“Bonding closely with my clients, we take the raw materials of information, emotion and talent and create meaningful designs and lasting impressions from single voice messaging to collective voice branding. I’m a chief marketing officer, creative director, storyteller, cultural advisor, with a lifetime of relational design experience. My work is rooted in Indigenous values, connectivity, community-centered design, and simply caring about people.” - walt
“Native America is that heartbeat — a vision for what’s to come, rooted in what has always been.” - walt
“Learn to understand the movement of the land, you learn to understand the movement of the people that inhabit the land.” - walt
“Be like nature in you mannerisms, be unpredictable, and embrace uncertainty and don't be afraid to tear down the status quo to show a new way of looking at life... let the lightening storms, in your head fire synapses to awaken new outlooks and take you to places most are afraid to go... I’ll meet you there.... together we’ll change the world view.” - walt
“DNA: Design Native America© calls us to lead with Indigenous knowledge to recognize that within our DNA lies the blueprint for how humanity can thrive again: in balance, in reciprocity, in connection. This is a return. A movement of identity. A call to awaken the true idea of this land… Native America… the grand idea waiting to happen… creations first design. The heartbeat... more to come on this development.” - walt
“A creative ecosystem is a holistic, interconnected network of elements... people, projects, environments, and relationships... that work together to foster creativity and support creative work. It’s a dynamic system that goes beyond a simple creative process, creating a self-sustaining cycle of inspiration, creation, and output, often in a way that can be applied to both individual practices and broader communities, such as the “creative economy”.
“We believe in this generation, they play a key role in the LIVE LIFE Movement because it is embedded in their DNA to be the caretakers of this planet. Embedded in their way of life to be connected to all that is, to understand the Mother Earth nurturing that is needed ensure a healthy existence within ourselves and within all that is around us... to be connected to spirit and the essence of life. They are at the forefront of the biggest humanity movement ever in our lifetime. Teach them, help them in all you do. We are doing our part and will continue to inspire them through what ever creative means and community relation building we can with others to do so, it is a worthy cause... we believe in them... so they believe in us. So much more to come.” - walt
This is our community and youth outreach...
My quick story. Walt Pourier, I am Oglala Lakota, born on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. I reside in Denver Colorado area with my family. Father of three amazing daughters and a beautiful granddaughter and grandson.
I am the creator of Nakota Designs and the Stronghold Society nonprofit dedicated to instilling hope and supporting youth movements through Live Life Call To Action Campaigns. My focus, through my fine art and graphics and through the many creative movements I support, is to share messages of hope, inspiration and of healthy way of life outlooks.
My outreach work, through sustainable architecture, youth movements, language revitalization, community outreach, ending domestic violence, defending childhood initiatives, healthy food initiatives, urban native health, support of feminine energy outlooks, etc, has reached many, many communities. That’s my simple bio... it is very nice to meet you here. Wopila tanka for your friendship... let’s share in some grand ideas and change the world! - walt
Acknowledgements and Awards
• Received an Emmy for Title Graphics/Design/outreach work was featured in the Rocky Mountain PBS “Urban REZ” Documentary
• Received the Colorado Governor’s Creative Leadership Award
• Received the Mayor’s Diversity Award for the City of Denver
• Selected as the “Artist in Residence” for the Denver Art Museum twice
• Co-created “Let My People Skate” Art Project with the Denver Art Museum
• opening remarks at the upcoming 11th World Conference on Ecological Restoration
•Community outreach in Honolulu, with the Pa’i Foundation
• Received Community Service Award at the Lakota Nations Invitational event
• Hosted six annual ONE Gathering Skate For Life events in downtown Denver Colorado and Pine Ridge SD
• Guest speaker for YoYo Ma at Red Rocks Ampitheater
• Guest speaker for Portugal The Man at Red Rocks Ampitheater numerous times
• Guest speaker for Mumford & Sons at Fiddlers Green Ampitheater
• Hosted four Run for the Stronghold events in Denver
• Hosted four Kimimila “Age of the Daughters” Gatherings
• Collaborated with VANS/Pearl Jam Shoe collection in support of the Stronghold Society outreach
• Collaborated with VANS to create a Stronghold Society Skate shoe in support of outreach efforts
• Collaborated with Bryan Ridgeway / Skatistan connecting Lakota Skate Youth and Afghanistan Skate Youth through art project
• Co-hosted Denver Days Street Festival with Tocabe American Indian Eatery
• Guest panelist at the Denver ComicCon
• Keynote, guest speaker, youth empowerment advisor on many occasions.
Outreach work has been featured on…
- Ramp It Up Skateboard Culture in Native America – Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian
- Smithsonian TV’s “SKATE NATION”
- Featured in National Geographic and LEVIS Skateboarding’s Skate The World booklet with photographer Jonathon Mehring
- LEVI’s Skateboarding proudly presents: ‘Skateboarding In Pine Ridge’, a documentary directed by Greg Hunt
- Oprah Winfrey Network OWN Our America with Lisa Ling “Life on the Rez”
- VANS “Pass The Bucket” with Jeff Ament Documentary
- TIME Magazine
- VICE Online
- NATIVE AMERICA CALLING “The Heartbeat of Native Skate Parks”
- Tony Hawk Skateparks Foundation Podcast
- “STRONGER TOGETHER” documentary by filmmaker Scott Soens and produced by Ely Key and Up Mountain Switchel
- Fuel TV “Concrete Powwow” Documentary
- RED Bulletin Magazine Fall 2012 and Documentary by Dre Tzortzis, Leon Roker, Danny Lee, Jay Hanna.
- Native Peoples Magazine - TransWorld Skateboarding Magazine - JUICE Magazine - L’Equipe Sports Magazine Fall 2012 - Westword Magazine Denver Colorado - Lakota Country Times - Indian Country Today - Native News Today - Denver Business Journal - Indianz.com - Native Sun News
Testimonials / quotes from friends and associates.