South Dakota
South Dakota... Who knew?
Who knew this would be a place we would fall in love with, a place to which we'd feel so connected, and have such a desire to return. Besides the obvious, Mount Rushmore, I had only a vast expanse of nothingness which I envisioned was South Dakota. And while we found ourselves traveling for hours and hours without a gas station or town in site it was mile after mile of the most gorgeous hills and plains.
We started our journey in the North unit of the Badlands run by the National Park Service. We were in awe. Day one we went on an animal sighting adventure in our jeep and we're not disappointed! We saw prairie dog towns, burrowing owls, big horned sheep, a night hawk, a bald eagle, buffalo, deer, and a rattle snake! We had just seen the sign when we heard one; three bites in 15 years sounds like good odds, but I was out!
I wish I could accurately describe our campground. We were in the middle of nowhere surrounded by the eerie sights of the Badlands. It was like being on another planet. We set up Shawn's Eno and settled in for gorgeous sunsets and ranger led star gazing programs in the evenings. Day two we participated in Junior Ranger Programs, earned our Junior Ranger badges, and went on a serious fossil hunt. We were successful and got our picture on the fossil wall of fame!
A few times a year, Shawn decides he needs a hair cut but won't pay for one. The threat lingers to cut it for him or he'll buzz it. In the morning, I caved and butchered his beautiful head of hair. Not my gift haircuts... And he was so cute...
We left the North Unit of the Badlands and headed into the South Unit of the Badlands run by the National Park Service and the Olgala Souix Tribe. The South End of the Badlands resides on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. We spent a great deal of time at their visitor center reading the history of the area from a native perspective. We learned how the Sioux, a nomadic tribe, lived on and hunted this land depending on the buffalo throughout Buffalo Gap and the Black Hills. We studied their way of life and read their history. We read of Westward Expansion, the near extinction of the buffalo, repeated broken treaties as the US government tried to deal with their "Indian Problem." The history was confusing to our children and difficult, sad for us to explain. After leaving the center, we took our time driving through the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation explaining to our kids via a map the continual broken treaties resulting in the continual reduction of the reservation boundaries until the final lines were drawn imprisoning the Sioux in the least inhabitable portion of their land. Here government officials left the Indians to die or assimilate... Their words. It is hard to fully grasp that until just recently, 1978, Indian children were forcably removed from their homes and placed in boarding schools aimed at assimilation. If ever you've even thought the words, "why don't Indians just..." regarding the current poverty of Indian reservations, research this fact alone and you will be at a loss for words... 1978. So, we drove into the Pine Ridge reservation, the poorest county in America with statistics comparable to a third world country and thought instead "why won't our government..."
We spent a week on the Pine Ridge Reservation. We met, listened to, and served the Lakota people who desperately want to lift their people from poverty, and re-instill the Lakota culture, identity, and language in the next generation. We met some of the most amazing men some of whom despite being students at these boarding schools and having the "Indian" scrubbed off them daily and their hair cut managed to secretly retain their language and teachings. We met a man whose family abounds with college degrees but choses to stay on the Reservation and serve their people. We worked along side these people building and delivering bunk beds for children who have never had a bed, skirt trailer homes to save families money, and build and deliver outhouses as most families have no running water. It was hard and gratifying work. Re-member has my heart and respect as a non-profit that will not abandon nor forget these people. They work alongside Lakota listening, providing, and in the end educating those who come to serve. That, and they taught me to use a chop and a circular saw and I still have 10 fingers. Much respect.
Throughout the week the girls learned from a local elementary school teacher who traveled with them throughout the reservation, took them to Crazy Horse, Wind Cave, and Wounded Knee. The girls served throughout the week and made wonderful, new friends. I didn't know where they were most of the time; they made themselves at home, were usually in the kitchen helping the staff, braiding Bill's hair, learning to do bead work, helping with cleaning after meals, or playing with the Rez dogs. I don't think McKenna will ever forget the director's introduction; he was explaining ways to help Re-member continue their work and he started talking about this little girl who even traded birthday gifts for donations to Re-member. He paused mid sentence and said, "Wait, Tom, wasn't that your granddaughter who is here? How much did you raise again?" A quiet, "$1,000." The crowd turned to my 8 year old daughter, stood, and gave her a standing ovation. Well, momma teared and I doubt that kid will ever be the same.
This place is a part of us now and we will be back.
We'd love to return to camp in and explore the beauty of the Black Hills, Wind and Jewel Cave, and with somewhat jaded emotion we do see the allure of Mt. Rushmore and the fun towns catering to tourists in the area.
As we drive out of the Black Hills and onto Wyoming we have raced trains across the plains and truly had the opportunity to imagine life when the Sioux Indians hunted the buffalo here, and the changes that took place across this land as pioneers made their way in covered wagons and saw this land ahead of them as they traveled.
Who knew this would be a place we would fall in love with, a place to which we'd feel so connected, and have such a desire to return. Besides the obvious, Mount Rushmore, I had only a vast expanse of nothingness which I envisioned was South Dakota. And while we found ourselves traveling for hours and hours without a gas station or town in site it was mile after mile of the most gorgeous hills and plains.
We started our journey in the North unit of the Badlands run by the National Park Service. We were in awe. Day one we went on an animal sighting adventure in our jeep and we're not disappointed! We saw prairie dog towns, burrowing owls, big horned sheep, a night hawk, a bald eagle, buffalo, deer, and a rattle snake! We had just seen the sign when we heard one; three bites in 15 years sounds like good odds, but I was out!
I wish I could accurately describe our campground. We were in the middle of nowhere surrounded by the eerie sights of the Badlands. It was like being on another planet. We set up Shawn's Eno and settled in for gorgeous sunsets and ranger led star gazing programs in the evenings. Day two we participated in Junior Ranger Programs, earned our Junior Ranger badges, and went on a serious fossil hunt. We were successful and got our picture on the fossil wall of fame!
A few times a year, Shawn decides he needs a hair cut but won't pay for one. The threat lingers to cut it for him or he'll buzz it. In the morning, I caved and butchered his beautiful head of hair. Not my gift haircuts... And he was so cute...
We left the North Unit of the Badlands and headed into the South Unit of the Badlands run by the National Park Service and the Olgala Souix Tribe. The South End of the Badlands resides on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. We spent a great deal of time at their visitor center reading the history of the area from a native perspective. We learned how the Sioux, a nomadic tribe, lived on and hunted this land depending on the buffalo throughout Buffalo Gap and the Black Hills. We studied their way of life and read their history. We read of Westward Expansion, the near extinction of the buffalo, repeated broken treaties as the US government tried to deal with their "Indian Problem." The history was confusing to our children and difficult, sad for us to explain. After leaving the center, we took our time driving through the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation explaining to our kids via a map the continual broken treaties resulting in the continual reduction of the reservation boundaries until the final lines were drawn imprisoning the Sioux in the least inhabitable portion of their land. Here government officials left the Indians to die or assimilate... Their words. It is hard to fully grasp that until just recently, 1978, Indian children were forcably removed from their homes and placed in boarding schools aimed at assimilation. If ever you've even thought the words, "why don't Indians just..." regarding the current poverty of Indian reservations, research this fact alone and you will be at a loss for words... 1978. So, we drove into the Pine Ridge reservation, the poorest county in America with statistics comparable to a third world country and thought instead "why won't our government..."
As we drive out of the Black Hills and onto Wyoming we have raced trains across the plains and truly had the opportunity to imagine life when the Sioux Indians hunted the buffalo here, and the changes that took place across this land as pioneers made their way in covered wagons and saw this land ahead of them as they traveled.
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