“End of the Trail”
Life on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is difficult
and complex. South Dakota’s Shannon County is the second poorest
county in the United States, and conditions are very harsh. The
people struggle with unemployment, poor housing, disease,
alcohol and drug abuse, violence, depression, and more. Yet
Lakota people are amazingly resilient and spiritually powerful.
Among the Lakota, there is a tremendous love for the land, a
system of profound cultural ways, a sense of community that
often supersedes the struggles, and a capacity for humor as
medicine.
The stories of Lakota youth spring from their
multilayered identities. They are both rooted in Native
perspectives and ways, and regular kids navigating the
present-day world. They might participate in traditional
ceremonies, and they also surf the Internet. They may do
beadwork or sing in Lakota, and, like all students today, they
write. And their writing includes all components of their
identities to create a unique and poignant tapestry.
This is a collection of writings by Lakota youth at the
Red Cloud Indian School, fifth through eighth grades. The
Creator blessed these young people with outstanding natural
creativity brought forth amidst sometimes very difficult lives.
I hope these sacred words will find even greater life in the
minds, hearts, and spirits of all those who receive them.
—Joseph M. Marshall III
Natural World
The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is a remote landscape,
and Lakota youth grow up in close connection with the primary
elements of life: earth, water, air and fire. They have a
profound mutual relationship with nature, which is understood
and respected by the Lakota people as Unci Maka, Grandmother
Earth. The Lakota love and cherish their homelands as deeply as
they do their human grandmothers. —J.M.M.
“Ocean and Sky”
The sky is a copy of the ocean. Only it is upside down. The
clouds are the waves that roll and toss about. The deep blue is
the water, and all the birds are the fish in the ocean. The sky
and the ocean are not different, really. They are quite the
same, just in different places. Many people ponder about them
both, looking for clues and answers.
—Megan White Face
“The Sun”
The sun is yellow and bright.
The sun goes in circles just for the night.
The sun is the biggest, most yellow star in the universe.
The sun stays in one place while we have to spin, spin, and
spin.
—Jessie Star Comes Out
“Center of the World”
I was looking into the sky at a mountain, thinking only time
could destroy it. I climbed to the top. From there, I could see
the ocean with waves gently washing over the shore. I could see
the setting sun. In time, it would be dark. For now, it is
light. I stand up there smelling the sweet brisk mountain air.
When I stand here, I know I am in the center of the world.
—David Wolfe
“Moon of the Falling Leaves”
“Nature”
The sky is my mom watching over me.
The water is my memories to be.
Nature is my home and family.
—Derrick McCauley
Misery
Unfortunately, many Lakota youth carry a lot of sadness.
Poverty on the Pine Ridge Reservation is severe. Unemployment is
astronomically high, and life expectancy is extremely low. The
winters are harsh, and housing is often of poor quality. Alcohol
and drug use is widespread, as is violence. Red Cloud students
endure these hard realities to varying degrees and sometimes
feel total despair. It is noteworthy that beneath this bleak
surface, the spirit of the Lakota people is indomitable, ever
powerful. —J.M.M.
“Racism”
Racism is a strong bullet through a
person’s heart.
Racism is like a bank with lots of unkind words.
Racism is like a gun in a child’s hands
Loaded with all the words a devil would say.
—Julian Bear Runner
“Haiku”
Tears fall from my face
As I walk the lonely grass
To a place unknown
—Kristie Tapio
“Laughter”
What is laughter? Is it the moment between reality and
insanity? Or is it the true way to express yourself from all the
torture you
“Fire Chant II”
endured as a child when you look at your past and all you see
are razor blades?
—Ryan Ross
Native Thoughts
Lakota youth inherit a worldview and lifestyle centered
in four core values: respect, generosity, wisdom and courage.
Animals are highly regarded among the Lakota and are carefully
observed for their gentle, instinctive teachings about living by
the four central values. The Red Cloud students live in
relationship with animals through prayer, singing, dancing,
hunting, riding and hearing stories. Lakota youth have been
educated about the time when their people lived in greater
harmony with nature and when animals, particularly the buffalo,
provided for most of their physical needs. Although they
recognize that this idyllic relationship has been severely
altered by contemporary society, Lakota youth greatly respect
and honor the inhabitants of the land, sea and sky.—J.M.M.
“Circle”
A circle is connecting at all times. A circle has no ends. A
circle is round. The world is a circle. Our life travels with a
circle. A circle is strong. Strong enough to hold together a
tribe.
—Raymond Ghost Bear
“The Battle”
Through the hills and in the night,
I go straight to my final fight.
With my axe and bow in hand,
I ride across the forest land.
On my horse and in the moon,
I will see my battle soon.
As I look into the sky,
I sound my mighty battle cry.
Now the mighty battle starts,
I grow with courage in my heart.
As we attack the white man’s station,
I know I am Sioux Nation.
—David Wolfe
Family, Youth and Dreams
The Lakota phrase Mitakuye Oyasin—“we are all related”—is
the cornerstone of Lakota philosophy. It teaches that all
things—people, animals, plants, natural elements and objects—are
intimately connected as relatives in the family of creation.
There is a nearly universal understanding among the Red Cloud
students that family is their highest priority and the purest
expression of their identity. At the same time—and similar to
most of their peers across the globe—the Red Cloud students
regularly complain that adults do not listen to or understand
their youthful perspective. —J.M.M.
“All My Relatives”
All of my relatives are like the wild prairies, different
sizes that are old and new. We are like the stars, there are a
great many of us. We are like the sea, we have many voices. We
are like the skies, always changing from beautiful to ugly and
mean. Some of us are like the trees, very old and wise. The rest
of us are like the flowers, still young and learning.
—Kathy McLaughlin
“Still I’m Loved”
When I do something bad, still I’m loved.
When I’m crabby and mad, still I’m loved.
When I stomp around, still I’m loved.
When I beat people up, still I’m loved.
When I do drugs and throw trash around, still I’m loved.
When I die and move away, still I’m loved.
—Rayleen Bickerstaff
“Dreams of the Babies”
Young, sweet, innocent souls dreaming of how they came to be.
Sleeping in their beds with the moon, stars, sun, and clouds
hanging over their heads. Hate, jealousy, envy, racism, and sin
revolving in the world, but they have no clue of it. They just
know when to smile, cry, laugh, and play.
They know when others are asleep because everything gets
quiet. They don’t hear any old, odd voices. They dream of all
the things heaven wants them to. When they awaken with a cry,
the angels are there to comfort them and make them smile and
laugh.
—Stephanie Sully
“Freedom”
Freedom is coming to school every day, knowing you’ll get an
education to go on. Going on to another grade until you graduate
college. Freedom is when you’re told you aren’t going to get off
the rez, but believing you’re going to be the first Indian woman
president, and maybe you’ll make a difference.
—Chanda Thompson
These excerpts are from
Walking on Earth and Touching the Sky Poetry and Prose by Lakota
Youth at Red Cloud Indian School. Edited by Timothy P.
McLaughlin, paintings by S. D. Nelson, foreword by Joseph
Marshall III. Published by Abrams Bokos for Young Readers an
imprint of Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York. All rights reserved.
Reprinted by permission of the publisher.
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