3/16 Tommy's Blog

To learn about another person’s culture is like opening the doors of their minds and their heart, and today at Re-Member, we were all welcomed into the hearts and minds of the Lakota people through our guest speaker, Larry. As I embarked upon this trip, I hoped that I would be able to share, or at least be introduced to the culture of the Pine Ridge Natives, and thanks to Larry we were able to. He introduced us to many aspects of the culture of the Lakota people and shared with us their stories and their music. Larry told us the creation story of his people and also told us about the seven customs/rites of passage that traditional Lakota people and their ancestors took part in. To have Larry share this with us, to me, was a very unique and special experience considering many people do not get to hear these stories or learn about the customs of Native Americans. It reminded me of a real life episode of something from the Travel Channel, which humored me considering I frequent the Travel Channel when I am at home. However, at the same time I’m not sure that many people would care to learn about these stories or customs because the Natives Americans seem to be a people who have been secluded to reservations and forgotten by the outside world, and I find this to be a depressing matter. I wish that more people could see and experience the things that I have seen and heard while I was here, because through experiencing a culture that is not my own I feel enlightened, which I feel is vital to creating a better global community where we see people as not strangers, but fellow brothers and sisters who are all merely stewards of this world.