TRIBE: OCcaneechi saponi

Mecou! I am Crystal Cavalier. I am a member of Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation tribe. You may call me Red Bear.  I am from Mebane, NC but have lived all over the United States duty to a military life.  I grew up in NC right behind the Indian Tribal Grounds.  My  family is from the Orange, Alamance and Caswell county area. Currently, I am the communications director, at a charter school of Math and Science Academy in Greensboro.  I attended UNC-G and obtained my Bachelor's of Art in Political Science and attended UNC-P in 2011, an obtained my Master's of Public Administration. I am also member of Alpha Pi Omega, the oldest native american sorority in the United States. 

While stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas in 2006, I needed an outlet for handling stress.  I was majoring in Interior Design and Architecture at the Academy of Art and began making pieces of jewelry and selling them at local powwows in Kansas.  Traveling to different states of the plains area, I felt connected with many cultures of native American Indians. 

I have worked toward promoting talking circles within the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation tribe, as well as engaging the youth with outreach and being an ambassador for our people.  I currently volunteer to teach beginning beading through healing in our tribe once a month.  I believe that healing is important and I believe wholeheartedly that building a health promotion foundation that embraces bio-psycho-socio-spiritual-ceremonial approaches and tradition medicine can help focus when your spirit is low.  I look forward to working with each of my customers and taking this journey on our path together.