Delinda pushetonequa

actor / photographer / videographer

BIOGRAPHY

Delinda Pushetonequa, known artistically as Oogie_Push, is a multidisciplinary artist, storyteller, and cultural bearer from the Meskwaki Nation (Bear Clan) near Tama, Iowa. She currently lives and works on Dakota Territory in Saint Paul’s Midway neighborhood. Oogie’s artistry spans acting, playwriting, storytelling, dance, theatre-making, and traditional twine bag weaving—mediums through which she uplifts stories rooted in her community and the natural world.

Her artistic journey with In Progress began in 2016, when she first attended a stop-animation workshop led by Missy Whiteman and later participated in a Hmong Elder Storytelling event. Inspired by these experiences, she joined the Nexus program in 2022 at the encouragement of fellow artist Blossom Johnson. Through Nexus, she has deepened her skills in digital storytelling, learning DSLR camera operation, lighting, and sound, while also expanding her narrative practice into structured story development and podcasting.

Oogie’s creative practice has long been fueled by her passion for storytelling across mediums. She has produced short films and video content for YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, often using simple tools like her cell phone, tripod, and ring light, which she edits with basic laptop software. With growing experience and access to professional equipment, she continues to explore film, videography, and multimedia as powerful channels for community-centered storytelling.

Her background as a performer is equally rich. Since childhood, Oogie has been immersed in pow-wow culture as a Fancy Shawl dancer, competing and performing across the Midwest, the U.S., and Canada. In her teens, she was recognized as a Champion Fancy Shawl Dancer and crowned Pow-wow Princess multiple times. While studying at Haskell Indian Nations University, she discovered her passion for theatre through Thunderbird Theatre, a turning point that led her into acting. She went on to earn her MFA in Theatre: Design and Technology with a focus on lighting and set design, further grounding her craft in both performance and production.

As an actor, Oogie has performed with numerous theatre companies in the Twin Cities since 2015, including touring with the Fairbanks Shakespeare Theatre in Alaska, where she participated in indigenized adaptations of Shakespeare. Her on-screen experience includes acting in a radio play, several web series, and the short film No Spectators Allowed with Cherry Street Films in Portland. She also produces her own short videos, blending humor, reflection, and social commentary.

Currently, Oogie works as a Production Assistant with Twin Cities PBS, supporting Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Leya Hale on her documentary Bring Her Home. In addition to her work in film and theatre, she is an active writer, developing two books: What I Wish Every New Actor Knew and Trees I’ve Seen, a collection of adventure stories, poetry, and meditations inspired by trees. She is also revising her one-woman show, The Adventures of a Traveling Meskwaki, which explores themes of water, survival, and cultural connection, with plans to tour and eventually adapt it into a film.

Her artistic mission extends beyond personal practice to teaching and community-building. She has led workshops such as beading with Kulture Klub at Youthlink in Minneapolis, and she is committed to creating spaces where artists and communities can learn, create, and connect. Through her multifaceted practice, Oogie envisions a future rooted in creativity, sustainability, and collective care—a world where renewable energy, healthy rivers and oceans, community-grown food, and cultural expression are abundant.

For Oogie, art is not only an act of self-expression but a prayer for water, land, and humanity. Her vision is to use theatre, film, dance, and storytelling as tools for cultural preservation, community healing, and a reminder that there is a more loving, kind, and empathetic way to live on this Earth.

Qualifications

Oogie is proficient in Adobe Premiere Pro and has developed strong skills as both a video editor and a voice editor, applying these tools to create compelling multimedia stories. In addition to her creative software expertise, she is experienced in Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Publisher, which she uses to support her work in writing, documentation, and presentation. These technical skills complement her artistry, allowing her to manage projects from concept through production with both creativity and precision.

skills

  • Adobe Premiere Pro

  • video editor

  • voice editor

  • Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher

links