Rae Ann Bird Bear-Williams: A Journey Rooted in the Three Affiliated Tribes

My name is Rae Ann Bird Bear-Williams and I grew up in the country on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation.  I am an enrolled member of the Three Affiliated Tribes.  The people of the Three Affiliated Tribes are the Hidatsa, Arikara (Sahnish), and Nueta (Mandan), three tribes who have lived and thrived amongst each other through the ages.

I had always wanted to learn our languages, but I could never quite put longing into action.  At last, I realized that we ourselves will be the ones who bring our languages back into use.  At the same time, I found many people have a strong longing to learn, but we have limited tools to help in our studies.  By writing books and creating learning materials, I hope to be some small part in keeping our languages alive.

I graduated from the University of North Dakota in 1996, first working as an accountant, and eventually staying home to raise my four amazing children with my husband, Damon.  I love to attend pow-wows in the summertime and visit with friends and family.