Re-Member

I haven't made a post about my trip to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation yet because there has been a lot to process about this trip. I'm not done processing it yet, but I feel I can at least talk a little about my trip and what we did while there.

Just a little history on our trip out there: 8 people from Bethel (well actually 7, and one father of a Bethel member) teamed up with the non-profit organization Re-Member. If you want some information on this group, check out the links below. It is a GREAT organization that helps so many many people and families out there on the rez. Just yesterday, the director of the organization posted a picture of the pallets of shingles that Bethel purchased for the people of Pine Ridge.

https://www.facebook.com/ReMemberRez
http://www.re-member.org/

A quote that stuck with me the entire week that Ted the director told us on our first night: "We are not giving hand outs to the Lakota people, we are giving them hand ups." This stuck with me because it was so true. We were out there working our tails off to help these people, but the motive behind it was to get them back on their feet, to give them the basic rights that all people deserve: a safe shelter over their heads every night! It is our thought that by giving them adequate structures to live in, they can focus on other aspects of their life and revitalize the culture that has been squelched from their community.

Now, a little more about my trip: We started by leaving Bethel at 2pm on Friday, June 15. This is our group in front of Bethel: From left: Terry, John, Katie, Bernie, Leslie, Ron, Pastor Anjanette and me.

We drove to Garettson, SD and arrived right around suppertime. We enjoyed some delicious food at Tailgators right off the Branden exit. That night we spent getting to know each other. John played some tunes for us on the guitar, 4 of us hiked through Palisade State Park, and we enjoyed the warmth and comfort of Pastor Anjanette's friend Tanna's house. It was so kind of her and her family to open their home to us.

We hit the road by 7am. We made a pit stop at McDonalds, and then we were on our way! As we were driving along, John pulled off the interstate and hit a very familiar road to me. Suddenly, I realized we were going to go right by my cousin Jacque's house in Rosebud, SD! When we stopped for lunch in Winner, I convinced the group to make a detour through the Rosebud Indian Reservation, so we could visit Jake! Jake took us on a tour of her classroom which was very neat to see. I had never actually been to her classroom. We didn't stay long, but it was great to see her! Here we are in front of Jake's house. Can you see Whoopi in the background?

On Sunday, we were tourists around the Pine Ridge reservation. We went to the Badlands and hiked around. Unfortunately, 2 people from the entire big group of church groups broke bones. Mike severely broke his leg while falling down the side of a hill. He was flown to Lincoln where he has had MANY surgeries since the trip. Leslie, from Bethel, fell and broke her ankle. She stayed with us all week, but it wasn't as enjoyable as she was hoping! 

On our tour, we stopped by the site of the Wounded Knee Massacre. A young man named Dakota told us the story from the Lakota perspective. It was a very touching time on our trip. He spoke about an infant, Lost Bird, that was taken by General Colby after the massacre and raised as a white child in Nebraska. I was so interested in her that I found her biography, and I'm working my way through it right now. Lost Bird eventually killed herself at the age of 29. The Lakota people fought to have her remains brought back, and she is buried beside her family at Wounded Knee. 

The next day we got right to work. We were separated into groups of 4 people. I knew no one on my team! My team consisted of: Kim from Lincoln, NE, Randy from Michigan and Josh from Chicago, IL. We were a great team! The first day we went out to a site to skirt a trailer. Did you know that by skirting someone's trailer, we can reduce the cost of electricity by $1,400 a year?! That is a huge reduction. Larry, a Lakota man that we met out there, told us he used to have to refill his propane tank yearly until Re-Member skirted his trailer. Since then, it has been every 4 years! We were doing some important work out there...I learned to use so many different power tools on our first work day. He I am using the Miter saw; I also learned to use a screw gun and circular saw. I felt so empowered!

This is Bernie and Katie. They were at my work site the first day. They're putting the frame for the skirting under the trailer. 

Day 2 I went to Lucille's house where we were working on several different projects. We built a deck on the front and back, skirted the trailer, repaired holes in the floors and walls, and dug an outhouse. It was astonishing that the majority of the people on the Pine Ridge Reservation have to use outhouses because of inadequate plumbing situations. It was a real eye opener for me. I no longer will complain about my pink porcelain bathroom! I have no pictures from Day 2 because I was too busy working my tail off!

Day 3: I went out and finished a wheelchair ramp and built a deck. When I have mentioned deck, I am not referring to what we know as a deck. I am referring to a small landing and stairs. People out there do not even have a way to come in and out of their homes, so we helped them! Here is my group with the finished wheelchair ramp!

We only had 3 workdays and our last full day at Pine Ridge was spent touring more around the reservation. We went all over! We started off by visiting the Red Cloud Indian School. Red Cloud is a Catholic school that is very well known. The young new graduate who gave us our tour is going to Duke this fall. Without schools like Red Cloud, this would never be possible for the youth of Pine Ridge. I do not mean because they are not smart enough to attend "our" institutions, I just mean they are living in such poverty and despair that they do not even consider Duke being a possibility. Red Cloud helps give a good education and hope. There are many other great schools around the Pine Ridge Reservation, but we only toured Red Cloud. The only picture I took at Red Coud was of his grave. It was up on this beautiful hill. Lots of people from around the world have come here to pay their respects to a very honorable man. 

After we toured Red Cloud, we went out to Kili Radio Station. 90.1: The Voice of the Lakota Nation. When we want to hear what is going on in the world, we turn on CNN or the Today Show. For the people of Pine Ridge and Rosebud, they turn on Kili! Kili gives important news to the people, plays popular and tribal music and plays all the Tribal Council meetings. If you can't see it, it says Kili down the tower.

After Kili, we went to Bette's kitchen. It was the most beautiful view on the Rez! We sat up on a hill and overlooked the most beautiful site. Just rolls and rolls of hills.

Here is a picture of the group I ate with. 

Our last stop was at the Oglala Lakota College. We didn't get to tour around that much, but we spent some time in the bookstore. 

This is my crew team from the week. From left: Josh, me, Randy and Kim.

When we had some free time, there was a group from Bethel that enjoyed playing hearts. I would have to say I'm not very good at that game! 

We left Friday, June 22 at 7am and arrived at Bethel in Rochester around 6pm. It was a long trip home, but we had lots of reflecting to do.