Native Americans in South Dakota (Rapid City, Pine Ridge: fit in, quality of life, live)

[lcb]

I've lived in SD all my life. As tsg noted "...I spent time in Pine Ridge. I am appalled at the living conditions, the way people treat each other and themselves, but mostly I was disheartened by the lack of pride the people living on the res have for their culture. The youth predominately idolise the gangster rap scene and my main wish is that they could find some sense of self identity through their tribe, through pride in the Lakota Culture...."

The problems on the Reservation are coming FROM THE INSIDE! I am so very, very tired of the big city folks "looking" at the situations in South Dakota in general and specifically on the Reservation and blaming the government or the white people who also live in South Dakota for the admittedly sub-standard living conditions on the Reservation. It comes from the inside!! Please don't blame me. I bought and paid for my own home. I didn't take it from someone else and nobody gave it to me. (There are Indian programs which provide a new house for tribal families.) I pay my own electic bill. (Another tribal program takes care of that for the Indians.) I buy my own groceries. (Yep, another freebie for tribal members.) And the list of hand-outs goes on and on - free dental and medical care, etc. etc. I don't have a college education but I have been gainfully employed since I was only 16. My son is working his way through college and paying his own way. His Indian friends not only get preference and financial aid that he has no opportunity to apply for, they also get a check for their books, another check for clothing and yet another as a reward - bribe - for grades (the better the grades the bigger the check but a check even if they are failing in every class!). Yet the average person living in Rosebud can't muster up enough self-dignity to teach their own kids not to spit at, swear at, beat up on and steal from each other or their neighbors. Soon that behavior turns into beating with a baseball bat, rape, knives and guns; often before they are teenagers (I've worked in law enforcement for 5 1/2 years). And these people are receiving the same kind of treatment. They aren't happy about the situation that they have put into action so they drink and drug themselves out of feeling it, only to make the whole downward spiral begin again.

I don't know the answer. But obviously the freebies aren't making any of their problems go away. Perhaps the pride of working for what you have brings the pride necessary to take care of it. That might be the answer for the "stuff" in people's lives, but how do we get these people to value themselves and their children enough to teach truth, respect, honesty and kindness. Those are in short supply on the reservation.

[phizless]

Not from SD but have been to Pine Ridge Rez. Got married in Allen last September by a fella who is doing good things for his people when the tribal elders will allow him to. He has a PHD in the medical field and has awards for what he has done for his people. So many tho are shut down when they try to help as the elders fight change. I must say tho I felt,like I had come home while there. Could live there right now if it was to be. Greed abounds there too as some have figured out how to pocket the funds they do get for tribal help. Greed knows no color,race or religion. To the wonderfull people we met in Martin, Kyle, Wounded Knee and Allen. You are a proud people as you should be but it is time to change as the young ones need to live in both worlds now. keep the culture but give them tools to make it in the other world too. Then they can come home and help the rest of the people on your rez. Phizless

[dc53]

OK- I have spent the nite reading through all of the posts. LCB- you have hit the nail on the head! I must say that I worked for the BIA as a Registered Nurse. I worked on the Navajo res, Cheyenne and Crow. I am part Miami. Do not feel sorry for the conditions that you see. As LCB says, there are many, many handouts- so many that why should someone on a res consider working? It is so easy to just sit around and use drugs and drink when everything is handed to you. LCB is correct when saying that everything from houses to Pampers are free. I do not condone what my white ancestors did to the Native American- but our generation had nothing to do with it. It is time for these people who have everything given to them to do something constructive with it. I saw so much stealing- right out of the backdoors of the hospitals! Everything from hospital beds to infant formula. Don't believe that they are not allowed to speak their own language- in the BIA schools they are encouraged to talk in the native language- along with English- the language of our country. Back to the NA employees- The Native American people who were employed would be nowhere to be found when you needed them-on my days off I would see the maintainance men at the 'gym' behind my government provided house drunk as skunks, selling everything from the hospital beds to lightbulbs and bathroom sinks from their government provided houses. I have treated more alcoholics that have drunk Pinesol or Listerine than I care to count. I have brought into the hospital Emergency Room quite a few gunshot victims that were dumped off outside the door- whomever dumped them there did not want to be identified. The elders and tribal leaders have been sent to prison for the stealing of tribal monies and stealing the property that is supposed to help their people. I have tried to (without judgement) to help these people understand the cost of encouraging their children to get pregnant by the age of 15- yes, I said encourage because it gives them more monthly income for each child. I, and other white people have been at risk for our lives when driving on the rez on our days off- because I 'was white'. I guess I should have worn a sign that said '1/2 white, 1/2 Indian'. Again. I did not do the original mistreatment to the NA almost 200 years ago. I now have a very different view of the NA than I did before I worked for the BIA. Now, I do not want other people to know that I have NA blood in me- I am absolutely ashamed about how the NA conduct themselves. Yes, there are bad in all races, but the percentage of NA that are lazy, drunk, thieves, killers are much higher in the NA culture. At this point in time I am for taking all aid away- it has not done anything to make these people become better. Giving them everything for free has only made them worse. Remember when our textbooks told us of the hardworking, proud people the NA were? Now, we have created a class of people that are a disgrace to my NA heritage. Working on several reservations for several years has really opened my eyes. Before I worked with the NA I felt we needed to try to help them in any way. Now, after living with them, I feel nothing but disgust for the ones who are doing nothing to help themselves. I feel the ones that live in squallor, continue the drug/drink deserve each other. Unfortunately, there are children/babies that are there. This sounds harsh I know, but maybe taking away the children and adopting them to responsible people might be the only way to save them. No wonder they have the reputation that they have made for themselves- they are the ones who earned it. Again, don't think I am just picking on a particular race- I am also NA. I would not say that in a general discussion though, as I am digusted with the NA of today.

[seige_n]

I can't believe how many people have no idea about any of this. I live in Wagner, SD, a place completely torn by hate. You have racist whites and "the cycle" for the indians. We have to low income housing developments, one on the south side of town and one on the north. I have both white and indian friends, and it's hard to see my white friends hating indians and indians hating whites. There is also a cycle for the whites. Our main economy is agriculture, so we have white kids growing up to be farmers. Many of the farmers are racist and alcoholics. Which is exactly the same as indians. If you were to walk down the street of Wagner you would be asked for money by indians (if you were white) and glared at and assumed to be nothing by whites. I’m not saying all whites and indians are drunks, but the majority of our population in Wagner has alcohol addictions. Wagner is a town where it is almost impossible to leave, not because of the sites (ha), but because of these cycles. The sad thing is that the indian cycle is bigger. If you were to look at our graduating classes you would see that out of twenty-five two or less are indian. But one thing about the people who graduate from Wagner and can leave is that they are good people.

[dreamseaker]

I have just returned from Wounded Knee with my church group. This is my second year of spending some time on the rez. I don't pretend to have any answers but I can testify to the fact that most of these people are living in abject poverty. It is my opinion that they have a right to want to be home. We have Eastern KY and those people wouldn't leave their home, no matter what. It is also my opinion that there is a difference in "welfare" and being forced to a rez homeland by the Federal Gov't thus becoming dependent on the Gov't. We took the Black Hills from them, we took their culture and way of life. SD has a responsibility to these people to not allow price-gouging from surrounding towns, and unfair lending practices. The Federal Gov't owes them billions from a trust fund of which the gov't conveniently lost the records. The living conditions are atrocious, Children play in polluted creeks where "someone died" recently--is this the Indians' fault? Roads are deeply rutted in the housing sections. Poverty breeds disease, acoholism, meth and drug usage, and general learned helplessness. Isolation breeds suicide and attitudes such as the ones expressed on this blog recently only exacerbate the problem. Cutting programs like Head Start and Indian Health hasn't helped either. Indians will finally get some of those FEMA moldy housetrailers that sat around for a year after Hurricane Katrina. Will they tear them up? Probably. Why do Americans think Indians deserve second or third best when we live in real houses?
The state of NE refuses to do anything about liquor stores in Whiteclay, a border town, whose only reason to exist is to sell liquor to a DRY reservation.

These people are sweet. They destroy their own property, kids, and family but to place the blame entirely on them is just wrong. The US made them wards of the government and took their culture from them. Who is really responsible?

The Federal and State gov owes them!

[Jammie]

Originally Posted by dreamseaker

I have just returned from Wounded Knee with my church group. This is my second year of spending some time on the rez. I don't pretend to have any answers but I can testify to the fact that most of these people are living in abject poverty. It is my opinion that they have a right to want to be home. We have Eastern KY and those people wouldn't leave their home, no matter what. It is also my opinion that there is a difference in "welfare" and being forced to a rez homeland by the Federal Gov't thus becoming dependent on the Gov't. We took the Black Hills from them, we took their culture and way of life. SD has a responsibility to these people to not allow price-gouging from surrounding towns, and unfair lending practices. The Federal Gov't owes them billions from a trust fund of which the gov't conveniently lost the records. The living conditions are atrocious, Children play in polluted creeks where "someone died" recently--is this the Indians' fault? Roads are deeply rutted in the housing sections. Poverty breeds disease, acoholism, meth and drug usage, and general learned helplessness. Isolation breeds suicide and attitudes such as the ones expressed on this blog recently only exacerbate the problem. Cutting programs like Head Start and Indian Health hasn't helped either. Indians will finally get some of those FEMA moldy housetrailers that sat around for a year after Hurricane Katrina. Will they tear them up? Probably. Why do Americans think Indians deserve second or third best when we live in real houses?
The state of NE refuses to do anything about liquor stores in Whiteclay, a border town, whose only reason to exist is to sell liquor to a DRY reservation.

These people are sweet. They destroy their own property, kids, and family but to place the blame entirely on them is just wrong. The US made them wards of the government and took their culture from them. Who is really responsible?

The Federal and State gov owes them!

There's a bit of truth in your post. My only question is~when did they cut Head Start or the Health programs? Head start is alive and well in So. Dak.

[uncleharley]

Based on some info in a previous post, the state of SD, by law, cannot do a thing on the reservation. It is up to the Tribal elders and the Bureau of Indian Affairs to clean the mess up. A church or religous group probably could intervene because the constitution and a couple of laws forbids the government from interfering with a church, but the state of South Dakota cannot do a thing.

[TravisW]

State governments typically have no say over happenings on the reservations--it's a similar situation in North Dakota, although Pine Ridge pretty much edges out Spirit Lake and Standing Rock in rural blight. It's a truly sad thing to watch from the outside. I grew up in the relative proximity of Ft. Totten in ND, and it's similar to what has been described. Corrupt tribal officials, Federal assistance thrown to the wind; substance, sexual, and physical abuse for generations, and a general hopelessness makes many reservations very sad places. Even sadder is that you can't force a "free nation" to improve. It's my opinion that the reservation system has wound up being even worse in the long run than forced assimilation....and that's really sad.

[dreamseaker]

As to SD's responsibility for the poverty on the Pine Ridge, I can only say that I have observed prejudice on I-90 for example, whose travel hosts tell people not to "go to the reservation unless you have gas, the gas stations may not be there, or be open." (Not true) I also have personal knowledge from an economic leader on the pine ridge who is a well respected author that banks outside the rez have taken advantage of Indian business leaders who want to start businesses. The lastest fiasco found the bank itself was corrupt. Are there corrupt leaders on the rez? Yes. Are their corrupt banks in SD? yes. Is SD a state in the US? Yes. Are we as a government responsible for placing these people on reservations and taking the Black Hills? Yes.

And what about Nebraska? What about White Clay which exists only to sell liquor to a dry rez? The Indians were protesting the day I was there. Why won't Nebraska do something? They could.

As to Head Start, I get my info from Indian Country Today. I refer you to an article "Future College Graduates" dated June 6, 2007 by David Meimer. I also refer you to "Native Children Left Behind", by the editor, May 3, 2007. I also got information from a Oglala College employee who told me funds had been restored, but for two months last year, the college had to take over.
Thanks to SD's senator, funds have been restored to the budget that Bush had cut. Why were all of the BIA education administrators taken out of the local schools and centeralized in Pierre, SD? Just wondering?

And don't even get me started about the recent firings of the federal judges. 5 of the 8 sat on the Indian Affairs committee. Is this coincidence.

Sorry, I feel strongly about all of this. ALL of us are responsible. I wasn't there when the Wounded Knee massacre occured, I didn't do it. But that doesn't exonerate me. I'll keep on fighting for the people that I love.

[Papooses]

Originally Posted by lcb

The problems on the Reservation are coming FROM THE INSIDE!

This is the most truthful thing I've seen on here so far.... My experience in SD is limited to my visits on the Res. with family/friends working in the hospital & my American Indian history courses, so I don't believe I can add much more to this thread except a few comments which might be better kept to myself -- such as: why does Sioux Nation (the grocery store) charge $9 for grapes while providing massive sizes of incredly unhealthy food at affordable prices? Why when the community has the highest rate of Diabetes, etc. in the entire United States Mothers are given brand new carseats to bring their newborns home safely from the hospital yet it remains inside the trunk in its original unopened packaging so that in just a few months time that family is holding a funeral for this child Young children are crawling & leaping from backseat to front seat while the vehicle is in motion knowing that there are drunk drivers on the road (everywhere, not only on the Res) & we then wonder why crashes are the #1 cause of death for all kids Perhaps I shouldn't say anything at all, but when there are road signs piling up that read something to the effect "THINK! WHY DIE?" to remind people that others have died in those spots because of car crashes & there are bill boards in the neighboring cities showing the importance of buckling kids up properly ... why do the parents not have the inherent concern to keep their kids safe? Why does a parent leave a loaded gun in the car with young children alone while the parent is inside the hospital? Yes, a young child was recently shot to death in his family's car with his parents' gun while waiting in the hospital parking for his parents! It's just outrageous that stuff as tragic as this happens what it only takes mere seconds to prevent. No one is causing these tragedies to happen except for the individuals involved. Every person who loses a loved one deserves sympathy, but an entire community does not need coddling or fixing. They need to bring themselves up & out of these circumstances because every person is responsible for themselves and their community. As an earlier post said, and I agree, they have abandoned themselves. Something does need to be done, but the people of the Res need to own that accomplishment.