Smoke Signals: Messages from Mother Earth

Santana Rabang identifies as being from Lummi Nation, Nooksack Tribe, and First Nations Shxwhá:y Village. She is enrolled at Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies where she will design her own major for the Bachelor of Arts Degree. This will allow her to create something that speaks to all her passions as an Indigenous woman. Her goal is to bring each of her interests together such as Indigenous Rights, Identity, Belonging, Environment Justice, and Decolonization to create a cohesive whole.

Currently, Santana works at Lummi Indian Business Council (LIBC), where she serves as the Executive Assistant to the Secretary. She has always been interested in tribal politics, specifically Federal Indian Policy and the impacts it’s had on Indigenous identities. Santana is committed to finding ways to dismantle laws, policies, or ideologies that cause harm and further perpetuate systemic violence on Indigenous Peoples and their ways of being. She also wants to simultaneously create law and policies that protect and uphold Indigenous Rights. 

“Speak from the heart” is her life motto. Santana has spoken and emceed at many events including Indigenous Peoples Day, The Totem Pole Launch by Lummi House of Tears Carvers, Lummi Nation High School Graduation, Shuksan Middle School 8th Grade Tea, and the Washington Youth Challenge Academy Commencement. She’s also been interviewed by ABC News, CNN, King5, Seattle Times, Indian Country Today, and the Bellingham Herald. She is humbled at any opportunity to use her voice and grow her understanding of Indigenous knowledge, people, and place.

Future plans include furthering her education in Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy, continuously creating a space where all Indigenous Peoples feel safe and heard, and overall finding ways to be an asset to her workspace, community, and her people.