In this episode, we welcome Tillie and Jesse, who are the first couple we feature in our Love Series. Read on to learn more about who Tillie and Jesse are, and tune in to hear their beautiful love story.
Oki, my name is Tillie Torpey. I am an enrolled member of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and also a descendent of the Navajo and Rocky Boy Cree tribes. I was raised in Plummer, ID on the Coeur d’Alene Indian Reservation with both of my parents and two older brothers. Jesse and I have been married for about two years and together for three. We share four kids together. I also have my bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, and I work as the Social Media Coordinator. Currently I am going to school for esthetics and will be graduating this April. As a hobby and passion, I love to bead and make moccasins.
Jesse DesRosier Assinaipooyii (Cree Speaker) born in the month of the big snow I was given my Blackfoot name when I was 3 days old by my great, great grandmother Matooyoh’kimakii Mary Ground who lived to be 107. Since I was a child, I’ve had a deep interest in my Niipatapiisinaan kii Nitsiipuhwahsin “Blackfoot ways of life and Language” as well as expressing that interest through artwork. I am a graduate of the Cutswood Immersion School or “Niitsipuhwahsin” (2003, 8th grade) Later I graduated from Browning High School. Afterward I served four years fighting dragons for Uncle Sam (in the United States Marine Corps) 2007-2011. When I returned home, I eventually started school in 2013 at the University of Montana Missoula, where I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Native American Studies. I then started working at the immersion school, Piegan Institute, teaching the Blackfoot language as well as Blackfeet Community College and online at Yale University. Artwork is another passion and I have been doing Ledger Artwork since 2015, incorporating traditional designs with contemporary themes. I have been very active in advocating for language, veteran health and Badger Two Medicine. I am a proud husband to Tillie Torpey and father of four amazing, wild rug rats. I am an amateur cage fighter and I believe there are many paths for healing trauma through language, artwork, and mixed martial arts.
• To view Tillie and Jesse's artwork, visit their artist pages on Instagram:
· Tillie's Artwork: @walkingthundesigns
· Jesse's Artwork: @pikuniboy_media
• If this episode made you reflect + relate + reimagine + smile, please share it with your circle so that others can enjoy this beautiful story.
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Hand to Heart,
Andrea + Talks With A Fox Podcast Team🦊