This past July, my family had the opportunity to visit the Ogala Lakota Sioux Tribe at the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota and attend a conference held by the True Sioux Hope Foundation. The Lakota people that I met on the trip were kind, strong-willed, and very community-oriented. They are also shockingly (i.e. unshockingly) more American than I can claim to be: riding trucks in the Badlands, enjoying free-range burgers, etc.
This trip opened my eyes to how much poverty and suffering happens within our country’s bounds amongst an often forgotten minority group. Some simple facts that I didn't know before: there was a 90% unemployment rate amongst this group of 20,000 Lakota still residing in the region. Families are often broken, alcohol and even hard drug abuse is a widespread problem, and high school graduation rates are an estimated 30%. The average life expectancy is 48, one of the lowest in the world.
The Ogala Lakota people are suffering from poverty, but by listening and talking to them I found their culture is alive and vibrant. They have an intense integrity towards tradition and togetherness. The youth is leading a revival of their culture and fight for rights. Many who leave for college will return to devote their energy towards their community. Many Lakota may not have a sustainable source of cash flow, but they are not lacking in the history, culture, and sense of belonging that makes life meaningful.
The Sioux tribe has an unshakable integrity towards the land. Their land and culture are so important to them that, though many are unemployed and not owners of ranch property, they remain in Pine Ridge. They have an ongoing battle with the US government over ownership of the Black Hills, where gold was discovered in the late 1800s. Native Americans in the Dakotas have clashed violently with the US recently as pipelines come in against their will.
The Sioux are vocal and emotional about the unjust way they've been treated, from the tragic Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890 to the ignorance of the government and the American public today. The US has done little to fix their wrongs and the Sioux are still in the process of healing.
The Native Americans are gaining a voice in government by serving in the State Congress. Artists have also been representing their people and their rich culture. Students who come out of college are ready to offer a voice to their people. They are a paradoxically autonomous yet unmistakably American people who deserve more of our attention.
This brief post about my engaging experience doesn't even begin to cover the story of the Sioux Tribe, so I would recommend reading these articles: The Real Legacy of Crazy Horse from The Atlantic and Poverty's Poster Child from The New York Times. To stay up to date, follow legislator and activist Kevin Killer and the True Sioux Hope Foundation; both are doing incredible work that's going to lead to a brighter future for the Lakota.
We got a chance to witness a Pow-Wow on an evening where we drove into the middle of a prairie and saw thunderstorms happen miles away during twilight, and double rainbows being produced. It was truly mystic.
The True Sioux Hope foundation organized a lunch for people on the reservation and volunteers helped out.
Me with Sioux ally Swati Mandela, granddaughter of Nelson Mandella
Mode; of Crazy Horse, which is slowly being carved out of a mountain.
Traditional shelters shown during the Pow-Wow
Thank you to the Tarsadia Foundation for making this enlightening and worthwhile experience possible.