Feb 22, 2024 –  Thanks to competing in Jr Birkie XC Race when Mariah Cooper was 13, she made a meteoric rise.   When the world renowned American Birkibeiner in Hayward Wisconsin agreed to host their tribal youth, this Lac Courte Oreille “Honor the Earth Princess,” got a chance to become a Native American Olympic XC Hopeful, then made the great Dartmouth XC Tea5m, and just got her other dream, being an MD to lift the health of Indian Country.  Here’s also how the Birkie and the Midwest just got up to 6 inches of snowblessings so they’re racing on real snow.

Mariah credits “Teamwork, sharing and giving gratitude to Mother Earth.”  “When I was 12, I emailed Olympic Skier Suzy “Chapstick” Chaffee with the Native American Olympic Team Foundation (NAOTF.org) to see if I could get some XC gear for our Tribe.  So Suzy said her teammate Billy Kidd (Vt Abenaki) had inspired David Ingimie, President of the SnowSports Industries of America, to donate gear for 45 tribes and we’d be one.

“My mom Nancy got the St Croix Tribe to fly Suzy in to cheer us all on at the Jr Birkie and further inspire their youth and LCO’s to do fun sports that open the world to you.  XC gives me so much joy in the wondrous woods, and the discipline to avoid drugs and alcohol to instead reach for the sky.”

“Suzy loved how Gov Gaylord Nelson, the Father of Earth Day, had me open the Birkebeiner with my prayer signing with mom and Elder Dr John Anderson.  She was also impressed with my performance in the race, so Billy invited me to train at Steamboat’s Olympic Training Center where he put me under his wing.  Since I had to be disciplined to juggle my two loves, XC training and Scholastics, I  ended up Valedictorian and got a scholarship to Dartmouth with the top U.S. XC Team. “

“As my mentor, Suzy made possible my coaching 600 Arctic youth with Olympian Lars Flora’s team, which was a magical experience where reindeer and polar bears rule.  While helping them learn a green form of transportation to prevent our critical ice cap from melting, we helped reduce diabetes, addictions and suicides.  Also thru zero carb Stevia discovered by the SA tribes, which Suzy got them samples to try, since sugar gives you rollercoaster highs and lows, and can lead to addiction to alcohol, which is a fermented sugar, further got me excited about natural healthcare solutions.”

Dr Mariah is a new generation of MDs befittingly leading the winds of change of Indian Country Health, and tackling the mental health epidemic in America by becoming a psychiatrist.  She is a shining role model since Carl Jung, the Swiss Father of Modern Psychology found living with the Taos Pueblo that the keys to being healthy psychologically are:  Fun Sports, especially in the outdoors, giving gratitude, finding your higher purpose and giving back, and replacing sad memories with joyful ones.   That’s why the Elders lead snowdances at ski areas in appreciation for their sharing snowsports.

Restoring the psychological health of Americans is critical to then heal Mother Earth.  Great timing since the leaders of us 8 Billon:  Greta, Pope Francis, King Charles and 192 U.N. countries all say, ‘Listen to the Indigenous.”

Meanwhile the Birkebeiner Foundation has been brilliantly giving about 30 Lac Courte Oreille youth weekly lessons thanks also to LCO’s Lori Taguma, and many of them will be competing in the Jr Birkie Feb 20-24.  Since this years would be on fake snow, Chaffee reminded Birkie Director Ben Popp that by restoring the Birkie tradition of inviting an Elder and stunning tribal youth to lead a ceremony there, along with inviting them to compete, helped save the Birkie with snow 3X.

So Popp invited a St Croix Elder and drummers to open the ceremony on the 24th honoring Ernie St Germaine (Lac de Flambeau), the XC Star who competed in the first Birkie in 1973, and ever since, along with mentoring Native youth.  And Hallelujah, his just committing to restore this combo that Europeans love, since it also gives gratitude to Mother Earth, inspired on Feb 15, up to six inches of precious powder in the Midwest, as also reported by Trollhaugen ski area.

That’s Mother Earth reminding ski areas, (where most storms come from), and everyone that She is listening.  And like most women, when given loving gratitude, you’ll see She is even MORE generous.  Inviting the St Croix drummers was befitting since the tribe helped make all this progress possible, along with Nancy and Mariah on the board of NAOTF, co-founded by Chaffee and the Utes in Telluride.

Natives are humble.  So Popp was also amazed when Chaffee told him that Mariah is a descendent of Polly Cooper who saved General Washington’s Troops from starving and freezing to death, many without shoes, at pivotal Valley Forge (Google).  And that Polly is honored in a statue with the President in the National Museum of the American Indian overlooking the Capitol.

That’s why Mariah and Ernie are shining role models for Indian youth and everyone.