Our Parent Organization
Teton Nation is a proud member of the Native Sons and Daughters Programs®, a national network of parent-child programs administered by National Longhouse, Ltd. — a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to strengthening the bond between parent and child.
The NSD Programs were built on a simple but powerful idea: that a parent's involvement in their child's life is one of the most important things they can offer. Patterned after the tradition of North American Indian cultural groups — where sons learned directly from their fathers — these programs create structured, meaningful experiences that build relationships that last a lifetime.
National Longhouse integrates a Native American theme as a shared point of interest and as an educational window into the history and values of indigenous cultures. Every campout, meeting, and event is designed to bring parents and children closer together, not just as family, but as true companions.
The motto of the Native Sons and Daughters Programs
Mission & Purpose
National Longhouse is organized and operated for religious, charitable, and educational purposes. At its core, the mission is to strengthen the parent-child relationship through shared experience, Christian values, and community.
- Foster a positive, lifelong relationship between parent and child
- Build inter-family, communal, and spiritual bonds through shared activities
- Introduce and honor Native American cultures and traditions
- Combat juvenile delinquency through fun, challenging, character-building programs
- Serve as a national resource center for parent-child programming nationwide
National Longhouse, Ltd. has been fully independent since 2006, originating in 2002 as an outreach of Lighthouse, Inc., a nonprofit ministry serving inner-city families in Greater Cleveland, Ohio since 1982.
The Six Aims
The Six Aims trace back to Joe "Ahtik" Friday, an Ojibway Indian who founded the original Indian Guide program in the 1920s. These aims — drawn from Ojibway tradition — serve as a guide for living each day with intention, respect, and faith.
The foundational aim — rooted in Joe Friday's own story of lost and found family. The relationship between parent and child is the heart of everything.
Drawing from Ojibway purification traditions, this aim calls each member toward personal integrity — inside and out.
We are all part of the great circle of life. Family — both immediate and extended — is to be cherished and protected above all else.
In the Ojibway way, no one goes hungry, cold, or unloved. Generosity and kindness toward neighbors is not optional — it is tradition.
Respect for elders and those with knowledge. The Talking Stick tradition reminds us that listening is an act of honor.
Reverence for the forests, fields, and streams that sustain us — and gratitude to the Creator for all that we have been given.
Where Teton Nation Fits In
Teton Nation operates as a local tribe within the Sunshine Longhouse — our regional chapter of the NSD Programs based here in South Florida. Through National Longhouse, we are connected to a network of tribes and longhouses across the country, all united by the same mission: dads and kids, building memories that last forever.
Our tribes — the Arapahoes, Blackfoot, Chippewa, Commanche, Creek, Iroquois, Pocomokes, and Yellowknives — each carry on that tradition every time they gather around a campfire, paddle a canoe, or earn tally points together.