Travel Volunteering - Pine Ridge Reservation (Days 7-9)

I don't think there is any doubt that one of my passions in life is traveling and seeing new places and experiences. But being able to help people while you travel gives you an entirely different viewpoint of the world and a whole new perspective on your life. It almost sounds selfish to say this, but I think everyone should give travel volunteering a try so we can realize what is important in our own lives. We take so many things for granted in our day-to-day life: water comes out of the faucet when we turn it on; we can go for a walk around the neighborhood without an extremely high chance of being struck and killed by a drunk driver; we have enough resources that we can afford to take time off of our busy schedules and volunteer to help people who have none of these luxuries. I think the second sentence of my "Day 7" travel entry sums up my sentiments succinctly.

While Re-Member helps the residents of the Rez with a variety of home reconstruction tasks, our main duty on this trip was to build bunk beds. Lumber was donated from various Michigan lumberyards and mattresses from hotels that just bought new ones. We learned that in many of the houses on the Rez, there would sometimes be over ten people crammed into tiny, tiny buildings with nowhere to sleep but on the floor, on each other, and even in bathtubs. We brought all of that material out to South Dakota with us and the beds we built had the capability to sleep nine people: three on the top bunk, three on the bottom bunk, and three on a trundle bed that slid out from under the bottom bunk. These beds would take up only a small amount of space in the house, but would at least provide a comfortable bed for numerous people.

Day 7 - August 17, 2000

Today is our last day here. I’m excited to leave, but I also feel guilty leaving those who desperately need our help. After a regular breakfast, my group went to St. Albin’s, loaded the back of Rev. Keith Titus’s truck with all the material needed for two bunkbeds. We then drove to a house, almost across the street from our church. This family had just moved into this house. (4 bedrooms) It surprised me. I had heard that all the houses were so dumpy looking, but this one was nice. It was messy, but I’m sure that was because they just moved in. As we set up the beds, I noticed that the family was watching TV and VCR. They had some nice furniture, too. We worked for about an hour, then returned to our church to prepare it for the barbeque. We cleaned up a little, then went to lunch at Bette’s Kitchen, which is actually her house. After lunch, Brennen, Alissa, and I went up with Keith and Keith to St. Albin’s to put the pews back in the church and to lock up. As we came back to the church, everyone else was working inside (cleaning), or outside (painting). The painters were having a paint fight. All the work finally was done, and we had an hour before guests arrived [for the barbeque we were hosting there]. Brennen, Alissa, and I talked on the swings for a little bit. When guests started to arrive, us older kids had to watch the little Indian kids on the playground. After about two hours, guests started to leave. We cleaned up after they had all left, and got our bags packed. Then we had our “unpacking” session. Then we went to bed.

Painting the walls of the Church we stayed at...and each other

The messy painting group

Swing time

Alissa and Brennen

Brennen and Belle

Marc with one of the kids that came to the barbeque

Missy swinging

Earlier that day, while we were driving, Alissa wanted a photo in the fields of sunflowers that are scattered across the Rez. Farming for sunflower seeds and oils are some of the most lucrative businesses on the Rez, but most are not operated by the Natives so they do not reap many of the benefits.

Day 8 - August 18, 2000

We got up, had breakfast, and then had our chapel session. Then we got our bags packed into the trailer and headed home, this time in a van with Sigrid, Cindy, Alissa, Becky, Marc, Brennen, and Ben. We slept most of the way to Des Moines, stopping in Sioux City, IA, for a Chinese lunch. I tried some, and it was okay. We got back in the van and three hours later arrived in Des Moines. We were ally really hyper and had a pillow fight in the van. Then we put “You’re Hot” signs in the window. We got yelled at and then arrived at Plymouth Congregational. We had our showers, ordered pizza, and went to bed.

Day 9 - August 19, 2000

We got back in the vans early today and drove the rest of the way home, stopping once for gas and once for Bob Evans. We got back to Titus’ house in Grand Haven, unpacked, and said our goodbyes, and went home.

The kids from First Congregational Church, back in Grand Haven

The trip was over, and we all agreed it was an eye-opening opportunity for all of us, but was it something we would do again? The answer came the following summer when Brennen and Alissa and I went back to the Rez.

Travel Volunteering - Pine Ridge Reservation (Days 4-6)

Southwestern South Dakota is home to the Black Hills, a large, granitic, mountainous region known for outdoor recreation and it should be as Wind Cave National Park, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, and Jewel Cave National Monument are all found there. Badlands National Park is located just to the east of the Black Hills and abuts the Rez on its northern border. While we were on the Rez it was difficult for us to understand at the time why we could not visit Mount Rushmore even though it was so close. As America "conquered" the West, there is no question that the Native Peoples were slaughtered, their livelihoods destroyed, and their land taken away from them. For the Oglala Lakota people on the Pine Ridge Reservation, the Black Hills were sacred - land to be revered. However, westward moving Americans discovered gold in the Hills, and when lines were drawn for where the Natives' new home would be, the Black Hills were excluded, and instead, they were put on some of the most desolate land in the country. It is something everyone traveling to that region of the USA should take into grave consideration as they look up at the monolithic faces carved into Mount Rushmore or tour one of the largest cave systems in the world at Wind Caves National Park. I don't think this means that you should not ever go to these places, but if you do, try to get a true experience and spend a little bit of time on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Vacationers should be grossly aware that the original inhabitants of the land, whom still hold the Hills sacred, are now living in poverty, not far off the Interstate.

Day 4 - August 14, 2000

This morning I took a shower before breakfast. For breakfast I had Rice Krispies and milk. After breakfast, Missy, Ben, Ian, Alissa, Lee, Sigrid, Keith K., Cindy, and I went to St. Albin’s to sand the bunk-beds. As we sanded, Alissa and Missy stained a bunk bed. At our “potato chip” break, we found out that Sigrid is three months pregnant! After that task, we came back to our “home” and from there, we left for lunch. We went to a little café called Cuny Table Café, where everyone except me had Indian Tacos. Because I’m so picky, they special-ordered me a cheese-burger and fries. Then we drove a little bit into the Badlands and climbed the rocks around a little lake. Everyone else went down an easier path to the lake, while Alissa, Becky, Lee, and I took a smaller, skinnier route, which led us about half-way down until a 20-food drop. We decided to climb up the ravine to get out. I went quickly, while Lee, Alissa, and Becky went another way. I got out quickly and had to redirect, tell them their bearings, and pull them to the top.

From the top of the hill we climbed, we saw this lake and tried getting down. The narrow canyons is where we got stuck!

Someone got a photo of us from the Lake as we tried getting ourselves unstuck!

With minimal scrapes and bruises, we left and went further down the road to a spot where all you could see for miles was the craggy peaks of the Badlands.

Group Shot in the Badlands

About an hour later we arrived at the SuAnne Boys and Girls Club for dinner. Marc, Ben, Brennen, Alissa, Becky, and I sat at a table and talked for a while. Then we watched a movie about SuAnne Big Crow who [was hit by a drunk driver and] died in a car accident. She was a great basketball player and had the 3^rd highest points in one game in South Dakota. She then went to Australia and Russia to play with the USA team. After that, we came back to the church and “unpacked.”

Day 5 - August 15, 2000

This morning after showers and breakfast, Alissa, Lee, Missy, Ian, Ben, and I went to Porcupine School to do some work. We emptied five classrooms and switched them around. We also changed the dead light bulbs. The roof slanted and the three rows of lights went from 10 to about 15 feet! Cindy changed the 10-foot ones, Ian changed the 12-foot ones, and I went all the way up to change the 15-foot ones. On our break, we went to the Library and watched MTV and took pictures outside of the tipis.

Group shot by the tipis at Porcupine School

Changing the lightbulbs at Porcupine School

Then, after lunch, we went to the Red Cloud Museum and Cemetery. The museum had a whole bunch of pictures immediately after the Wounded Knee Massacre and beautiful paintings. There were many sculptures and a replica of an old school house. Then we went to the Red Cloud Cemetery and took some pictures. Afterwards, we went into a Catholic Church to take pictures and we sang “Siyahumba” in three-part harmony. We came back, “unpacked,” and played [an improv] game where two people sat down and two others used their arms as the first “two’s”? 

Betsy and Cindy playing the improv game.

Day 6 - August 16, 2000

Today was a good day. We had breakfast and my group went to Batesland to tile an extension to the SuAnne Big Crow Boys and Girls Club. It took us a while to get the exact measurements for each tile. We were almost done (like ten tiles left) and ran out.

Chimney Butte on the Pine Ridge Reservation

Alissa and Ben tiling floors at the Boys & Girls Club in Batesland, SD

Driving back to Wounded Knee from Batesland

We came back to French toast, sausage, eggs, muffins, and hash browns. Then we took a drive to the Badlands. I used up many pictures, and had to buy a new roll of film [in Scenic, SD]. We got to climb up about 25 stories on a mountain in the Badlands and took pictures at the top. We took a walk on a trail in the Badlands and I noticed it as the same one I went on when we came out in third grade. After that, we ate dinner at Wooden Knife Café. I think they had the best “eat-out” food that we’ve been to yet. Then we came back to our “home” and had a little service.

Alissa and Becky climbing in the Badlands

Ben, Brennen, Becky, Alissa, and Marc in the Badlands

Looking down on the vans from our spot up in the Badlands

Alissa along the Cliff Shelf Nature Trail (I think)

Group photo along the Cliff Shelf Nature Trail

The fun (or maybe more frustrating) part about going back through my old travel journals is that I have to do a bit of cyber-exploring to figure out exactly where we were and the names of places. It is fun in that I can really think about and relive the trip and it is frustrating though, when I cannot remember the names of trails we took or what roads we drove to get there. I do remember that when we drove to the Badlands, I had to buy a new roll of camera film in the little town of Scenic, SD - which is nothing more than a tiny little general store with tourist trinkets inside, as well as the old Sheriff's Building/Jail. We only stayed as long as a bathroom break, and that is all you need in Scenic, SD.

Travel Volunteering - Pine Ridge Reservation (Days 1-3)

I recently moved back to Muskegon, Michigan for the summer and while cleaning my room at my Dad's house, I found one of my old travel journals. Inside, I kept a day-to-day account of what happened during the first of two trip my friends from First Congregational Church in Muskegon to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. We traveled with the Re-Member non-profit organization, based out of Grand Haven, Michigan, who makes it their priority to work with the people of the Oglala Lakota people to, as their website puts it, "[help] to rebuild relationships, homes, and lives." Re-member makes week-long trips to the Reservation (the Rez) to help with any number of projects, but most of the time is spent on basic home restoration projects. The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is consistently listed as one of the poorest areas of the United States, and while many volunteer groups visit regions in need and leave, Re-member has made it its mission to continue working year after year, building a stronger community on the Rez. I transcribed my writings from my journal and copied them below. I was 14 years old at the time, so please excuse my lack of writing skills at that age!

Day 1 - August 11, 2000

We left Titus’ house at 8:30. We’re taking four cars. Rev.’s Keith and Ginny Titus, and their daughter Kirstina, are in the first truck with the trailer. We’re behind them. In our van is Keith Koeble, Mrs. Hunt, Meagen, Amanda, Lee, Mellissa, and I. Then betsy and Crystal are in Betsy’s truck with camper. Then in the last car is Cindy Novoselick, Sigrid, Ian, Ben, Brennen, Marc, Alissa, and Becky. We stopped a little bit after Gary, IN, for bathrooms and gas. We stopped in Minooka, IL, for lunch at Subway. I’m pretty bored so I’m listening to my musicals and talking to Amanda and Brennen over the two-way radios. We stopped at a rest area 100 miles east of Des Moines; after all, our four cars were separated. Now we’re back on the road headed for Des Moines. I think we all have got just a little taste of the western heat. It was probably around 95°F and it will only get hotter! We finally arrived in Des Moines. We found the Plymouth Congregational Church, unpacked the trailer, and set up our sleeping bags. All the boys and girls were in the same room. We went around in the vans looking for a place to eat. We ended up at...HARDEES! The food was good, and there weren’t as many flies. After dinner, we had a little devotion time, and then I went down to the gym and played soccer. In doing so, I was barefoot, and slipped on a puddle and fell, and slammed the back of my head into the floor.

Day 2 - August 12, 2000

After showers, a five-minute devotion time, breakfast, and packing the trailer, we got on the road at 7:00am. It is 10:09am, and as I’m listening to my CD player, and now, it’s raining! We ate a hearty brunch at Perkins while Alissa found a bee in her salad! We’re going by the Lewis and Clark expedition’s monument. It looks like the Washington Monument.

Mississippi River

We drove straight through to the Reservation. As we entered the Reservation, we drove through a little bit of the Badlands, and drove through the Indian communities of Kyle, Porcupine, Sharps Corner, and finally Wounded Knee. We are staying at a small church, separated into two rooms (boys and girls) and then there’s a kitchen, and two bathrooms.

Driving through the Badlands

Amanda W. reading in the vans

There aren’t as many bags as I thought. I have confessed my arachnaphobia and “bug-phobia,” and have been constantly teased afterwards. We then, after unpacking, we drove to Pine Ridge (city) for milk and Pizza Hut. There was a group of like five little Indian kids were asking us for breadsticks. After we got back to our church and were told the rules. The hot water is not working so we’ll have to take five-minute, cold showers. Tomorrow morning, we’ll probably get up and going to clean up the Wounded Knee Cemetery. But now only 10 people are still awake.

Day 3 - August 13, 2000

I got up this morning unharmed by bugs. (lol) After breakfast, we drove up to the Wounded Knee Cemetery. We got a little bit of history of the area. We had a communion service with hot dog buns and cherry flavored juice. Then we toured the cemetery. There was a fenced-in area where there was a monument with the names of at least 25-30 Indian Braves who died in the Massacre of Wounded Knee. There was also the grave of Lost Bird, an Indian girl who survived for four days in the snow and when found, she was adopted by an Army official. After being physically, mentally, and sexually abused, she moved to California and became a prostitute. After she died, some of her relatives brought her body back to Pine Ridge [Reservation] to be buried.

Memorial stone in the Wounded Knee Indian Reservation

Our whole group at the entrance to the Wounded Knee Cemetery

Then we came back to the church for lunch (Tacos. Eww!). After lunch, Brennen, Betsy, Keith Keoble, Ian, Lee, Ben, Marc, and I went to St. Albin's Church to organize bunk bed materials. After two hours of vigorous work, we took a half-hour tour through the Rez. We came back to a wonderful dinner of mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, green beans, lima beans, cranberry sauce, gravy, rolls, chicken, and stuffing. Then we "unpacked" (talking about the day). Then we went inside for free-time.

Sunset over Wounded Knee