be like, you're my favorite daughter, Georgina. I never liked that Grace anyways. Just kidding.

So Georgina, she does a really good Indian man, like, sacred talk voice.

Do I? Yes, you do. Especially, I'm going to name it, from Yankton Sioux Res.

If you are from the Yankton Sioux Reservation, southeast South Dakota, my sister Georgina can talk like a man from there. Come on, chief it up for us. 

Dude, I'm on the spot. It has to be like random. Act like you're telling your boys a lesson. Oh, yeah. Over there. You see that thing right there? I'm just kidding. Yeah. Back in the day,

we would take that thing, you know, very sacred. No, I'm just kidding. I don't know what the hell to say. No, legit. Went over to my dad's res, and they're like, hella Indian, right? and i forgot who i was i think i was talking to dell and i'm like talking and he's like wait why do you sound all res though and i'm like what do you even mean like what are you talking about like this is how i talk what do you mean i'm just kidding and i just like legit caught myself in that moment i'm like yeah why am i talking like that like what the hell's going on i called her and i was like what are you guys doing she's like So we're only going to go down to the casino and play some kino or some bingo. It's like really, really cold outside. I was like, what the hell are you doing? You don't sound like that. Trying to blend in. 

Mom, I got, I guess, a random question. What pisses you off in the world?

Farmers. farmers that are tractors taking up all the road you know and they got you know they could have courtesy and drive halfway on the ditch on the side of the road take up all the road this is you know what just be courtesy that really pisses me off shout out to the farmers yeah farmers pissing my mom off here.

On the flip side, what brings you a lot of joy?

At this point in my life, it has to be my grandchildren. The other night we had sweat, and it was kind of chilly out. And two of them, Itancha, that means leader, he come in, he want to sit inside, and Ohitika, that's brave, he comes in with me and sits behind me. then Akichida is warrior. And that's what brings me the greatest joy is when I hear them sing and that they understand and they do understand what's going on in their own humble way, the kids. So that brings me the greatest joy. And to my kids, each one of you have a special gift that you were sent here with and you're doing the best that you can in life. You know, those, that's got to be my top ones, is my kids and grandkids. 

Who's your favorite?

God dang, will you stop? 

Your favorite grandchild. 

Oh, I can't say that.

Ma, you can. We all know who it is. Ohitika.

So quick. So quick. Well, I got to open her up. I just shut her up and tell her.

My lips are starting to stick together. I think it's this one medication I have that not even

moist.

Yeah, that's not her Indian name there. That would be so cool. That was your Indian name? Not even moist.

Not even moist. Oh, my God. Oh, my God, lady.

Oh, my God. Oh, Mom, thank you so much. for doing this interview with me i really honestly was this is something i've always wanted to do this is like a a peak moment for me to talk to you to have people know who you are to people to experience you and all your joy. It is a mantra.

The mantra of don't sweat the small stuff is something that I carry to this day of,

you know, don't let things get you down because there's always a sun rising tomorrow. You've taught me a lot in that. So thank you. I want to give a shout out to Matika Wilbur for not only giving me the space to take over as a host on this, but also to say, hey, why don't you have your mom on the podcast? Thank you, mom. I appreciate you. I love you. Thank you, Georgina. For being on here.

I love you too. I love you too. I love you too. I love you too.

I love you too. I love you too.