Youth Travel to Pine Ridge

On August 10, eight youth and four adults departed for Pine Ridge, SD, departing floods and driving through turrential rain to spend a week immersed in the people and stories of the Pine Ridge Reservation. We arrived at Pine Ridge Reconciliation Center, a Lutheran retreat center and shelter for unhoused people, in Pine Ridge, SD, on Monday, August 11, and from there we discovered both the rich culture of the Lakota people and the devastating realities of one of the poorest counties in the United States.

On the trip, we met people like:

• Kevin Poor Bear created beautiful pieces of art using pastels and paper while sharing hardships about life on the reservation and hope for the future.
• Basil Brave Heart welcomed us into the Ceremonial House and spoke with us for 2.5 hours about topics ranging from Lakota traditions to Quantum Physics.
• Oglaga Lakota College Archivist Valerie Janis brought historical pieces to life with academic explanations and personal stories.
• Staff from Red Cloud Renewables gave us a tour of energy efficient houses. The company trains solar panel technicians and has a class that is just for women to be able to get into the field!
• Virgil was our guide at Wounded Knee and Wind Cave. He invited us to breath sage and give tobacco at the burial ground. He invited us to step down and feel the wind coming out of the cave.
• Darren introduced us to two bison. (Yes, there was a fence between us and the wild animals). Darren had been a teacher and school superintendent on the reservation before he retired.
• Kim was our guide from the Reconciliation Center. She took us to Badlands National Park, Oglala Lakota College, Artspace, and the Heritage Center (and Catholic Church) at Red Cloud School. She also gave us insight into a mom’s life on the reservation.

Throughout the trip, we met amazing people like this, but we also witnessed the brokenness brought by generations of harm and heard stories of the damage that harm is still doing in the community. It took the youth a lot of work to understand how things could be so bad. "Why can't they pull themselves out of poverty?" one youth asked. But as another youth said, "I think something that really sunk in with me is the fact of how horrible people can be to each other, and the fact that humans can also be equally kind." And it was that equal-kindness that was most surprising. Even against the harms and hurts carried by the community, the people remained one of hope.

"Faith, hope, and love," that's what it's all about. No matter what had happened or what the lived reality was today, we met people full of faith, hope, and love. I hope the youth hold onto that witness as they continue their journey in life, knowing that whatever happens and wherever they find themselves, they can trust the faith, hope, and love we receive from Christ to sustain them.