Jasmine Pickner-Bell and her husband Luke Bell live on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. The couple have been stranded in the Longmont area since Friday and say they are willing to work to get home.
Bell is a member of the Northern Arapaho nation which became one of Longmont’s three sister cities in 2021. The partnership was the first time a sister cities bond was made within the same country.
Pickner-Bell is from the Crow Creek of the Dakota Sioux. She is a two-time world champion hoop dancer. Hoop dancing shares the circle of life and healing, she said. Bell is a hand drum singer who is also a world champion. Together the couple travel to schools and other speaking engagements to share their cultures.
They were doing that when they met a series of unfortunate events.
The couple was driving back to Wyoming on Friday to return to their five children, father-in-law who is a tribe elder and war veteran and other family members. They had hoped to beat the terrible windstorm that struck the area over the weekend.
During their travels, they hit a pothole that damaged two tires, making it unsafe to travel on Wyoming’s winter roads, Pickner-Bell said.
They arrived in the area on Friday night and began working on a solution to the problem. They ran out of money to buy new tires, which they estimate will cost around $400. They also estimate that it will cost an additional $200 in gas money to return to the reservation.
The couple found themselves at the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder. Without many resources, they turned to what they had, their ability to perform and share their stories.
They found a spot along Pearly Street and did a street performance for the first time in their lives, Pickner-Bell said. They drew a small crowd but not enough to meet their goals. Dismayed at the result, the couple returned to their car — which doubles as their temporary home — and struggled to think of another alternative.
As they sat beside each other outside their broken-down car, a Native American woman approached them. She connected the couple with several area nonprofit organizations that might be able to help. One of those was Longmont Sister Cities.
Courtney Michelle, president of Longmont Sister Cities, met with the couple to better understand their needs. She learned that the couple did not want a handout, that they wanted to know of places they might be able to perform to earn the money they needed to return home.
“We are strong believers in being part of society and giving back and doing everything we can to be self-sustaining. Part of how we survive is through sharing our gifts of life and what the creator has given us,” Pickner-Bell said. “It is important to us to be able to say this is what we can offer, this is what we do and this is how we give back. We have that way of life.”
Longmont Sister Cities values making one friend at a time, especially within the cultures of the three sister cities it partners. For Michelle, the opportunity to help this couple was “an in-person, actual representation of that goal.”
Since their meeting, Michelle and others in the city have been working on several ways to help this couple return home. As of publication, no word was received about a plan. The Longmont Leader will continue to follow the story with any updates that may occur.
In the meantime, for those who would like to contribute an idea to help, please contact Longmont Sister Cities at [email protected].
