Dan Ninham
Special to ICT
For educator Mark Mindt, his KODA character has been by his side since he started working on his education degree years ago.
KODA was also there when he attended tribal college for art and technical skills to market the character.
“KODA the Warrior” is a Dakota comic book superhero created by Mindt. The character is based on Mindt’s experiences with a superhero twist. Mindt is KODA’s writer and illustrator and now the fourth edition of the super hero is back.
“I’ve been drawing KODA while working on my bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND,” Midnt told ICT in an email. “After graduating, my first position was as a third grade teacher on the Coeur D’ Alene Reservation in Idaho. It was there that KODA came to life by blending my artwork with stories of KODA’s journey to my students. Their excitement for a new adventure continued to inspire me.”
Mindt, a citizen of the Spirit Lake Dakota Nation, is a Tate Topa Tribal School Art Teacher in Fort Totten, North Dakota.
“I returned to North Dakota and enrolled at the United Tribes Technical College and soon graduated with not only an Associate’s Degree in Art/Art Marketing, but also gained the technical skills to create and professionally market KODA in a comic book format,” added Mindt.
Mindt shared how KODA started as a character in his thoughts. He said: “KODA’s story begins as a college student pondering what his own path in life means. He grew up with his dad on their family farm near Pony Gulch, ND. He soon met a mentor in the form of a Thunder Being called Walking Thunder.”
“What makes KODA’s story memorable is his decision to ‘take a leap of faith’ and pursue his vision. His decision brought him to discover new lands and the Red Road within him,” added Mindt.
Mindt continued, “While KODA is yet in his early 20s, he travels from the safety of the farm and into a world of ancient traditions, cultural miracles and the strength of tribal languages throughout these tribal lands.”
KODA begins to learn more details about a missing family member and the reasons for their absence from his life. “Most importantly, KODA understands his purpose isn’t to simply ‘save the day’, but to help others believe in their personal power to make their own days more meaningful,” said Mindt.
“What makes KODA so special is his personal growth as a Native Man learning about his Indigenous identity and how to empower others to realize their own full potential,” said Mindt.
“KODA is based upon my own travels as an educator seeking to make a positive impact on others,” said Mindt. “I’ve been inspired by KODA’s patience, kindness, professionalism and perseverance. I’ve called upon KODA’s guidance when I’ve been tested to help gain clarity, embrace humility and respect with my gifts and strengths.”
Today, Mindt is grateful to travel to schools and build up students to have better attendance, live in the moment with those you respect, and to see the past and future as moments to learn from and to grow.
Bdoka is a Dakota term for “male” in regards to a role model or mentor. Mindt has several people that have guided him on his personal and professional journey. He said his dad, LaVern Mindt, was always there for him. Others were too.
“Richard Ray is a retired Manvel Schools, ND superintendent who taught me how to stand tall amidst the many school challenges that each member of a school team may face,” said Mindt.
When Mindt applied for a position at Manvel Schools, he shared some cartoon drawings which complimented his application. “It was obvious he had a talent for drawing,” Ray told ICT.
“Mr. Mindt came to Manvel as an experienced administrator and accomplished teacher,” said Ray. “Mark is very bright and has a positive attitude which makes him a pleasure to work with. Most of all, Mark loves children and accepts them as they are while encouraging them to reach their individual goals. He is always willing to help children reach their full potential. He relates to children with understanding and caring. Children sense that he genuinely cares for them.”
Ray said he can envision Mark using his art as a way of reaching out to children. ”He will be able to ‘connect’ with them while teaching the lesson of his cartoon,” added Ray.
According to Mindt, he said Nadine Eastman, superintendent of Enemy Swim Day School in South Dakota, modeled Native leadership that always put children first and supported families in their communities
“I worked side-by-side with Mark Mindt in administration at the Enemy Swim Day School in northeast South Dakota,” Eastman told ICT. “Mark had a gift of connecting with students through conversations, humor, and through storytelling and art. During the initial time of the pandemic we all created video messages for the students. Mark created a very interesting story that he read on his video to share with our students who were at home. He truly is gifted.”
Mindt recently joined the Cankdeska Cikana Community College faculty and leads the Dakota Culture Committee.
College President Cynthia Lindquist said, “Mark is passionate about his identity being Spirit Lake Dakota and about learning more. With his master’s degree, we welcome his enthusiasm and eagerness to step in and lead. He is helping us to get better organized to ‘grow our own’ Dakota faculty team. We recently established a 2+2 with the University of North Dakota (UND) Indian Studies and have one student in the program who is committed to returning to work at CCCC.”
The UND 2+2 program encourages two year college students to transition to the next two years of college in a smooth path to a four year degree.
“We will support his ideas and the further development of his comic book for the teaching of Dakota cultural values and how to be a good relative. This work will enhance our Dakota Studies curriculum but also our commitment to providing community education opportunities to learn,” Lindquist added.
“Butch ThunderHawk showed me that we all are blessed with gifts and it’s our responsibility to pursue our vision to find out where it may lead us,” said Mindt. “His tribal arts have inspired my art as well as my connection to my personal Dakota identity.”
Mindt continues to improve personal lives with his KODA comic hero and may be coming to a school near you in the greater North Dakota region.
Our stories are worth telling. Our stories are worth sharing. Our stories are worth your support. Contribute $5 or $10 today to help ICT carry out its critical mission. Sign up for ICT’s free newsletter.