Akiptan Executive Director Skya Ducheneaux
In 2017, the idea to provide loans and technical assistance to those in Native agriculture was born through a Native American Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) called Akiptan. This institution is one of the first of its kind, with a focus on addressing historical inequities in Indian Country.
The one-woman show tasked with starting it? Cheyenne River Lakota, Skya Ducheneaux. Her official title is Executive Director, but she has also worked as a grant writer, office assistant, and even janitor in the early days of the business. “I get to spend my days having to problem solve, plan, implement, and design programs. I handle all fundraising and reporting, and you know, some days I'm speaking at events, and some days I'm learning just a little bit of everything. I love that mixed bag of responsibilities,” said Skya. While running Akiptan solo in their first year of operation in 2019, the organization has grown to a team of 12 permanent staff and three temporary interns.
Located on the Cheyenne River Lakota Reservation in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, the Akiptan office gives Skya close insight as to what local Native producers are facing, “As far as industry specific things, there's a lot of room for potential. There's some things from the Gaining Ground Report that proposed new programs and different resources and I 100% support them. I also think that there are barriers to accessing funding, which makes it hard for an intermediary CDFI like [Akiptan].” Based on an overarching mission to connect Native producers with the resources they need to succeed, their services stem from financing youth, start ups, and operating costs to ownership. As a CDFI, they work personally with each client to help create a more knowledgeable borrower by assisting with technical support and providing financial literacy training.
In describing Indian Country economics through an analogy, she referenced the game of Monopoly. She explained that while Native producers play on the same board and collect once they pass go, they were invited to the game much later than their competitors and are, therefore, not operating on the same level as those who have already collected income from their existing houses and hotels. “There is so much unmet need … We are just looking for more investments, more grants into our portfolio so that we can continue to build,” Skya explained.
While Skya works with many producers day-to-day, she has also helped to bring their voices to advocate in Washington D.C. with the Native Farm Bill Coalition (NFBC), “It's important for lawmakers on The Hill to be able to listen and just know that there's opportunities to modify programs to make them more usable for underserved communities.” She underscored that NFBC makes advocacy accessible for producers’ perspectives to be heard, “I would say my favorite thing about the Coalition is being able to bring in producers because this is their real life, their testimony. I would say their testimony is probably the most impactful.”
Skya continues to work with NFBC in an effort to find solutions that span all facets of Native agriculture. Invaluable insight is brought to our lawmakers every time they hear directly from knowledgeable Natives that know and love the land they tend, “I think [NFBC’s] work amplifying my voice and producer voices is so important.” In tandem with Akiptan’s services on the ground, Skya shared the significance of their involvement with NFBC,
“I love the Native Farm Bill Coalition’s work. I love everything they do. I just wish there was 500 of them to make their voices even louder and do the work, because it's so meaningful.”
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