Tag: Indian reservation

What started with picking up trash…

Hello everyone! My name is Kelli, Planned Giving Summer Intern at St. Joseph’s Indian School.

Lakota boy imitating snake
A Lakota boy imitates his favorite animal—a snake!

A few days ago, I was able to spend some time with the youth of the Lower Brule Indian Reservation at the St. Joseph’s Rising Eagle Day Camp here in Chamberlain, South Dakota. On this particular morning, they were imitating animal movements and practicing summersaults and cartwheels on the football field. Their giggles and smiles made me take a trip down memory lane to two years ago when I was a camp counselor at the St. Joseph’s Rising Eagle Day Camp.

Although every day brought many joys and wonderful experiences, one day in particular still stands out in my mind.

On this particular day, one of our St. Joseph’s staff was reading a Native American children’s story to the kids. While The Rough-Face Girl was being read, nearly all of the children were listening quietly, but one little boy was not following the rules and was being disruptive to everybody else.

Feeling like he may need to burn some energy, I grabbed a plastic bag and told him to follow me outside—we were going to go pick up some trash.

For the first few minutes, the young boy was quite unruly. However, when he saw how much fun he could make the situation, he began to laugh, smile and run around—the first time I had ever seen this young boy so alive and carefree.

His smile and laugh were contagious and I began to get into the game he created out of his own imagination. “Kelli, hold the trash bag really high!” I would hear, so I would hold it above my head and he would aim, shoot, and SCOREEEEEE! A silly celebratory dance and lots of cheering would always follow.

Two girls partner log roll
Two young Lakota girls practice partner log rolling.

After about 20 minutes or so, I asked the young boy if he would like to go back inside and be on his best behavior.

He replied yes, gave me a huge hug, began to cry, and thanked me for spending time with him because “no one ever spends time with me.”

This little boy was my best friend the remainder of the Rising Eagle Day Camp. He was usually one of the first ones on the bus bright and early and one of the last to walk back to his house. He was my right-hand man and was often given certain ‘duties’ to help me with.

The young boy who had multiple disciplinary problems on his first day never had an issue again.

Thank you for allowing me to pick up trash and spend quality time with young Lakota Sioux children. Although picking up trash is a messy and sometimes stinky job, I am so grateful for this young boy and the opportunity I had to make a little friend that changed my life forever.

Openness to the Spirit

Last week in Wisconsin was both affirming and emotional. My religious order, the Priests of the Sacred Heart, held our election assembly for new leadership, and my brothers in the community asked me to become the next Provincial Superior.

I was honored to be chosen, though know the position also carries a lot of responsibilities. The hard emotional part for me is that this means finishing up my time at St. Joseph’s Indian School as Director. By August, I will be leaving South Dakota and no longer involved in the day-to-day running of the school. I will become a member of the Board of Directors, however, which will give me good reason to come back to visit a couple times each year and help set direction in a broad way.

So many of our staff were praying I would NOT be elected, but religious life calls for openness to the Spirit.  When I first came to St. Joseph’s eight and a half years ago, I was sad to leave parish work on the Lower Brule and Crow Creek Indian Reservations. But I trusted, and my time at St. Joseph’s has been such an amazing blessing in surprising and unexpected ways.

I will enter into the new role with the same faith and trust and enthusiasm.

One of my main responsibilities will be personnel. My first difficult task will be to call forth good leadership to follow here at St. Joseph’s. We don’t have a successor named yet, and it will take some time to get the right people in place. In the interim, I know staff here have a clear sense of our mission and purpose, and lots of work and vision still to be done with our strategic plan. They will press on in the right direction regardless.

Today at mass, I saw the Native American students who are in the summer High School Prep Program, and I got teary-eyed thinking about the day I will have to say goodbye to them. A couple of them were first graders when I arrived, and we have so many memories together.

Every year we say goodbye to our students as they move on, hopefully prepared to make their way in the world. It will be so different with me doing the leaving… But, the Lakota people don’t really say goodbye. They say doksa, which means until we see each other again.  During the time between, they will be kept close in my heart and prayers.

I will also miss the incredible interaction with our donors. A few stopped by the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center today, tickled to finally see campus and get a better idea of what we do at St. Joseph’s. We have a wide and generous circle of friends that make what we do possible. Their interest, support and prayers inspire all of us to work hard to make the difference we believe we are making.

Finally back on campus!

After being on the road for most of the past two weeks, I planned to park in my office and answer a slew of letters and emails, and attend to the various projects that are in progress right now. But, the building that houses my office is getting new carpets after perhaps 30 years, and this was the day they decided to install. So I was “homeless” for the day. But it gave me a great excuse to walk around campus and touch base with St. Joseph’s staff and students!

People ask me if I enjoy the pace of summer when school is finished, assuming it is low key and slow. If it’s possible, I think June gets even busier at St. Joseph’s Indian School than the regular school year!

I saw our recent eighth grade graduates leaving for Chamberlain High School to attend the classes that will help them adjust to the teachers and expectations at the new school. Shortly after, the bus doors opened and 53 Lakota children from the Lower Brule Indian Reservation spilled out for their first day of Rising Eagle Day camp.

On the maintenance front:

–        Rocks and landscaping are now surrounding the new Medicine Wheel Garden

–        The old thrift store has been painted and remodeled into office space

–        The Afra and Raphael Homes are gutted as part of our last phase of renovation

–        The picnic building where we host our powwow supper is getting a new roof to replace hail damage

–        Central offices is getting new carpet and tuckpointing to preserve the aging brick exterior

–        Surveyors have flagged the north side areas of campus for the next phase of our drainage improvement plan

–        Curb and gutters have been poured to expand the museum parking lot

 

Several of our Native American high school students are working summer jobs here, either at summer camp, giving museum tours, or helping with maintenance. Erika is a camp counselor, and will start college in the fall. She is trying to be very frugal and save as much as she can.

She is anxious because her family has almost no income, and she knows that she will have to sacrifice and get by on scholarships and part time jobs. While I encouraged her, I was also inspired by her trust and daring in pursuing her dream.

Cultural Trip Day 3 – Little Big Horn

Last Monday was a memorable Memorial Day on many fronts.

St. Joseph’s students met a young Cheyenne drum group on their cultural trip.
A group of young Native American drummers invited us over and shared a few songs.

Along with the seventh graders on their cultural trip, we started the day at the Dull Knife Tribal College in Lame Deer, Montana.

We met Mina, who has done extensive work interviewing elders and bringing together the history of the tribe in an organized way. She spoke of how preserving the language and stories help the next generation move forward with pride.

We also met Leroy, who put our St. Joseph’s students at ease with his joking and teasing, while also teaching some important lessons about life. The Lakota (Sioux) people have a tradition of Heyokas and the Cheyenne have a similar tradition of Contraries. They can play the clown and teach by humor and joking.

A Memorial Day celebration on a Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation.
After the parade, St. Joseph’s students followed the crowd to the cemetery to pay respects to those who have given their lives in battle.

Rain prevented us from going to the site of the sun dance Sitting Bull held before the Battle of Little Big Horn, but Leroy brought it to life in our imagination with his vivid description of what went on there.

Clara also crossed our path that day and shared some of her poetry, especially recounting the occasion that she received her first eagle feather. Since she also edits the local newspaper, she made sure to take our picture and promised our kids they would be included in next week’s edition.

The clouds parted and the sun came out just in time for the Northern Cheyenne Memorial Day parade. The powwow royalty rode on floats, and different organizations threw the ever-popular candy to kids as they passed by. Several horseback riders also graced the route.

The Lakota students visited the site of the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
Chandler, a Minnecoujou Lakota, found a grave marker for a warrior who died at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

One float had a group of second and third grade drummers. We were at the end of the parade route, and they called us over and sang a few more songs just for our group. We laughed heartily when they included a fun powwow song about SpongeBob Squarepants!

We followed the crowd to the cemetery for the posting of colors and laying of a wreath. Much of the instruction was in the Cheyenne language, but the emotion and honor transcended words. We paid respects at Chief Dull Knife’s grave.

The Cheyenne were a strong warrior society, and paid special tribute to the many who currently serve in our country’s armed forces, and those who did not return from distant battlefields. We received this recounting of bravery in battle on one of the very hills that marked some of the last battles of the Indian Wars.

Afterwards, we went to powwow where a delicious meal was offered to everyone in the community.

The Little Bighorn Battlefield is always a moving place for me to visit. This being Memorial Day, remembering all the fallen on both sides took on an even more special meaning.

In the time since I first visited 20 years ago, there has been an effort to include the sacrifice of Native American Warriors who fought to save their families and to preserve a way of life.

Besides the white grave markers where the 7th Calvary fell, the battlefield is now also marked with red gravestones where Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors died. I noticed Chandler, who is from the Minnecoujou band of the Lakota, next to a marker for a warrior from her band…probably a not-too-distant relative.

The interpretive movie and talk with the rangers moved me to tears several times, as I thought of the history of our students’ ancestors. We drove and walked around the vast fields, remembering, imagining, learning and sharing.

Cody, a 2006 graduate of St. Joseph’s Indian School

Eighth-grade graduation at St. Joseph’s brings another school year to a close. It is fun and joyful, nostalgic and emotional. Most of the Lakota students will return to campus after the weekend to begin a three-week transition program to high school, but others will leave to pursue their high school education elsewhere, which leaves a bittersweet feeling.

St. Joseph’s alumni often return to share their stories and encouragement with younger students. Cody gave the eighth-grade class of 2013 a few words of advice.
Cody, a 2006 high school graduate, attended St. Joseph’s from first grade through twelfth grade.

Cody, who graduated from St. Joseph’s High School Program in 2006, returned to give our students her advice and comments in a commencement address. She told them that St. Joseph’s Indian School can give them lots of opportunities, but that won’t matter unless they make the commitment to want a better education and better life for themselves.

Her dad died when she was only two, which made it a huge struggle for her family to provide the basics. There were times school got hard, and being away from her family on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation even harder. When she cried and called home and wanted to leave, she is most grateful now that her mom told her to stay, and work hard.

That support from her mom and the St. Joseph’s community enabled her to go on to college, start a career and a family.

I so enjoy making the rounds and reconnecting with the Native American families I’ve gotten to know over the years, and making some new acquaintances. They were so proud of their graduates, and many were honored with traditional Lakota (Sioux) star quilts during the ceremony. All were also give a medicine wheel hair tie, pinned on them by alumni and staff.

About 14 children are staying in the break homes, and will be with us for the next seven weeks of the summer, so campus isn’t completely quiet. But, there was a quite lull after the ceremony concluded and the luncheon was served; most of the families had packed up student belongings, and headed into the four directions.

The Lakota students at St. Joseph’s attend Chamberlain High School after completing eighth grade.
Fr. Steve presented each eighth-grade student with their certificate of completion.

Graduation Celebrations

Sunday, five of our St. Joseph’s students and 65 of their Chamberlain High School classmates celebrated graduation as the Class of 2013. It seemed the whole community was packed into the armory.

St. Joseph’s Indian School provides education and residential care for Lakota children in grades 1-12.
Five St. Joseph’s students graduated with the Chamberlain High School Class of 2013.

The school choir and band performed some nice selections. The main event, however, was simply these youth proudly walking up the aisle accompanied by flashing cameras and rolling camcorders to mark this transitional time in their lives. We pray and hope for a wonderful future where their gifts and abilities can help meet the world’s needs.

We had some controversy with this year’s graduation. Chris, one of our St. Joseph’s seniors presented a petition to the school board to add a Lakota Honor song to the graduation ceremony to add a cultural element and to honor all the graduates.

Disappointingly, the school board turned it down. Community members from town and the nearby reservations held signs of protest across the street, gathered around a drum to respectfully played an Honor Song as their tribute to graduates filing out of the auditorium.

Afterwards, I attended some of the many receptions held all over town. Besides our St. Joseph’s students, several staff had children graduating, and I wanted to offer special congratulations to them.

Coleman’s parents have been houseparents on campus for many years. While Coleman didn’t attend St. Joseph’s Indian School, I watched him grow up with our kids in the Pinger Home. It truly felt like one of our own had reached this milestone.

I also knew some area graduates from the parishes I used to pastor. Kids I knew as first graders have now received diplomas and are preparing to go off and make their mark on the world.

Native American Career Day

I always grow concerned when I hear the wail of an ambulance siren. One day last week, it cried loudly outside St. Joseph’s Indian School. But no cause for alarm – the ambulance was on campus to present to our students for Native American Career Day.

Paramedics showed our Lakota students the equipment they use to save lives, and talked about what the job as a first responder entails.

Chamberlain paramedics visited St. Joseph’s Indian School for Native American Career Day.
St. Joseph’s first graders wait to see the inside of the ambulance.

Another group from Catholic Social Services runs the Lakota Circles of Hope program. They work to prevent elementary students from abusing drugs and alcohol. From the medical field, St. Joseph’s students heard from a physical therapist and a woman overseeing medical records for Indian Health Services. The state Director of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes talked to the students about showing the values of sportsmanship and care while pursuing the games we all love.

The presentation which fascinated me the most, was hearing from an alumnae who went into law enforcement. I knew Fancy when she was a tiny baby and I worked in Red Scaffold, South Dakota on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation. Now, she stands 6’2” and with her police vest and equipment on, she is an imposing figure!

But, she has learned good people skills. While she can be strong and tough when needed, she shared with the students that she gets more done not by the use of force, but by kindness and checking in with people. She asks about what is going on, and builds relationships in the communities she works in. She listens to the hurts and suffering.

I asked Fancy how she deals with the ugly side of life, where she sees things no one wants to see. She said, “I pray. I pray for the people who are hurting. I pray I can take care of my kids. I pray for strength and compassion. And St. Joseph’s helped teach me the importance of that.”

The Lakota children learned about numerous careers during Native American Career Day.
The Lakota children check out the stretcher inside the ambulance.

Field Trip!

On Friday, May 10, St. Joseph’s third grade students went to the Buffalo Interpretive Center on the Lower Brule Indian Reservation, near

St. Joseph’s students visited the Buffalo Interpretive Center on the Lower Brule Indian Reservation.
Using a telescope, the Lakota boys and girls watched the buffalo herd grazing in the pasture.

Pierre, South Dakota, for our field trip!

At the center, students had the opportunity to sit on real buffalo skins, examine real artifacts made from the buffalo, and learn how each of the different parts of the buffalo were used traditionally by the Lakota (Sioux) people.

They loved the hands-on experience of looking at the different artifacts and tools!

At the end of our tour, we watched a movie about the buffalo.  As part of the exhibit,

The Lakota children enjoy cultural field trips as part of their education at St. Joseph’s Indian School.
St. Joseph’s students learned about a traditional Lakota campsite on their trip to the Buffalo Interpretive Center on the Lower Brule Indian Reservation.

students could look through a telescope and find the buffalo grazing near the Interpretive Center.  In all the times St. Joseph’s third graders have traveled to the Interpretive Center, the buffalo have been next to the exhibit only one time. Every other time, students have needed to look through the telescope.

It’s always fun to see the excitement the students have to learn about the traditional culture of the Lakota and the way of life their ancestors practiced.

Heather, third grade teacher

St. Joseph’s students learn about traditional uses of the buffalo.
The Lakota children got to handle tools and artifacts made from different parts of the buffalo.

A week in review

Last week, I was talking to one of St. Joseph’s newer employees who is also quite young. What impressed me most was his expressed desire to make a difference. Sometimes, my generation complains about the younger generation. Too often, we underestimate youth who very much want to be part of a group that has high ideals and wants to address the problems of the world in a meaningful way. That fresh attitude and enthusiasm helps light the fire under me and spurs me on.

That evening, hot dogs for supper at Giles Home (high school boys) wasn’t a gourmet feast, but the satisfying conversation and connection with the guys there was good food for the soul. The whole house is made up of freshmen. As they sprint toward the school year’s finish line, they’re finding their way together.  They all have their days where they are moody and flighty teenagers, but I notice a maturing and growth – satisfying to see.

…

Mike, one of our Family Service Counselors shared he was having a difficult time getting information to the family of a Lakota student who has been accepted into our high school program. The family struggles with the basics, and last month didn’t have the money to pay the deposit on the Post Office box rent. The same happens with dropped phone coverage or even loss of home utilities when times get hard.

Wednesday

I joined 24 students who had achieved perfect attendance for a trip downtown to see the movie “The Croods.”

This cave family didn’t live up to my favorite, the Flintstones, but the kids enjoyed the movie and the outing.

–        As an adult, do you still enjoy animated movies from time to time?

The Summerlee Home (fourth and fifth grade girls) was my supper stop. My table got talking about cooking – dishes they can prepare (mostly involving noodles or eggs) and favorites from home, like fry bread and smothered burritos.

These girls just moved back into the newly remodeled home a few weeks ago, and showed me how they’d decorated to give the rooms a homey feel. They like dinosaurs, and a model T-Rex was perched on an end table. The T-Rex was wearing an improvised Easter bonnet, complete with homemade rabbit ears to be in the spirit of the season!

Kids can be fun and creative that way, and so can our houseparents. Cante wanted me to check out the guest bathroom, since that was her weekly responsibility and she worked hard to clean it. With the home so new, they take extra pride in keeping it looking good.

Thursday

The priests, sisters, and permanent deacon who live on nearby Indian Reservations and serve on the Lower Brule and Crow Creek Pastoral team make up an important part of our outreach ministry.

I attended their team meeting and we discussed some long range strategic planning to address the pressing social needs they meet every day. I enjoyed being a part of the opening round of sharing again.

Recent snows and ice kept attendance down in some of the missions. Fr. Hendrik actually slid off the road and had to be towed out by parishioners behind him who happened to have chains in their pickup truck.

Fr. Vincent took Fr. Jose for his first experience of a Native American funeral yesterday. They left at 8 a.m. and didn’t get home until 4 p.m., which is not unusual. Native Americans observe much more cultural ritual surrounding death and burial.

Meeting with St. Joseph’s Board of Directors

After the Mission Education conference on St. Joseph’s campus, the Board of Directors meeting went off as scheduled. Half the folks had to phone in since winter storm Walda closed Interstate 90 in South Dakota from Sioux Falls all the way to Rapid City, a distance of 350 miles!

St. Joseph’s Board of Directors met last week with the SCJ Provincial completing his 3-year term.
Fr. Tom, our SCJ provincial, finished his 3-year terms on our board; we showed our appreciation by gifting them with a Lakota star quilt.

The dynamics of a meeting change considerably when you can’t view power point presentations. After reports from Child Services, Development and Human Resources, we heard from those groups who work so hard to make a difference on the reservations.

The main work of the day was to consider and vote on next year’s budgets. Fr. Tom, our SCJ provincial, and Fr. Jack finished their 3-year terms on our board, and we showed appreciation to them by gifting them with a star quilt.

The generous support we receive from our donors makes the wide range of our programs for the Lakota children and their families possible.

After the meeting, I ran into James and Marion, two such donors, touring the museum. They were on their way home to Montana and were stranded in Chamberlain by the storm. At first, they were just looking for something better than watching TV in their hotel room.  It was their first time St. Joseph’s Indian School, so I took them on a tour of the school. They were delighted to meet students and staff, and see the students’ campus homes. They said the stop was far more than they expected, and a highlight of their trip.

Back in class after the storm, St. Joseph’s students were busy with Dakota Step testing, and the school halls were again very quiet.

St. Joseph’s Indian School presents a Lakota star quilt in appreciation for Fr. Jack’s time on the board.
Fr. Jack receives his Lakota star quilt.

The SCJ novices from Chicago stayed with us a few days after the Mission Education conference. They were originally hoping to hear South Dakota reflections from the priests and brothers who’ve served many years on the Indian Reservations here, but the snows limited them to our crew at St. Joseph’s. We shared around the supper table and they reflected on what they had learned and observed from the conference. Hopefully, in a few years when their schooling is complete, we can interest them in this great work.