Pine Ridge Indian Reservation

I toured the township of Pine Ridge this afternoon with Dave. He pointed out Native America-owned and operated facilities that stood alongside Subway, Pizza Hut, and Taco John's. Though the town was small, it was tidy with enough services for the small population. We went south into White Clay, Nebraska where there is a store that sells 15,000 cans of beer a day - mostly to the native population. That was depressing because of the bold move of selling alcohol to the natives just over the border. The reservation is alcohol-free.

 We drove passed the medical center where Dave works. It is quite a good facility that has a wide range of services. Many of the medical staff live in apartments just behind the hospital.

 We then took a trip to Wounded Knee that became enigmatic for the natives. After the U.S. Army captured Chief Big Foot and many warriors, they encamped at Wounded Knee for the night. The army sat on top of the hill with the natives on the lower ground - guns pointed at them. It is speculated that the natives began a ghost dance as a symbol of resistance against the white settlers and U.S. army. No one knows what happened next. Some speculate that the Army became spooked by the dance and inadvertently fired upon the natives. Many were killed, but others fled through the nearby gullies. It became a symbol of resistance that emboldened nearby Lakota Sioux. The Jesuits have a church in back of the location. It is mostly unoccupied though it is a fine building.

 After dinner with the community, I had a tour of the school by the president. My eyes were opened. The school is doing excellent service to the community. Though it is K-8, it is a college-prep school. All graduates go onto college, military, or trade-school, depending upon their life choices. The school respects their Lakota culture while preparing them for life outside of the reservation. It receives national attention and needs great funding. Scholarships are provided for all families and alumni are not yet able to support the school. The Bill and Melissa Gates Foundation provide excellent scholarships for qualified student university tuition. In many ways, the school has so much going for it, but a stable source of income is still needed for operational expenses. I can now see why many Jesuits hold the school in their hearts. I will attend some classes this week. Education is the most powerful force for change in this world.