Break the Cycle
Breaking generational curses. This is the goal of Dorie Rios, Tribal Chairwoman for the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi (NHBP). Born and raised in Battle Creek, Michigan, Chairwoman Rios has a great pride for her culture and her family.
A natural leader, Chairwoman Rios has worked for NHBP for over 25 years. It all started when the NHBP Tribal Council signed the Federal Recognition Document in 1995 in the White House Treaty Room. This moment reaffirmed the tribe’s sovereignty. At 21 years old, she attended the ceremony. Her uncle, Amos Day Jr., was on Tribal Council at the time. Chairwoman Rios said, “The struggles that he and the rest of my family went through on the reservation, what they did not have, what they endured and – that’s when I got it – what “federally recognized” meant for our nation.” Looking at all of those treaties and seeing her uncle at this monumental event, Chairwoman Rios knew her mission from that day forward. She wanted to correct the wrongs done to her people and shape a better future for them.
Growing up, Dorie Rios was surrounded by family. They always provided for each other. When they traveled to the reservation, they would forage and garden. The garden quickly became a metaphor for Chairwoman Rios’ life. In the garden, people came together with their different skill sets to work together and attain one goal. That is how Rios sees her mission.
As she began her work for NHBP, she quickly worked her way up. She began as a community health representative and made her way to become the housing administrative assistant, then the housing director for 10 years. After much training and attaining her construction and real estate license, Chairwoman Rios had a pivotal role in the reservation’s development, bringing it from dirt roads and 5 dilapidated houses to where it is now, with roads, infrastructure, and 35 houses. Rios got to hand keys to her mother, Paula Keith, and her great aunt, both of which grew up on the reservation, making her role even more special.
“I am so blessed. I don’t call this a job,” Rios said, “I’m a part of our ancestors’ vision.” Chairwoman Rios is the great-great-granddaughter of one of NHBP’s last chiefs, Stephen Pamptopee. The legacy of her family line continues with her, the first woman in her family to have the Chairwoman position. Rios carries this legacy on both sides of her family as an Afro-Indigenous woman. Her father went to one of the first integrated schools in the nation. Her paternal grandmother lived 4 miles from one of the Underground Railroad hubs and would walk those miles to help feed hidden slaves. These legacies now live through Rios, and she takes that responsibility very seriously.
There are many responsibilities when it comes to advocating for people groups who are often overlooked. To Chairwoman Rios, this is why education and awareness is so important: “Educate yourselves. Learn about your tribe and other communities. We need those outside communities to be our allies.” Education is vital to bringing awareness to many Native American issues, such as the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (or People) movement (MMIW). Rios’ aunt Brenda Day, was murdered in the 80s, making this movement mean even more to her. “I remember that night like it was yesterday,” Rios said.
Chairwoman Rios accredits much of her drive to her mother. She said, “I’m here because of her…Watching her surviving and raising a family, that taught me so much on how to be a caregiver.” Her mother attended a boarding school and her aunts and uncles also struggled growing up. “They still persevered. They were so resilient because it’s in our DNA. That inspires me and drives me every day.”
Breaking those generational traumas drives Chairwoman Rios, and it all happens through cultural revitalization. Rios plans to do this by being a good leader and by sharing what she knows to the next generation of leaders. She wants to help others find their purpose like she did. Every person has a legacy to leave and something to contribute, and everyone has a role to play in the garden of life.
Chairwoman Dorie Rios cherishes kindness as the foundation for all of these things: “Ultimately I want people to be kind.” With kindness, generational responsibilities, and a driving purpose, Rios is making a difference for her people and her surrounding community. Her ancestor’s vision is coming to fruition.
Native Narratives 