Tribal members, students attend annual INL ‘Sogo Bia Dabai ‘Yi’ Earth Day celebration
$25,000 donated to Sho-Ban SD #537 to continue & support STEM programs
Students and staff members at the opening of Middle Butte Cave during the 4th annual “Sogo Bia Dabai ‘Yi – Mother Earth Day” celebration on April 21.
By JEREMY SHAY
Sho-Ban News
MIDDLE BUTTE — Idaho National Laboratory (INL), in partnership with the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, hosted a site visit for local Native students, tribal staff and community members at the Middle Butte Cave to celebrate the fourth annual “Sogo Bia Dabai ‘Yi – Mother Earth Day” for 2025 on Monday, April 21.
The day-long event began with a caravan traveling out to the INL site where Sho-Ban Jr./Sr. High School students and staff, along with Blackfoot and Independence high schools, were offered a prayer by Fort Hall Business Council treasurer Ladd Edmo for safety and protection prior to the hike down into the cave.
Edmo spoke about the history of the ancestral homelands at Middle Butte Cave, and how the site was once a place for shelter, “for everybody here, sharing this moment — it means a lot to us, to share our culture.” He said it was an honor and a privilege to be asked to do the prayer, and gave thanks to the ancestors, “they didn’t have the luxuries we have, so I give thanks to them for their sacrifices to us, so that we could be here.”
FHBC treasurer Ladd Edmo offers a prayer prior to the cave site visit.
The Middle Butte Cave site is home to preserved petroglyph drawings on the cave walls, with many telling Shoshone-Bannock history.
The area is monitored yearly by Cultural Resources’ Heritage Tribal Office members, along with INL and Department of Energy (DOE) staff, to ensure protection and preservation against vandalism or damage.
Visiting community members were advised to be aware of bats dwelling in the cave, in addition to the rocky terrain on the trail leading inside. INL staff provided an isopropyl alcohol solution to spray on the soles of shoes to minimize any pollutants that may be tracked into the site.
Local students look at petroglyphs at Middle Butte Cave.
Students and staff entered the cave site with flashlights to get a glimpse of the history told in the preserved petroglyphs.
Energy Innovation Laboratory presentations
Following the site visit, the day’s events continued at the INL Energy Innovation Laboratory meeting center in Idaho Falls.
INL STEM & Tribal Engagement Director Jennifer Jackson welcomed visiting participants to the afternoon Earth Day presentation and gave opening remarks, “this collaboration signifies the deep respects and acknowledgment of the tribes’ enduring connection to the land and Mother Earth, and our joint efforts to protect and preserve our natural resources for future generations. Thank you for joining us in this meaningful celebration.”
The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and INL signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in 2021 to support STEM programs created for Shoshone-Bannock School District #537 students. This year’s 2025 Earth Day celebration marks the fourth year of partnership between the tribes and INL.
After the opening remarks, Shoshone-Bannock tribal elder Miranda Dixey gave an opening prayer.
INL deputy lab director David Teter spoke about his career spanning 30 years at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, “I learned the importance of having a very strong partnership with the eight northern New Mexico tribes, and stewarding the cultural resources and outward community engagement with the tribes. We’re grateful today to enjoy the close relationship with the Sho-Ban Tribes.”
Teter thanked the visiting students for attending, and the knowledge tribal elders have shared with INL, “I am grateful to the tribes’ governing body for our honest and open dialogues between our organizations.”
Department of Energy Idaho Operations Office Deputy Manager Mike McAnulty spoke about the collaboration between the DOE and Cultural Resources’ Heritage Tribal Office, “it is our responsibility to ensure the earth’s resources are here for our youth today.”
FHBC treasurer Ladd Edmo gave remarks, “Thank you for recognizing the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, in the many years that INL has existed out here, they’ve come and set up camp on our ancestral lands.”
Edmo further spoke about the relationship between the Tribes and the federal government entities when it comes to caring for the land and cultural sites at INL, and how the Earth Day celebration acknowledges that history. “On behalf of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, we appreciate the opportunity to share our culture and our traditions with our partners here, and all those that are here today.”
Following the remarks, INL STEM & Tribal Engagement’s Jennifer Jackson invited Sho-Ban students and superintendent Pam Eschief up to present the school district a donation of $25,000 on behalf of Battelle Energy Alliance, operator of INL, to continue to support STEM programs created for Sho-Ban school students from the 2021 signed MOU.
INL STEM & Tribal Engagement Director Jennifer Jackson presents a $25,000 donation check to Sho-Ban School District #537, accepted by superintendent Pam Eschief and students.
Jackson said “These are opportunities for them to learn trades and learn about operations here at INL — they learn skills and competencies that they can take with them their entire lives. Many of these students have been involved in our industrial mechanics courses or our construction trades courses, and many have come out in the summer for paid internships, and they have done awesome things. They are going to open doors for themselves to wonderful futures in the trades, and I couldn’t be prouder of all these students and of the school district and tribes.”
Sho-Ban Tribal DOE Energy Manager Alana Edmo gave a history presentation on the cradleboard, made from red willows. For visiting guests, each table centerpiece had a miniature willow cradleboard made to highlight the featured presentation.
Sho-Ban HeTO staff members, from left, Anna Bowers, Casey Ball and Polly Hevewah-Matsaw
assist in showcasing cradleboards during a presentation by Alana Edmo.
Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Natural Resources Deputy Executive Director Lytle Denny spoke about his new position and getting an understanding of the relationship between the Tribes and INL, “the Tribes have been developing a lot of new relationships over the years and it’s good to see these things come to fruition. We’re talking about Earth Day today, and in my view every day is Earth Day — every day we’re trying to protect our natural resources from the constant extraction of Western society and trying to educate people on why we value the land and the water, and these natural resources. It’s difficult because where we’re coming from, we don’t look at things from a monetary standpoint — all these resources took care of us, and whether we like it, or not, the settlers came here and saw all these resources and found a way to make money off them, and we still have to protect those resources.”
Sho-Ban Tribes Natural Resources Deputy Executive Director Lytle Denny speaks to students.
Denny said he’s grateful for this partnership and to see students benefit from these new programs, “it gives me great hope that all of the youth here are going to have so many opportunities to advance in science, technology, engineering and math, and to know what kind of natural resources division we’re going to be building, and who’s coming in those doors to protect these resources.”
Archaeologist Randy Thompson spoke to the visiting students about the history and changes the ancestors faced, “our Native people, our traditional people were so smart and so ingenious to deal, to live out on this landscape the way they did. It’s a tough environment, but they survived. It’s much stronger than us, and when we go, we’re going to go back to the earth that we came from. So, you young guys keep that in mind, it’s up to you to protect it.”
Shoshone-Bannock Tribal DOE Director Wyatt Petersen spoke about the significance of Earth Day and the Tribes, “Earth Day is an important day for everybody to slow down occasionally and think about what this means for all of us, how tribes try to look at this idea all the time — how decisions being made today might affect a generation that we will never know.”
Petersen said he is grateful to be working within the partnership between SBT and INL, “It’s given me a new sense of hope when it comes to how Tribes can interact with different federal agencies. As we go forward, the tribes have a real interest in seeing our youth coming into scientific jobs, cultural jobs, philosophies — whatever pieces that we’re going to need to continue.”
Shoshone-Bannock HeTO staff members LaRae Bill, Anna Bowers, Casey Ball and Polly Hevewah-Matsaw conducted a giveaway to visiting tribal employees and INL staff.
Closing out the speaker presentations, Anna Bowers gave a traditional sign language performance set to “America the Beautiful.”
Sho-Ban Jr./Sr. High School traditional dance troupe at INL.
The final presentation was a traditional dance troupe performance from Sho-Ban School students, led by advisor Kara Tsosie. Local drummers Sage Point singers were the host drum for the performance. Tribal elder Gary Watson spoke a few words before the performance, and discussed the importance of recognizing “Sogo Bia” on Earth Day, and every day.
Sho-Ban tribal member Leela Abrahamson emceed the performance showcase, highlighting each individual style of dances. To close out the day’s events a friendship round dance was conducted for the dance troupe, tribal officials, INL staff members and all in attendance.
Visiting participants were treated to a lunch catered by Olive Garden, with desserts and INL branded merchandise to take home.
