Today our group went on a tour to various places in Pine Ridge. In the morning we ventured to Red Cloud Indian School and Heritage Center where we learned about the tribe’s history, the history of the chapel and the education at the school. We walked around the museum at the school, which was extremely interesting. After the museum we got a chance to shop in the gift shop. I was really excited about this part because I purchased some items to take home and share with my family so that I could show them what a beautiful culture this is and share the stories I’ve learned. We then left the school and made our way to Kili Radio Station, a station completely run by volunteers. The location was incredibly beautiful. It sits on the side of a hill and looking out you can see the rolling hills below and the mountains way off in the distance. Inside we learned that Kili means awesome or great. We also learned about the history of the station, the struggles they’ve had and their future plans for the station. We got to make a shout out, which we decided to make to the wonderful cook, Wanbli, here at Re-member. The next stop of the tour took us to Bette’s Kitchen for lunch. This included another incredibly gorgeous landscape from the top of a hill and a delicious lunch outside on a beautiful day. After finishing our lunches and delicious chocolate cake we headed to the Singing Horse Trading Post for more shopping. Next it was on to the Oglala Lakota College. We went into the Historical Center to hear more about the history of the tribe, this time with photos and paintings to illustrate. Over the past few days we heard a lot about the tribe’s history, but I think the photos and paintings helped a lot in illustrating the extent of the damage. For example, there was a sort of diagram to show the changes in the boundaries of the land allotted to the Indians, which really showed how much land was taken from them and how little land was left for them. We also got to see the location of their graduation pow-wows, which is outside in a wooden, circular structure behind the Oglala War Veterans Memorial. Then we headed back to Re-member for dinner and craft night. Several artists brought their work to show and sell.
Although I enjoyed seeing more of Pine Ridge and getting a chance to buy some things to bring home with me, I was kind of bummed that we didn’t go to the worksite to help out and see more progress on the house. As we drive around the reservation its nice to take in the scenery, but I feel like its kind of overshadowed by the living conditions that we see everywhere. It helps a little to know that we might be improving the living conditions for one family by finishing the house, but again this is overshadowed by the fact that there are so many more that need the same improvements but we can’t help them. I’m happy to be going back to the house to work tomorrow, but at the same time sad that the week is almost over and our time here is almost through.
--Sara
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