ZINTKALA EIRING
Zintkala is an Oglala Lakota Winyan based out of Rapid City, South Dakota. Her given name is Wacante Oganate Win, She Who Helps with Her Heart. Zintkala holds a Masters in Legal Studies from James E. Rogers College of Law, University of Arizona, where she was a National Congress of American Indians Law Scholar Recipient. She was also a part of the Native American Political Leadership Program at George Washington University in DC under the Millanovich Fellowship. While pursuing masters courses at GW, she interned as an Intergovernmental External Affairs Intern with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Headquarters. Zintkala earned her Bachelors in Conservation from George Mason University located in Fairfax, Virginia. She also studied at the Smithsonian Mason School of Conservation at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute based out of Front Royal, VA. Her practicum focused on red panda and clouded leopard species survival, as well as data collection.
Before joining Tanka Fund, Zintkala previously worked as an Intergovernmental Affairs Liaison with the Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board. Prior to that, she was a Technical Services Provider with the InterTribal Buffalo Council where she conducted site visits with Tribal herds, provided training and outreach on buffalo management/grazing plans, and assisted buffalo herd caretakers in research. Zintkala also served as a Tribal Liaison Assistant with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Hadley, Massachusetts Regional Office. She also worked with the U.S. Forest Service as a Native American Research Assistant with the Wildlife Society. In the Black Hills National Forest of SD, she conducted independent surveys of the American three-toed woodpecker and researched native traditional plant species. Zintkala also served as a Biological Technician Intern at the Prince William National Forest Park in VA with the Student Conservation Association. There she collected water samples, conducted various animal, insect, and plant surveys, as well as worked on invasive plant species removal.
Zintkala comes to Tanka Fund with a respect for the environment and a care for the people. She has dedicated her educational and work career in learning more about the land and in its inhabitants, as well as the history and functions of law. She personally spends time with her dog Joon, her partner Jay Ar, and her indoor and outdoor plants.