Woke up at 6am, a time that is foreign to college student alarm clocks. Stumbled out of three story bunk beds, moaning and grunting about uncoordinated screaming cell phone alarms. Luckily, smiling faces and a hearty breakfast, followed by quotes of native wisdom recited by Ted (the Re-member Director) infused us with positivity. Then it was time to adventure to the work sites on the reservation. The teams were split in two-one team was sent to build additions (a roof and deck) to a house that had caught fire and the other was sent to paint and install appliances in a house. Team “burnt house” was pretty upset knowing they’d have to be outside in the blistering cold while team “paint house” was inside painting warm interiors. We piled into three big brown (formerly white) vans and slid down the muddy hills clutching our seats and enjoying the thrills. The mud was intense…seriously immense (Enough Doctor Seuss). Mina and Joanna were in Team “burnt house” and spent the duration of the day building trusses (which we learned today are the wooden skeleton of a roof). This task involved the frequent, exhilarating use of power tools. Drill baby drill! And screw, and hammer, and…wait this is getting sexual. Anyway, it was surprisingly fun; not too physically tasking, and most of us learned for the first time about construction. It was nice to meet Jean and her son, the soon-to-be residents of the house. Seeing the family that would benefit for years to come from our time and service was remarkably fulfilling. Late in the afternoon we left the sites and ventured back up the muddy hills to the Re-member center, where we were greeted by a delicious dinner (the vegetable loaf was suspicious looking but surprisingly delightful). After dinner, Uncle Will welcomed us into his family. Uncle Will, also known as Will Peters is a long-time teacher and artist (speaker, poet, musician –“Nammy” winner Nammy=Native American Grammy’s) at Pine Ridge—a man of with great intellect of the mind and the heart. He was a hip cat, spittin’ off fly phrases and keepin’ it real….while also dispensing potent words of wisdom (too much wisdom to compress into this post). He spoke of the importance of life in balance, the significance of our sacred spirits and self-reflection, and respect for fellow-people (particularly women). These words were interwoven with a narrative of the American Indian struggle as well as with his own personal struggle—the trials and tribulations he faced, his evolution from racism to acceptance and towards true affinity and dedication to his community and people. Uncle Will was “real” with us; meaning he gave us his thoughts regarding his political and spiritual beliefs with refreshing honesty, stripping himself bare for all to see. He made us cry and laugh, and by the end we all truly felt as though he was family. We ended the day reflecting over Uncle Will’s insight, only hoping to gain a fraction of his endless wisdom over the next five days.
--Joanna and Mina
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