Blackfeet Living Principles as Open Data
Video Campaign
Overview
In Montana, traditional Blackfeet cultural principles are being translated into recognized workplace credentials.
The Blackfeet Nation, in partnership with Accelerate Montana and 4 Poles Educational Consulting Group, is translating traditional cultural principles into recognized workplace credentials. Concepts like Iiya'kaakimaat (trying hard) and sapaatsinnaa'pii (keeping harmony and balance) are being codified into open data frameworks that employers can search and recognize.
Our job was to document this process in a way that honored both its cultural significance and its technical complexity, without flattening either one.
The Blackfeet Nation, in partnership with Accelerate Montana and 4 Poles Educational Consulting Group, is translating traditional cultural principles into recognized workplace credentials. Concepts like Iiya'kaakimaat (trying hard) and sapaatsinnaa'pii (keeping harmony and balance) are being codified into open data frameworks that employers can search and recognize.
Our job was to document this process in a way that honored both its cultural significance and its technical complexity, without flattening either one.
The Challenge
The work itself was abstract, technical, and still unfolding during production. Cultural principles had to be translated from Blackfoot to simple English definitions, then explored for deeper cultural meanings, then applied to workplace contexts, and finally represented in data systems.
Each step risked distortion or oversimplification.
We worked with multiple different stakeholders: the Blackfeet Nation, Accelerate Montana, 4 Poles Consulting, and Credential Engine. The project spanned several months in 2025, with production happening alongside the credentialing work itself.
Each step risked distortion or oversimplification.
We worked with multiple different stakeholders: the Blackfeet Nation, Accelerate Montana, 4 Poles Consulting, and Credential Engine. The project spanned several months in 2025, with production happening alongside the credentialing work itself.
Our Approach
We worked closely with Elizabeth Dove (Director of Validated Skills) and Jenny Harms (Director), both at Accelerate Montana, to understand the goals of the video and the broader Blackfeet Cultural Living Principles initiative. They helped us refine concepts and coordinate logistics between the Blackfeet Nation, Credential Engine, and our team.
We conducted interviews with key figures across the project: Wendy Bremner and Lona Running Wolf (4 Poles Educational Consulting Group), Dana Pemberton (Personnel Director, Blackfeet Tribe), Leo Bird (Blackfeet Educator), and Deb Everhart (Chief Strategy Officer, Credential Engine). We filmed on the Blackfeet Nation, including during North American Indian Days (NAID), capturing both the process and the cultural context.
Because the credentialing process itself is nuanced, we developed custom motion graphics to illustrate data frameworks and help viewers grasp the concepts being discussed. They were necessary to make abstract systems visually engaging and comprehensible.
Our approach was interview-driven. We discovered the story by asking the people involved what the world should understand. We stayed flexible as the project evolved, adapting to shifting schedules and new developments in the credentialing work.
We conducted interviews with key figures across the project: Wendy Bremner and Lona Running Wolf (4 Poles Educational Consulting Group), Dana Pemberton (Personnel Director, Blackfeet Tribe), Leo Bird (Blackfeet Educator), and Deb Everhart (Chief Strategy Officer, Credential Engine). We filmed on the Blackfeet Nation, including during North American Indian Days (NAID), capturing both the process and the cultural context.
Because the credentialing process itself is nuanced, we developed custom motion graphics to illustrate data frameworks and help viewers grasp the concepts being discussed. They were necessary to make abstract systems visually engaging and comprehensible.
Our approach was interview-driven. We discovered the story by asking the people involved what the world should understand. We stayed flexible as the project evolved, adapting to shifting schedules and new developments in the credentialing work.
Special Thanks
Thanks to Jenny Harms and Elizabeth Dove for trusting us with such a special project, and to Lona Running Wolf and Wendy Bremner for their incredible hospitality and expertise.
Additional thanks to Leo Bird, Dana Pemberton, Deb Everhart, and Pat Armstrong, Jr.
To learn more about the project, check out Accelerate Montana.
Additional thanks to Leo Bird, Dana Pemberton, Deb Everhart, and Pat Armstrong, Jr.
To learn more about the project, check out Accelerate Montana.
