Moving near Pine Ridge in hopes of volunteering. (Rapid City, Rosebud: loan, hotel)

[mistystarla]

Ok. So this is my first post on here so be nice


I live in Alabama. I want to move to be near the Pine Ridge Reservation. I believe I have been called by a higher power to do all that I can to help there. It seems extreme for me to move all the way to SD to help when I could just as easily send money and gifts from here. That's where the problem lies, I want to do more than that. I don't know if anyone who reads this has ever been "called" on and I know I had not until this. I don't even know how it happened, it was just a couple of weeks ago I discovered the state of things there and it destroyed me. I am consumed with this. It is all I think about. Such amazing people and they have been left with nothing.

Not to get sidetracked, my question for the readers is how would you propose I do this? Can I just pack up and find somewhere to live and an all right job? I just want to be up there in that beautiful sacred land and help the people there have the life they deserve.

Any and all assistance/advice would be appreciated-more than you know.

thanks

[hi ppl]

The area is desolate end result, poverty, no jobs, drug addiction, alcoholism, etc.
The government didn’t just create any old reservation, like everything they strategically placed them in areas that can not flourish. This is where their families are and have grown up so this is where they stay and for many really don’t care to leave.
It’s going to take a miracle to repair the damage and despair the government created.
Yes, the people can go out get a job in a big city and college education but how easy is it for anyone to uproot and leave their families for money. Money is nothing and causes nothing but trouble in this country and across the world. So one stays, appreciates what little they do have, loves and laughs with family while they are still here.
Yes the people need help but my question is the same, how does one repair what this country wanted so desperately. One can move across the country or one can walk next door, reservations are everywhere just look for the area that has nothing, a place were people would never think of moving.
Indian people normally do not value material items but the company and respect of others. One may appear to be poor and sometimes life become unbearable with the everyday hardships to survive but they are rich in determination, love, and respect. Like everyone and more than most they need money to heat their homes, put food in the childrens tummies, make the water flow. Yes, Indians live in homes like everyone, they can not longer live off the land and hunt being man has destroyed all of that too.

[mistystarla]

i see what you are saying, sort of. i know that i am just one person but miracles happen in the smallest of situations. someone having a good day when they haven't had one in a long time can be a miracle. that is all i want to give hope and help. there are plenty of places all around me that need help i am sure but my heart and my soul are drawn to this area. you can't help what you feel and i feel this.

i guess i was just curious as to some ideas about uprooting. i have no husband or kids...i don't have a college degree but i have several years of wonderful office experience and i am an artist. there are things i can do.

anyway, i just need to go.

[hi ppl]

Originally Posted by mistystarla

i see what you are saying, sort of. i know that i am just one person but miracles happen in the smallest of situations. someone having a good day when they haven't had one in a long time can be a miracle. that is all i want to give hope and help. there are plenty of places all around me that need help i am sure but my heart and my soul are drawn to this area. you can't help what you feel and i feel this.

i guess i was just curious as to some ideas about uprooting. i have no husband or kids...i don't have a college degree but i have several years of wonderful office experience and i am an artist. there are things i can do.

anyway, i just need to go.

I was referring to the people uprooting. You can move but it may be difficult to find a job. What grabbed your attention creating this need to help if I may ask? Don't get me wrong that's great that you do want to help.

[hi ppl]

Originally Posted by mistystarla

i see what you are saying, sort of. i know that i am just one person but miracles happen in the smallest of situations. someone having a good day when they haven't had one in a long time can be a miracle. that is all i want to give hope and help. there are plenty of places all around me that need help i am sure but my heart and my soul are drawn to this area. you can't help what you feel and i feel this.

i guess i was just curious as to some ideas about uprooting. i have no husband or kids...i don't have a college degree but i have several years of wonderful office experience and i am an artist. there are things i can do.

anyway, i just need to go.

Sorry by the way for the first response if it was to harsh. I just started typing and kept going my bad!!

[uncleharley]

Try this addrress, Pine Ridge Mission. St. John's Church. Oglala, SD 57764. The Rev. Agnes Tyon ... Pine Ridge, SD 57770. The Rev. Rhoda Mesteth. If the Reverends are still there, they might be able to give you some guidance. I got the info by googling Pine Ridge Missions.

[DannyBanany]

mistystarla-

You may want to ask yourself, "What talents do I passess that I may share with those in need?" For example, if you are a nurse, doctor, or therapist of some type, your skills will be very useful on the reservation. If you own a liquor store or enjoy a daily beer, not so much. What do you do for a living? Can you afford to pack up and leave your home for people in need far away? Have you been here before to understand the conditions in which these people live? I think your heart is in the right place, but it may require a very strategic plan and it is not something you want to jump into cold turkey.

I live in Rapid City, about an hour or so from Pine Ridge, and I see the devestation of the Native Americans everyday. In North Rapid City, there are homeless, alcoholic, dirty Native Americans (and whites) walking around, beating each other up, begging for change so that they can buy that bottle, and it appears that they cannot help themselves.

I believe that it is right to want to help these people, but I also believe that you cannot help someone who refuses to help themselves. Anyone can escape the conditions in which they live and create something better for themselves, and I've seen many Native Americans do it. Some people choose to stay on the reservations because that is where they are comfortable and that is all they know. "Why go into the world and work hard and fail when I could stay here and make it by?" This seems to be the concept of many people on the reservations.

I hope that this does not dishearten you from fulfilling your own obligation to help these people, but I just want you to know what I see being so close to them. Many of them will accept your help. Many won't.

I am part Native American myself and I try to help as much as I can too. The only thing I can really do is lead by example.

Good luck and Best Wishes.

[kbat]

I would suggest that you:

1) Get to know the area before moving. There is nothing between Pine Ridge and Rapid City (nearest place of possible employment) but miles and miles of desolate highway, grass and the Badlands. There really aren't any jobs near Pine Ridge. You might be wise to move to the Rapid City area, find work there and make day trips on the weekends to help on the reservation.
2) Learn about the people and the circumstances before you go to the reservation. Your kindness and offers of help may or may not be well-received, depending on whom you approach and how. It's a very different culture, and some innocent things you say or do can gravely offend people without you even knowing what you said/did wrong. Listen more than you talk. We can be perceived as terribly arrogant, assuming that we know what's best for someone else without listening to what they have to say. Also, some parts of the reservation are gang territory and very dangerous.
3) Know that many roads on the reservation are not maintained (or even marked) and the drive between Pine Ridge and R.C. can be treacherous, especially in the winter. Do you have 4-wheel drive? Carry extra gasoline, clothing, a spare tire, roadside repair kit and emergency supplies. Cell phones probably won't work out there. If you can, always go with other volunteers.
4) Get involved with a local relief group with folks who are familiar with the reservation, its people, its culture and its problems. Don't go it alone. Many kindhearted, well-meaning people march onto the reservation and try to tell people, "Well, HERE'S what you need to do to fix this!" Nobody likes to be told what to do, especially by an upstart newcomer. Sometimes what you think they need and what they think they need are very different indeed. You also will not be able to help everyone, and that's a hard lesson to learn. An experienced relief group will be able to tell you how you can help, how to behave, how not to behave and where to concentrate your efforts and talents to best meet the needs of the community. That way you won't end up offending people, getting hurt, wasting your time and effort, or coming away frustrated and burnt out.

One group that operates locally is NAHA - Native American Heritage Association. They have a warehouse in Rapid City, and collect food, clothes, school supplies, etc. and take them weekly to the reservation. They also help people with heating assistance, clothing vouchers, transportation for medical care, all kinds of stuff. Look them up. Give them a call. Listen to what they say.

Another group that helps in a unique way is ONE Spirit. They have a sponsorship program. Basically families sign up on a (long) waiting list to be given sponsors. As a sponsor, you help a particular individual or family. It's a way to make a huge difference in someone's life, make friends and help from afar before you move.

Good luck!

[DannyBanany]

Also, many collect food and other items of survival through the Community Action Program (CAP) based in Rapid City. My grandma was on this program and she donated much of her foods to others that were in need. They also have volunteers that work for them.

You will probably not be able to do much ON the reservation itself, but Rapid City is a great base for your projects. I took a trip to Pine Ridge in high school and I learned about their judicial system. Their consequences seem to be actually less severe than in the "white world". For example, if a teenager was caught stealing, he would have to volunteer at the victim's house to repay the damages instead of facing incarceration and fines. They are much more close-knit than we are.

Once again, Best of Luck!

[blackhillsdreams]

Misty,

Danny and KBat have given you some good advice. You do need to be prepared financially and strategically. Contacting existing outreach groups/missions is an excellent place to start. My experience with this has been discouraging at best.

I was invited to Leonard Crow Dog's annual Sundance in Rosebud and attended many times in the late 90's and a little beyond. I went and made friends there, sent clothes, birthday gifts and so on for a few years. Usually, I'd have to call to see if the boxes arrived, and then after a 15 minute conversation, ASK if the box got there for the kids. The response "Oh Yeah, thanks." I would later hear that all the toys were broken within days and cd players pawned, etc... Now, you might think I did that on my own, yes partly BUT, I would go shopping specifically for items that were requested...

There was no problem to call me to say, "hey can you help, send money, gifts, whatever" but as you can see, not much appreciation. There was a little boy who was abandoned by his father, was being raised by his grandfather who then died and was left with his mother. He followed me everywhere when I was there. He was like my little buddy. Now as a teen, he's been in and out of trouble for years, is most likely in a gang, and not doing well in school. It's heartbreaking but as was said above "you can't help those that won't help themselves".

I used to have a job where I needed skilled workers and was on a big project. During my trips to Sundance, I'd often hear about how "The White Man won't give us Jobs!". I decided to do what I could so I called my boss and said "hey, can we put some guys to work?", he said yes. We offered to FLY THEM TO FLORIDA, put them in a hotel, give them $90 per week food money the minute they arrived, LOAN THEM $500 for tools, teach them a trade, and get them to and from the hotel! I made sure the word got around Sundance for days. ONE guy took me up on my offer! He came to Florida maybe a month after I'd returned. I handed him the food money and took him to the hotel. He came to work the next morning, called in sick the next two days, and wanted to go home the next week. I think he flew down on a Sunday and flew back about 10 days later. I'm not talking about super hard or dirty work either, it was essentially carpentry! This included hotel costs, $12.50 an hour to start, $90 a week for food, and a tool loan. We had projects lined up for about 3 years.

I made the same offer the next year, nobody came. Does this experience mean there aren't any people on the res worth helping or working with, no, not at all. It just means, go in with your eyes open, zero expectations, and think of what you might be able to offer.

Lastly, you are likely to be perceived as a "wannabe" by some of the less trusting people you might meet. If you focus on wanting to attend sweat lodges, burning sage, and things like that from the start, they are probably going to be suspicious of your intentions.

Best of luck to you!