Kenneth "Tuffy" Helgeson

Roles: Special Guest

Kenneth “Tuffy” Helgeson is a member of the Assiniboine (Nakoda) Tribe and lives in the Northern Great Plains of Montana. He currently works as the Co-chairman of the Island Mountain Development Fund, an organization dedicated to the economic development of the Fort Belknap Indian Community. Previously, Tuffy taught Nakoda language and culture at the Hays Lodgepole High School. Tuffy leads initiatives to document, preserve, and teach the language and culture of his people, and travels the world to speak at intertribal pow-wows and events. Tuffy is a proud father and husband to wife, Dalee and son Tadaya. One thing he loves about the Northern Montana prairie is the ability to see for miles and miles. “You can go up a hill and see from mountain range to mountain range,” says Tuffy. “It makes you realize you’re a very small piece of a bigger environment.”