Today we’d like to introduce you to Nikki SunBear Chiavuzzi.
Hi Nikki, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m an open book so feel free to use as much or as little of my story as you’d like. I’ve already predetermined in my mind what I am comfortable and safe to share and what details I will not be sharing 🙂
My name is Nikki SunBear Chiavuzzi. I am of Native American and Italian ancestry. I was born and raised in Central FL. I have studied ancient spirituality and varies healing modalities since a young age and even more so after my sexual assault at the age of 15 and DV in my early 20s during college. I’ve been living with anxiety and CPSTD and have needed to make peace with my mind and have my internal landscape be a safe space. I’ve taught various movement practices such as dance, yoga, and used to be a competitive figure skater. I come from a family of teachers, story tellers, and veterans so naturally teaching is in my blood.
For 10 years I was an army wife living in Alaska. My ex husband is a sniper and I’ve done multiple marksmenship competitions with him during my time in AK. It is also during my time in AK when I started my martial arts training. I turned 35 and thought to myself, “What’s something physical I’ve always wanted to do but haven’t yet and now would be the time to start as I’m not getting any younger?” When I first started Brazilian jiu jitsu I thought it might be a fun little side quest; I didn’t realize how deeply healing it would be for me. Now I see grappling and self defense training as another tool in my healers toolkit; something I want for all people.
This December I will have been training competing and teaching brazilian jiu jitsu for 4 years. It’s a sincere passion of mine, and will forever be apart of my life. Daily I am trying to get more and more people to come to the mats.
Post divorce, and having moved back to the Lower 48, the idea for Deer Lady Defense came to me and as soon as the idea came a series of synchronicities did aswell. Connections and opportunities I can only see as coming from Creator. I sincerely can’t stop this mission I’ve started. There are some relatives across Turtle Island already teaching and advocating for self defense in our native american communities and I am not trying to erase their efforts; but rather unite us all together and make this a nation wide effort. So far on board with DLD are Kola Shippentower, Anthiny Thish Collins, and Gene Braverock. We have the support of Pixie Lighthorse, Che Jim, Jack Creature, CTRL Industries (a Dine/Navajo owned BJJ gear company), and even a BJJ gear company overseas Half Moon.
It’s been an issue for a long time now that Native American communities see violence at a rate much higher than other demographics. Human trafficking is a terrible issue for our children and women, and bullying and murder a cause of death for too many boys, men, 2Spirit, and trans relatives. I want everyone to know how to defend themselves. If the law enforcement wont do their jobs properly on the back end solving our missing and murdered cases, then what is something we can change on the front end? Training.
Since forming Deer Lady Defense I’ve also started teaching self defense for anoter non profit called SkullGames; a big supporter of DLD. SkullGames is ran by gentlemen who are else Deleta Force. They have 2 components to their non profit; a cyber security team actively working with local law enforcement to make real arrest against online pimps and pedos as well as a healing side to their mission running weekend retreats or as my friend Anne Marie and manager calls them “weekend risings.” During these retreats we spend a whole weekend teaching women who are survivors of human trafficking how to grapple, how to shoot, and how to move together as a small teams unit. At the end of the weekend they get to run a fake operation with volunteer actors rescuing a women from the industry as if they were rescuing themselves. In my honest opinion this is a weekend of soul retrieval. These women are actively putting themselves int he scenarios that took their power away’ their soul fragments away, and they are calling those pieces of power and embodiment back home. It’s an absolute honor of mine to be apart of this team. I can see now why Creator sent me to AK to be a sniper’s wife for all that time. I needed that experience to be able to hold space for others the way I am called to do so now. An additional note to make myself and skullgames is that skullgames is all survivor-led. Every woman working and teaching at skullgames has either been in the industry themselves or they are a survivor of extreme abuse. I am living with CPTSD. My attacker from my early college days is now in jail, as is his human trafficking father. I was not in the industry myself, but I have been severely hurt, threatened with a weapon, and had to use some of these self defense skills to escape one night. The sense of freedom and liberation I feel knowing my attacker and his father are in jail is something I want for all abused women. The sense of empowerment and confidence you get from training I want for all peoples.
Self defense is a life skill that should be taught to all.
My full story is on record at an indigenous healing center in AK known as The White Raven Center as well as recorded with a journalist at The Southern Poverty Law Center. So I do not just practice what I preach; I have lived it.
Last year I joined the IndigeNash festival teaching a self defense seminar. This collective has brought me in with open arms and warm hearts. For this I couldn’t be more grateful 🙂 Now I am a strong member of the collective incharge of the wellness activations for this year, and I will be teaching self defense again this year at our week long festival. You can also find me teaching a gentle yoga class as well as a sound bath activation. Healing comes in many forms and I honor the full spectrum of it all. IndigeNash will be November 16-22 this year and pre sale tickets are now available for purchase at our website IndigeNash.org
I moved to Nashville this past July to fully commit myself to the IndigeNash collective and their efforts to continue to build Nashville up as an east coast hub for our people 🙂
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Honestly, my biggest challenge is that DLD is growing faster than I can keep up with at times! The need for this work is so apparent. This year alone I’ve travelled to Minneapolis twice to teach and every month the website, email, or social media gets a request for a seminar in another area. Much is in the works. Along with request we get many messages of people wanting to join the DLD team which is absolutely amazing. I have many ppl on standby ready to be teachers in various states such as CA, AZ, NM, MN, CO, NY, AK, WA, the Dakotas and more. Currently my focus is to get very clear on all the curriculum we’re teaching. I am working on tutorials for the website, instagram, and youtube as we speak. That way anyone thats taken a seminar can continue their training at home. Muscle memory and repitition is the only thing that will make this training stick. I stress the importance of training so when if ever you do find yourself in a precarious sitatuation you dont hesitate or fawn or freeze, but now you can react and do so quickly. These tutorials will also serve as a sort of employee onboarding handbook. Measure twice cut once is my motto right now. I’ve also been asked about training for little ones; kids below the age of 10 for bullying at school as well as kidnapping. I’ve resourced my board members and other bjj coaches for insights on this and am building curriculum for adults and little ones separately. It’s a big effort, but it will have so many rewards once it all comes together. I’m deeply appreciative of everyones insights support and patience.
Other obstacles/challenges would just be funding. Like any other growing business/non profit we need more sponsors and funds for our traveling self defense equipment. As soon as DLD grows from LLC to non profit we will be requesting sponsorship from all indigenous owned banks in the US as well as other businesses who might want to get on board and support our efforts. I’m confident many will answer the call and help with the purchasing of inflatable grappling mats, striking pads, and general merch to promote DLD 🙂
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Deer Lady Defense is in honor of Deer Lady folklore that exist in within many tribes. She represents a spirit which looks over and protects women and children in native communities. As our people continue to battle against our increased rates of kidnapping we call upon the strength of the Deer Lady spirit to assist us through this time of resiliency and empowerment.
We are here to protect our people. Through grappling, jiu jitsu, and self-defense, we’re reclaiming the strength our ancestors passed down. Our mission is to help our communities-especially women and youth against the crisis of trafficking and violence we face at alarming rates.
In a world where Indigenous people are targeted and trafficked at rates far higher than any other group, we stand as protectors and teachers, reclaiming our right to safety, strength, and sovereignty. We offer training that fosters personal empowerment, community resilience, and cultural strength.
Through sweat, skill, and solidarity, we build confidence, community, and the capacity to fight back. Our mats are not just places of training-they are sacred spaces of healing, resistance, and cultural resurgence.
This training is about more than fighting. It’s a way to heal, to empower one another, and to honor the warriors who came before us by continuing their fight for safety, strength, and survival. It’s about building each other up, and walking a path of safety, pride, and resistance-together.
We believe that when we train together, we rise together.
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Violence within Native American and Alaska Native communities is a critical and ongoing crisis, marked by disproportionately high rates of victimization, systemic barriers to justice, and significant underreporting. Below is an overview of key statistics and contributing factors:
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🔹 Prevalence of Violence
• Lifetime Victimization: Over 84% of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) women and approximately 82% of AI/AN men have experienced violence in their lifetimes, encompassing physical assault, sexual violence, and psychological aggression.
• Sexual Violence: 56.1% of AI/AN women have experienced sexual violence, a rate significantly higher than that of other racial groups.
• Intimate Partner Violence: Approximately 55.5% of AI/AN women have faced physical violence by intimate partners.
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🔹 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP)
• Disproportionate Impact: AI/AN women face murder rates more than 10 times the national average in some areas.
• Underreporting: In 2016, 5,712 cases of missing AI/AN women and girls were reported, but only 116 were logged in the Department of Justice’s federal missing persons database.
• Jurisdictional Challenges: Complex legal frameworks often hinder investigations and prosecutions, especially when crimes involve non-Native perpetrators on tribal lands.
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🔹 Systemic Barriers
• Access to Services: Nearly 40% of AI/AN women who experience violence report needing services, but many lack access to necessary medical care, legal assistance, and support services.
• Data Limitations: Misclassification and underreporting of AI/AN individuals in data systems contribute to a lack of accurate statistics, impeding effective policy responses.
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🔹 Contributing Factors
• Historical Trauma: Generations of systemic oppression, including forced removals, cultural assimilation policies, and land dispossession, have led to intergenerational trauma within AI/AN communities.
• Socioeconomic Disparities: Higher rates of poverty, unemployment, and limited access to education and healthcare exacerbate vulnerabilities to violence.
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🔹 Efforts and Initiatives
• Legislative Measures: The reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has expanded tribal jurisdiction over certain crimes, aiming to improve justice outcomes.
• Awareness Campaigns: May 5th is recognized as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, highlighting the urgency of addressing this crisis.
Addressing violence in Native American communities requires a multifaceted approach, including strengthening tribal sovereignty, improving data collection, increasing access to support services, and acknowledging historical injustices.
What are your plans for the future?
Future plans consist of setting up DLD headquarters around Turtle Island focusing on major cities where our native communities are as well as where human trafficking occurs the most. That way whenever the DLD website gets a request for a seminar we can deploy an instructor and equipment already in that area to pre approved gyms and community centers to teach. Our growth will happen in waves but we have a plan to stick to so I feel confident if we keep pushing it it’ll all work itself out.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://deerladydefense.org
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/deerladydefense
