Lakota – Page 23 – St. Joseph's Indian School

A project inspired by St. Joseph the Worker

In honor of the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker on May 1, the older Lakota children at St. Joseph’s Indian School used their Religion class to take on a building project.

The Lakota tradition teaches that we are all related. In the Catholic tradition, this truth is called the communion of saints. For the Lakota (Sioux) people, this concept extends to all of creation. Our brother St. Francis and the Catholic Celtic tradition of Ireland also affirm the belief that God is present in earth, wind, fire, water and indeed all of creation.

When Jesus went to return to the Father, he unleashed his Holy Spirit in the world in a new and remarkable way. And through that Holy Spirit ̶ present in each and every one of us ̶ we share in a special communion. In the same way, we share in that togetherness with all of the people who have gone before us. We are all related.

Because of this wonderful connection, Catholics turn to the holy ones who lived before us, like St. Joseph, and we ask them to pray for us. We also keep their memories alive and look to them as role models. Our role model, St. Joseph, understood that all people were his relatives, too, and worthy of love and respect.

So, when he could have, by law, had Mary punished for being with child, he chose not to. And when he was encouraged by an angel to take her in, he did not hesitate. Because of his generous heart, he opened his life to her and her unborn son. He became the foster father to Jesus and I imagine that, while he taught him his trade as a carpenter, he also schooled him in seeing all people as related to him and worthy of love and respect. Perhaps that became the foundation of Jesus’ teaching, “Whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Inspired by St. Joseph’s trade as a carpenter and his generosity, we built a shed, which we donated to the Missouri Valley Crisis Center in Chamberlain. The center responds to the needs of our brothers and sisters in the world who find themselves in need of special help, not unlike Mary when she faced uncertainty in her life before Joseph took her in.

Summer Day Camp with LaRayne

Hi everyone! LaRayne here, St. Joseph’s Native American Studies teacher. Each year, I work into the summer, providing Native American Studies for the Lakota children who attend day camp.

The Lakota students love playing outdoor games at day camp! — Erika and the other girls line up for dodge ball.

Giving and Receiving is going around St. Joseph’s Day Camp. I wish that you could all see the relationships building between our campers and staff at St. Joseph’s Indian School! The whole group is like a sponge; taking in the learning, loving and living that happens all day long.

The staff and kids get to eat breakfast together and answer questions like “what’s your favorite movie?” and “Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?”

The kids are eager to get to know our young camp counseling staff, and staff members are just as eager to make the day’s experience meaningful for all. After breakfast, the kids play games together or learn about more of their Lakota culture through Native American Studies.

This year, the kids are playing Lakota hand games and we are reading several books that pertain to the daily lesson, like creating star knowledge constellations, painting horse designs. We are also touring the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center on our campus and learning about dream catchers, hair braiding, Lakota songs, colors, numbers, and ledger art. Through all of these activities, the campers and counselors learn a little bit about each other and even about themselves. Sharing in learning, arts and crafts, swimming, playing and eating are great ways to spend the day!

Visiting the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center is a great educational experience for the Native American children who attend day camp. — The boys and girls learn about their Lakota (Sioux) culture as part of day camp as well.

I especially like that three of my four daughters have been able to give back to our organization by being a part of our day camp. To watch my girls spend time with our day campers is good for my spirit and drives me to understand why we are here doing the work we do.

We are striving to create a great day for our day campers and, in the middle of it all, we get to feed our spirits with the gifts the Lakota children bring each day as well.

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.

Greetings from St. Joseph’s Health Center!

The last couple of weeks before school was out for the summer, the Lakota children weren’t sick much, which meant not many children staying at the health center for the day. We find more time in the spring to get our work done.

The health center staff is wrapping up for the school year and ready for a two-month break. For the most part, the students who stay at St. Joseph’s Indian School for the summer program stay healthy and rarely see the physician. We have a physician come in a couple days a week for an hour or so, just in case.

Nurse Ronda rounded up eyeglasses to keep over the summer. We do this for the children who tend to lose them frequently or those who don’t wear except for school and study. In the fall, when students check in through the health center, we give the glasses back to them. This makes life so much easier for everyone. They have their glasses and are ready for learning again.

I’m busy setting up eye and dental appointments for next fall already. We want to make sure that there are openings ready to go when the Lakota children return to campus this fall. If a student has an eye or dental issues we need to address right away, we’ll be sure to have an appointment!

Hope you all have a safe, fun-filled and blessed summer!

God Bless

Nancy

School Nurse

Cultural Trip Day 6 – Heading Home

Our cultural travels with St. Joseph’s seventh graders came to a conclusion last Friday, with a day driving home through Badlands National Park.

Fr. Jose was enthralled by the unique landscapes and asked for many stops along the way to take pictures. He thought he’d like to spend a week there to contemplate and take it all in.

The last two years, we’ve had drought conditions across South Dakota. This year, however, May brought about five inches of rain to our area, and the grasslands on the prairie and buttes were about as green as I’ve ever seen. The fresh new grass contrasted with the earth tones of the jagged peaks, whimsical sand castles and colorful mounds along the road. The mix of cloud cover and sunshine brought out the natural colors and beauty – a wonderful sight to behold.

When I travel, I make a game of looking for license plates from different states. In our 1500-mile journey, we found 47 states and the District of Columbia! The only ones missing were Connecticut, Delaware and Hawaii. If you’re from those areas, make sure you come visit us out in South Dakota in the near future!

Today we gathered all our traveling pilgrims in Our Lady of the Sioux Chapel back on St. Joseph’s campus for a prayer service. We gave each of the students a chance to share some of their reflections about the trip.

At first, they were reluctant and shared only a few words, but then a few started in with more stories. My favorite was when Hope spoke about explaining the significance of the prayer ties to a visitor at Bear Butte. The visitor was unfamiliar with the practice. Explaining it to her gave Hope greater pride in her Lakota culture, and while many years younger than the woman, hope became the teacher.

Hearing her story assured me the main goal of the trip was accomplished.

The students’ families joined us for lunch, then took their kids home for the summer.

Last Friday was also my birthday. Staff at the development office treated us all to cake and Marina’s homemade maple nut ice cream. I had plenty of cards and calls and well wishes. I looked on our St. Joseph’s Facebook page there were almost 200 messages – thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes! I spent the evening doing laundry and getting ready for the next set of travels.

Cultural Trip Day 5

I had never been to Wind Cave before and appreciated making the connection with the place that figures so prominently in the Lakota (Sioux) peoples’ origins stories. The natural entrance is just a small hole in the ground, about as big as a basketball… but over 400 miles of cave lies just below.

St. Joseph’s students visited Custer State Park during their cultural trip. — The Lakota boys saw buffalo at a safe distance in Custer State Park.

The air in the cave is like the earth breathing as winds rush in or out to equalize the barometric pressure. The winds can reach up to 70 mph, and make a whistling sound. This is thought to be the place the earth breathes. As the story goes, the buffalo nation gave birth to the Lakota Oyate in this place.

Our students can be a bit shy, so early on I encouraged them to think of a question or two they would like to ask when we toured a site. I appreciated how they were growing more and more comfortable opening up, and I learned a lot from questions I never would have thought to ask.

On our way to the next campsite we drove through Custer State Park, and encountered several buffalo. At one point, we had to stop the bus as a half dozen crossed the road. One was a little too interested in our bus. Nate said he’d have a hard time explaining that damage to LeRoy in St. Joseph’s Maintenance Shop if the magnificent animal had gotten feisty.

At our campsite, the boys enjoyed skipping rocks in the gurgling stream, balancing on a fallen tree that served as a bridge to cross and scaling the hills and dreaming of adventure.

We visited the Crazy Horse memorial. Over 60 years in the making, the mountain will be twice the height of the Statue of Liberty when it’s finished. The four faces of Mount Rushmore could fit in the horse’s head. The site also includes a museum of the American Indian, which is a treasure.

One of my favorite activities at Crazy Horse is visiting the workshop where Native American artists work at their craft – a showcase of numerous tribes from South Dakota and beyond. There are plenty of beautiful pieces for sale, but you can also just observe and appreciate their craftsmanship. They are also good about answering questions. A highlight for Craig was running into his grandfather who frequently paints there.

The Crazy Horse Monument, still in progress, was another important stop on the trip. — Caden and Trenton enjoyed the Crazy Horse Monument on a cool day.

While we were in the neighborhood we also took in Mount Rushmore. While it’s a very different kind of cultural experience, we didn’t want to miss it. Fr. Jose is visiting us from Portugal, and it was high on his list. I was surprised that half of our students had never been there either.

We returned to camp and roasted hot dogs and hamburgers over an open fire. One highlight of my time on this trip is the talking circle where each student shared observations and what they learned from the day.

Cultural Trip, Day 2 – Big Sky Country

Driving more than three hours down Highway 212 to Lame Deer, Montana, gave us a good sense of why this area is called Big Sky country. We picked out a couple of buttes on the horizon and tried to guess the distance we could see.

Everyone underestimated the 15 miles before we got to that spot, and the hills in the distance were over twice that far. We had long stretches between towns. We stopped along the way to chronicle the students’ crossing into Wyoming and Montana, many for the very first time.

Crossing the Powder and Tongue Rivers reminded me of traditional Lakota hunting grounds as well as several battles during the Indian Wars of the 19th century.

We arrived in Lame Deer in time to take in the powwow sponsored by the local Boys & Girls Club. Much of the ritual and ceremony was familiar. One unique aspect of the Cheyenne dance was the Native American men rattling gourds while they danced in a transfixing beat.

During the afternoon break, the tribal health office sponsored a fun walk around the community. We got to enjoy a sunny afternoon, take a stroll, and take home a lovely souvenir T-Shirt from the Northern Cheyenne tribe for our efforts.

We hoped our girls group of St. Joseph’s girls could take part in an inipi (purification or sweat lodge) ceremony, but winds and rain canceled our plans. After taking in the evening Grand Entry at the powwow, we headed to the campground, grilled some hot dogs and hit the bunk tired but satisfied.

During their cultural trip, the Lakota (Sioux) girls took in a powwow and Fun Walk in Lame Deer, Montana. — During a break in the powwow, St. Joseph’s students participated in a Fun Walk hosted by the Cheyenne Tribe.

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.

So many reasons to celebrate!

Wednesday

We had two fun celebrations last Wednesday. St. Joseph’s Thrift Store, in downtown Chamberlain, held its Grand Opening. The store has been in operation at the new downtown location for several weeks, but today was the ceremonial ribbon cutting.

The Chamber of Commerce and local papers were on hand to help us bless and dedicate the remodeled building. The checkout counter held a “Wheel of Fortune,” where folks spun the wheel and earned an additional discount of 25% – 60%. A small space on the wheel was FREE. While I was there, one man hit it. He saved only $3.00, but he was tickled anyway!

In the evening, our honors banquet included all the A and B honor roll students in first through eighth grades. Staff put together a circus theme, with peanuts and popcorn and animal crackers on the tables, serving as both decoration and a snack before the meal. The Lakota boys and girls enjoyed carnival-type games – popping balloons with darts, ring toss, rubber ducks floating in a tub, where they could win bouncy balls, beads, stuffed animals and the kinds of prizes kids treasure.

The Lakota children enjoyed a carnival-themed banquet to celebrate their hard work in school. — Jennie, St. Joseph’s Student Coordinator, dressed as a clown to emcee the evening’s festivities.

I was in charge of the basketball shooting contest, and had great fun both encouraging and teasing. We want to provide incentive and encouragement, but also extra fun for our Native American students who take their studies seriously, since that is the core of what school is about.

Thursday

St. Joseph’s eighth graders preparing for graduation spent the morning in retreat, looking back over their past years at St. Joseph’s Indian School and looking ahead to the future, wherever it will take them.

Most will stay with us and continue on the Chamberlain High School, and a few will return closer to home and continue their high school education there. Our counselors presented information about how high school will be different, and listened to their questions and concerns, hopes and fears. At the end of that time, letters from staff members to individual students were passed out – always an affirming and emotional time.

Next, we moved on to graduation practice. A goal of mine is that practice is never longer than the actual ceremony, and we moved through it fairly smoothly. We had a festive lunch and presented students with their eighth grade portraits Class of 2013 t-shirts.

Two of the girls have been at St. Joseph’s since first grade, and we acknowledged them with “Lifer” gifts – a gift certificate to a local clothing store. Congratulatory cards from our donors decorated the tables, along with a computer print out of the many wishes and prayers sent to them online.

As the students finished and prepared to go to the movie theater, our staff in the development office stopped in to congratulate them. It gave our kids a chance to thank them for the work they do behind the scenes to make their education and all our programs possible.

For our younger students, this was our last regular school day. At 3:00, all the kids gathered in the gym for the attendance awards. Using soup labels and box tops sent by St. Joseph’s donors, we are able to provide special incentives for students to make it back from breaks on time and not miss out on learning opportunities with truancy or absences. The Lakota students earned bicycles to take home with them for the summer, a clothing gift certificate, camera, or MP3 player for their favorite music. Several parents joined us for the awards and picked up their children as we said goodbye for the summer.

Fifth graders visit dig site

Earlier this month, St. Joseph’s fifth grade students, teachers Brock and Ron, and three extra chaperones ventured to Mitchell, South Dakota to visit the Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village and Archeodome!

The Archeodome covers the dig site the Lakota children visited. — A walkway suspended over the dig site allowed the Lakota children to look down on what used to be a prehistoric Indian village.

The Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village is the only archaeological site in South Dakota that is open to the public. The Village is an active research center and National Historic Landmark.

Visitors to the site can see many artifacts that have been excavated during annual digs. Tours of the dig site itself are enclosed in the comfort of the Thomsen Center Archeodome. There are plenty of hands-on activities for children to partake in. St. Joseph’s students sorted through pieces of prehistoric bones, walked through a replica of a traditional lodge, and ended the tour with a chance to throw an atlatl or spear thrower, which was used as a hunting device.

St. Joseph’s students sort through artifacts trying to distinguish between bone and rock. — St. Joseph’s students loved the hands-on activities!

St. Joseph’s students learned about ancient hunting techniques on their field trip. — The Lakota fifth graders got to try their hand at throwing an atlatl or spear thrower.