Great simplification pulsing lines

Ep 62  |  Jodi Archambault

Jodi Archambault: “Relationships, Reciprocity and Resiliency”

Check out this podcast

Jodi Archambault The Great Simplification

Show Summary

On this episode, Jodi Archambault, a member of the Hunkpapa and Oglala Lakota tribes, joins the podcast to share her experiences as an activist, government official, and someone who has lived amidst many cultures. While this podcast is primarily dominated by a western and US point of view, there is a huge variety of perspectives and social models we neglect and can learn from. The many different indigenous tribes within the North American continent each have a unique viewpoint and are widely recognized as leading lives that are more in tune with the Earth – known to the Lakota people as Grandmother Earth. Can we learn to respect nature not as things to be exploited and used, but rather as living relatives that are too sacred to be sold?

About Jodi Archambault

Jodi Archambault is currently the Director of Indigenous Peoples Initiatives at Wend Collective, a social impact fund working across sectors to create positive change. Prior to joining Wend, Ms. Archambault was a Policy Advisor at Sonosky, Chambers & Sachse, a national Native American rights law firm. Between 2009 and 2015, she was a political appointee for President Barack Obama. During her tenure in the Obama Administration, Ms. Archambault served as the Special Assistant to the President for Native American Affairs on the White House Domestic Policy Council. Ms. Archambault holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Native American Studies from Dartmouth College and a Master of Public Policy from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs. She is an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.

In French, we have a motto that says that a simple drawing is often better than a long explanation. Jean-Marc Jancovici Carbone 4 President

That’s very understandable because with left atmosphere thinking, one of the problems is that you see everything as a series of problems that must have solutions. Iain McGilchrist Neuroscientist and Philosopher

We can’t have hundreds and hundreds of real relationships that are healthy because that requires time and effort and full attention and awareness of being in real relationship and conversation with the other human. Nate Hagens Director of ISEOF

This is the crux of the whole problem. Individual parts of nature are more valuable than the biocomplexity of nature. Thomas Crowther Founder Restor

Show Notes & Links to Learn More

Download transcript

00:45 – Jodi Archambault works + info

03:00Lakota

04:35Indigenous connection to place

06:19574 Federally Recognized US indigenous nations

06:47Turtle Island

06:59Ojibwa Turtle Island Folklore

08:18 – How trees are related to each other, fungi related to trees, and animals related to it all

09:21Black Hills illegal treaty violation by the US and Sioux refusal of ‘reparations’

12:07 Code-switching

12:15 European-centric viewpoint of possession

14:30Vandana Shiva + TGS Episode

15:15Territories in Pre-colonial North America

16:40Lack of objectification in most indigenous languages

19:10 Degradation of the Black Hills lands

20:33 Dave Archambault

20:43 Railroads and Oil Pipelines inhibition on Indigenous lands

21:20Dakota Access Pipeline

23:09Dammed Missouri River and flooding of Indian reservations

23:56Political status and sovereignty of native tribes and citizens in the United States

30:44 Tribes have the ability to retain power over domestic disputes

31:18It used to require the Federal government and courts to prosecute against a non-native person who domestically abused their native partner on while on reservation

32:22Land and Water Conservation Fund – inaccessible to tribes except through states

32:30Tribes are some of biggest contributors to land conservation and regeneration

35:05Betsy Taylor + TGS Episode

35:10 Regenerative Agriculture – Indigenous tribes have always practiced this way

35:38Gabe Brown

36:26Chaco Canyon

38:10Plans to eradicate indigenous populations by colonists

38:35 Most Native Americans died from disease brought by colonists

38:49 Russell Thornton

38:50Native American populations reduced by 90%

39:04Guns, Germs, and Steel

40:30John Trudell

47:02Native-led Conservation Organizations

48:28 Lyla June

50:09Native languages spoken more because of stay-at-home during COVID

50:15Michael Yellow Bird

50:40Buddhist teachings regarding fasting

51:05Fasting improves compassion and empathy

51:57 Humans are quite behaviorally plastic

59:10Loss of Indigenous languages

Back to episodes
Fighting for a Livable FutureWith Kelly ErhartThe Great SimplificationEp 204 | Kelly Erhart

While current conversations about global heating tend to center around a few well-established pieces of science, we don’t often hear about the scientists and leaders working at the frontier of what is still unknown about Earth’s systems. This includes unpredictable tipping points and cascading effects of our rapidly changing climate, as well as the unconventional adaptation strategies that might help us maintain a stable planet. What is the newest climate science being researched right now, and what areas are we still needing to explore as we fight for a livable future? 

Watch nowDec 10, 2025
If Anyone Builds It, Everyone DiesWith Nate SoaresThe Great SimplificationEp 203 | Nate Soares

Technological development has always been a double-edged sword for humanity: the printing press increased the spread of misinformation, cars disrupted the fabric of our cities, and social media has made us increasingly polarized and lonely. But it has not been since the invention of the nuclear bomb that technology has presented such a severe existential risk to humanity – until now, with the possibility of Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI) on the horizon. Were ASI to come to fruition, it would be so powerful that it would outcompete human beings in everything – from scientific discovery to strategic warfare. What might happen to our species if we reach this point of singularity, and how can we steer away from the worst outcomes?

Watch nowDec 3, 2025
Reimagining Ourselves at the End of the WorldWith Samantha SweetwaterThe Great SimplificationEp 202 | Samantha Sweetwater

Over the past decade, the world has become increasingly chaotic and uncertain – and so, too, has our cultural vision for the future. While the events we face now may feel unprecedented, they are rooted in much deeper patterns, which humanity has been playing out for millennia. If we take the time to understand past trends, we can also employ practices and philosophies that might counteract them –  such as focusing on kinship, intimacy, and resilience – to help pave the way for a better future. How might we nurture the foundations of a different kind of society, even while the end of our current civilization plays out around us?

Watch nowNov 24, 2025

Subscribe to our Substack

The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future (ISEOF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, founded in 2008, that conducts research and educates the public about energy issues and their impact on society.

Support our work
Get in touch
x