North Dakota Native Led Nonprofit Eyes Cultural Center in Bismarck

(Rendering by EAPC and AP Construction courtesy of Native American Development Center and Native Inc. via the North Dakota Monitor)

(North Dakota Monitor) – At 25, Lorraine Davis’ battle with substance abuse landed her in prison, but she wasn’t a felon.

She was a grieving daughter who turned to substances to mourn the death of her mother, and neither her community nor the state had the resources to support her. When the local treatment center didn’t have room, a judge sent her behind bars.

Davis said her story is all too common for Indigenous North Dakotans, and is what’s motivating her to establish a first-of-its-kind cultural center in Bismarck — a centrally-located place where families, tourists and everyone in between can build community while learning more about traditional Indigenous healing.

“I want to bring back our way of life and healing to Indigenous populations,” she said.

Davis leads the two organizations behind the effort: the Native American Development Center and Native Inc.