Meskwaki Nation: How the Bears are helping make football 'culturally exciting' for a small tribe in Iowa

In 2024, Nike committed a $20,000 grant over a five-year period for NFL teams to engage with Indigenous communities to help foster a culture of belonging in the sport of football. The Bears jumped at the opportunity to connect with a new community and, in 2024, traveled to Meskwaki Nation in Tama, Iowa to host youth football clinics.

The Bears continued that partnership this year by hosting another set of clinics to help grow the sport and introduce it to new youth in the Meskwaki Nation community. In addition, Bears staffers spent time learning about Meskwaki Nation's history, long standing passion for sport and dedication to building a stronger football program.

Story by Gabby Hajduk, Photos by Bailey Black, Videos by Ryan Roberts of Meskwaki Nation

In a 16-hour period, 6-year-old Della Jo Bear lived two lives.

On June 20, from 7-9 p.m., Della represented the rich tradition of Meskwaki Nation. She honored her tribe's culture through a Meskwaki's favorite form of medicine — dance.

In the midst of a late-June heat wave, Della, her mom, Sarah Keahna, and grandparents Eva and Sean Keahna, traveled to the tribe's historic Powwow grounds for a social gathering, hosted in honor of the Chicago Bears being on-site.

Donning her favorite fancy dance regalia — which was passed down from her cousin and full of color, hand-stitched art and tassels — Della performed traditional Meskwaki dances alongside her family, friends and fellow tribe members.

For members of the Meskwaki tribe, dancing is a representation of their history, ancestors, family members, culture and sacrifices. It's also a form of celebration and self-expression.

"Della Jo loves dancing," Sarah said. "Her and her sisters are dancing around the house all day, and whether it's Powwow dancing or ballet and tap, they'll teach each other routines or all start dancing together, or ask to put music on the TV.

"It makes me happy to see her happy, and dancing makes her happy."

Every so often, Della would opt to take a rest, return to the grassy patch where her mom and grandmother sat and play a game on her tablet. She's still a kid after all.

But by 10 a.m. the following morning, Della's post-Powwow fatigue vanished. She had returned to her normal, energetic self — the one who most recently taught herself how to do a cartwheel and front flip.

Her day's worth of energy wouldn't be spent dancing around the house or performing makeshift gymnastics routines for her mom, but rather learning football, courtesy of the Bears.

Della's family of lifelong Bears fans — her grandparents spent their early lives residing in Chicago before moving back to the settlement shortly after Della's mother was born — led to her attending the Bears' second youth football clinic at Meskwaki High School.

When the Bears came to Tama for the first time in 2024, all of Meskwaki Nation was surprised.

Soon-to-be eighth grader and football player Brennen Youngbear "didn't understand why anyone wanted to come up to us."

Volunteer coach Matt Bear "never thought anyone in Chicago would know that there was a tribe here in Iowa."

Even when the Bears returned last weekend — with plans to continue the partnership for years to come — the shock factor hadn't changed. Not only did an NFL team provide support for Meskwaki's football program, which didn't launch until 2010, they came back for more.

Sarah and her family may have a closer connection to the Bears than most in Meskwaki, but the the club wanting to help support football in their community holds weight for everyone in the tribe.

As Della Jo ran around the field Saturday, she exhibited the same joy from the evening prior. The little girl with braided hair and a beaming smile appeared just as confident while playing football as she did dancing, despite the cultural difference between the two activities.

Della Jo's story is telling and 20 years ago, it would be considered incredibly rare in the Meskwaki community. But in 2025, it's become quite common among the settlement's youth. While football was one of the last modern American sports to be learned and accepted into Meskwaki culture, it's now one of the most loved.

"It meant a little more to me than I probably want to admit, and my kids would understand just because I'm like, 'these are the Chicago Bears. The Bears are coming,'" Sarah said.

To understand the impact increased access to football can have on the Meskwaki community, it's imperative to first understand the tribe's history.

Meskwakis have graced North American soil for centuries unknown. Stories passed down from ancestors include fighting, and beating, Vikings not once, but twice. Just north of present-day Quebec, Canada, the Meskwakis' creator taught them everything they are today — their beliefs, their behaviors, their traditions.

In 1735, the Meskwaki first settled in Iowa and in 1857, they put roots in Tama, where the majority of tribe members reside today. In total, the Meskwaki tribe has more than 1,450 enrolled members and more than 1,230 descendants. In 2020, the settlement's population was 1,142.

To Jonathan Buffalo, Meskwaki's historical preservation director, Meskwakis are now "ancient people that live in a modern age."

Jonathan uses a computer in his office at the Meskwaki Museum & Cultural Center. He drives a car to work. His everyday clothing is courtesy of whatever his wife bought for him at the store.

"But as a people, we're still those Meskwakis," Jonathan shared during a tour of the museum. "Of all tribes, if we were transported to Meskwakis 200 years ago, they would recognize us. We'd speak the same language."

In today's society, it's almost necessary to integrate modernization into any community. Meskwaki Nation knows that. It's why they do embrace change, but they also prioritize remaining true to the foundation their ancestors laid.

Powwows are a way to keep tradition alive.

On the second full weekend of August each year, the settlement hosts the Meskwaki Annual Powwow to celebrate their way of life, their ancestors and the future of their people. They invite the entire world to unite with their community during the four-day celebration, with the main events being traditional dance performances.

While no other Powwow can compare to the annual event, the community occasionally hosts social Powwows to celebrate moments such as graduations, honoring veterans or welcoming new communities, such as when the Bears came to town.

Stacy Youngbear, the tribe's youth development athletic program coordinator, helped organize the social Powwow. His goal was to enhance the community's partnership with the Bears, so he wanted members of the club to not just hear about Meskwaki, but really see and feel their culture firsthand.

"This is where we celebrate, do our traditional dances, just come together and be Meskwaki," Youngbear said.

Members of the settlement spent hours showcasing their culture through dances such as the inner tribal dance, which welcomes visitors, the buffalo head dance that mimic buffalos moving through a prairie, the swan dance, which is led by women to depict the graceful movement of birds and the Meskwaki dance, which is a performance unique to their tribe.

Each dance possesses its own significance as well as its own music, which is also performed live. Through the beat of drums and an array of distinctive vocals, a group of Meskwaki men gathered to provide vibrant, traditional songs to match the movement.

For most Meskwakis, dancing has a dual meaning. On the surface, it's a fun activity that can be utilized for celebration and love. Deep down, however, it's a physical representation of who Meskwaki people are.

"When I dress up, it's not me, it's my soul," Romeo Buffalo, 22-year-old grandson of Jonathan, said. "This is my soul showing. And you don't let your soul out every day.

"When we dance, it's medicine. I dance for my family, for my relatives who aren't here anymore. I dance for my daughter. I dance for my loved ones."

Romeo displays his vibrant, energetic soul through his strong, swift movements and his layered, striking regalia. When Romeo dons his bearclaw, bells and horn — all of which are family heirlooms and much older than him — there is no mistaking his identity. He is Meskwaki.

For Sonny Demarce, whose family is full of singers and dancers, his personal identity is entangled with his dancing persona.

Sonny is a specific type of male Meskwaki dancer, known as a grass dancer. Being nomadic people, Meskwakis would settle on new land frequently. At each location, a specific group would dance to flatten the grass and in turn, prepare the land for the camp, thus the origin of the Grass Dance.

It's impossible to miss Sonny when he walks onto the field in his grass dancer outfit. Most of the beadwork and ribbon details were hand-stitched by his mother and sister in 2021, the year after he graduated.

The long fringe on his outfit represents prairie grass flowing in the wind. From his feather-forward headwear down to his fluffy pink shoes and golden ankle bells, every inch stands out.

No matter the occasion, Powwows allow the Meskwaki people to step out of modern society and into the world of their ancestors. The graceful dances, delicate outfits and radiant joy that exudes from the gathering allows Meskwaki Nation to remain true to those who came before.

"It brings us together as a people," Sonny said. "We might have had a lot of things stripped from us as a people, but doing this and dancing represents us as a people. People come and watch and when they ask you to come and dance, you go out there and dance. It unites a lot of us together."

For the past year, Stacy Youngbear has fielded the same question from Meskwaki's youth countless times: "When are the Bears coming back?"

Youngbear, who played for Meskwaki High School's inaugural football team in 2010, wanted to promise the kids the Bears would be back in the summer. And while Youngbear knew that the Bears and director of football development Gustavo Silva were committed to helping Meskwaki grow the sport, it was still difficult for him to believe it wholeheartedly.

"We're a small community and I mean, we're way out here," Youngbear said. "But the Bears want to come here and do a camp with us? This doesn't happen every day."

Silva, on the other hand, was completely dedicated to returning to the settlement for a second year of clinics. Promoting accessibility and inclusivity within the game of football has always been a priority for the Bears' youth football initiatives, so when Silva learned of the opportunity to collaborate with Nike to help impact Native American communities, the decision to hop on-board was a no-brainer.

In 2024, the Bears purchased $10,000 worth of equipment for the Meskwaki community in addition to running a clinic for middle and high schoolers as well as a Mini Monsters-inspired clinic for elementary students.

Providing support to both ages group was a critical factor.

"I think it's got to start at a young age," Youngbear said. "You have to get them going at a young age, so that way when they're in high school, they know what they're doing. For us, sometimes learning starts in high school and that's a little bit too late for everybody to even get looked at in college. A lot of it is our resources as well. We don't have much to supply for us for football. Sometimes it's just a ball. That's all we've got."

After laying the groundwork last summer, Silva and Youngbear were equally bought in to making their partnership as impactful as possible.

On the Bears' end, that meant diving deeper into the Meskwaki culture. Not only were Silva and the Bears introduced to Powwows and the tribe's history, they learned what sports in general mean to Meskwaki people.

Sports have been an integral part of Meskwaki Nation since its inception, beginning with a game called "Atti," which also means "little brother of war."

Atti is likened to modern-day lacrosse, minus any protective equipment or rules. Historically, it was often played when tribes would have a dispute. Instead of battling the traditional way with weapons, the sides would play Atti.

Nowadays, lacrosse is popular within the community, but atti is still played. While there's not intention to harm attached to the game now, helmets, pads and rules remain barred. If you get hit, you better get back up.

While Meskwakis took a liking to modern sports such as baseball, softball and basketball in the late 1800s and early 1900s, an interest in football came much later, mostly in the early 2000s.

Most were introduced to football through television. Some young boys played backyard football, but playing the sport in an organized capacity never seemed possible due to the amount of equipment required to play.

Now, Jonathan can see some similarities between atti and football based on the sports' level of physicality. He believes that 20 years ago, a presence like the Bears may not have mattered much. But with the acceleration of the sport in the community, Jonathan sees great potential in what the club's support could mean.

"For the past 15 years, our boys have been playing football, not just out in the yard," Jonathan said. "That's been culturally exciting, to see our boys play football. It's been a new experience tribally. Football is big now in the high school realm. It's fun to see. Win or lose, we're proud of our boys. So, culturally, it's becoming relevant to us."

The Bears built on that cultural relevance Saturday during their clinics, led by Silva, youth and high school football coordinator Leonard Smith and former tight end Kaseem Sinceno, who also assisted last year.

"It's good to see a new community embracing this sport and the NFL's Play 60 program," Sinceno said. "It's good to be here and learn about the culture as well. Every culture embraces sport differently, so you can see they're willing to learn it and they're accepting of it. It's been really fun watching this grow.

The Bears furthered their commitment to the community when Silva presented the group with a $5,000 donation to the Meskwaki youth development program. The club also donated Nike practice jerseys to the high school program.

For the older kids, learning from a former NFL player like Sinceno has been incomparable. Brennen Youngbear, an eighth grade running back, likened the clinic to that of a college practice.

With hopes of playing football in high school and potentially beyond, Brennen is hungry for the type of coaching the Bears provided.

"Football gives us some discipline out there," Brennen said. "We're just a tribe. Everything is new around here when it comes to football, so this means a lot. It gives everyone a different learning experience. It's nice to learn from Kaseem, who actually played in the NFL. He had new drills and opportunities — it's like they had secret sauces."

Youngbear hopes Meskwakis' connection with the Bears can one day lead to an increased representation of Native Americans in college football and the NFL.

While the Bears spent the weekend embracing the Meskwaki traditions and history, the clinics also allowed the tribe to learn more about football culture. While the future success is one piece of the partnership, fostering a deeper love for the sport is another piece of the puzzle.

Football is meant to be fun.

Football is meant to connect people and communities from all walks of life, whether it be as a player, coach or fan. The Bears' weekend in Tama did just that.

"I really was humbled by the hospitality and how open the tribe members were to educating us about their history and culture," Silva said. "There was a little guy at the end of the youth clinic that came up and gave me a hug and thanked us for being there. His last name was Old Bear and we joked about how he was destined to be a Bears fan. That really made my weekend and reinforced that we were where we needed to be."