Have you ever traveled roughly 2,000 miles in ten days and never left your state?
These Native American boys spread the word – free books!
You would have if you traveled along on the St. Joseph’s Indian School Bookmobile! This is one of my favorite activities of the summer. We travel to 32 communities on reservations in South Dakota giving out books, both new and gently used.
My name is Mary Jane. I am the Outreach/Alumni Coordinator at St. Joseph’s. For the last several summers, I have traveled with the bookmobile giving out free books, meeting new folks as well as former students of St. Joseph’s.
This summer we started our journey heading north to the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation. We visited 13 communities.
White Horse, South Dakota, was the smallest community we visited. There, we had 15 children total. When we drove in to town, we were spotted by three Lakota girls out riding their bikes. They followed us and picked up a few friends on the way.
The girls were so happy to see us and to learn that they could pick out their own FREE books and that they got to KEEP them!! As we left, they told us to come back again. They would be waiting! J
In Eagle Butte, South Dakota, we saw the most children – well over 100 in three separate stops.
The girls are so excited to choose their books!
The following week, after reloading the van, we headed south to the Rosebud and Pine Ridge Indian Reservations, visiting 16 communities and distributing 1140 new books and 1710+ used books.
Mission, which is on the Rosebud Indian Reservation, was one of our biggest stops. There were over 50 children at the local Boys & Girls Club. Some were busy planting a garden, but were eager to take a break and pick out their books.
Our smallest stop this trip was in Kyle, South Dakota, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. There we saw six children and two adults. A Native American father brought his two young children to choose their books. He was so excited to be able to have something to read to them! Luckily, we had some books for very small children packed away in a ‘special’ box. We made sure he had a bag of books for him and his two young girls. He was very grateful.
As he got off the bookmobile, he reached out to shake our hands and said, “Keep up the good work. You are doing a wonderful job. Thank you!”
The Lakota children are always happy to see St. Joseph’s Bookmobile!
All along our journey, we distributed boxes of used books, crayons, notebooks, construction paper and some dictionaries to various Boys & Girls Clubs, daycares and others who were in need of these items for their programs.
What’s the best part of this summer adventure? Meeting new people as well as former students and seeing children’s eyes light up when they get to have their books!
By now, you have probably heard that with Fr. Steve’s election to be our new Provincial, I have been asked to oversee operations until a more permanent replacement can be found. I have been in touch with you before, when Fr. Steve has been away on donor luncheons. We may also have crossed paths at St. Joseph’s powwow celebrations over the last four years. I look forward to sharing what is happening here on campus at St. Joseph’s Indian School.
This past Thursday was Independence Day and we had lots of visitors in our South Dakota town, camping and fishing out on the Missouri River. Many also stopped by to visit the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center, and our new addition, the Tokéya uŋkí nájiŋpi Alumni & Historical Center. A few alumni stopped by as well.
The big event of the evening was the fireworks display over the river. Fr. Jose and I had intended to watch them from our residence here on campus, since we have a beautiful view of the river, but the bugs and mosquitoes had other ideas! We went up to the rest area out on Interstate 90, which overlooks Chamberlain, and sat in the car to avoid being eaten alive. While there were some beautiful explosions during the 20-minute program, the locals also were putting on a great show before and after.
Every year, the Race on the River is part of the 4th of July activities in Chamberlain, and it usually starts here on campus and then heads into town. We had to re-configure the route this year since much of the campus is undergoing some repair and fix-ups, which required our roads being torn up at this time. As a result, there was no way to make a complete circle around campus. We hope to have everything up and running by the start of the school year on August 12.
Fr. Anthony visits with St. Joseph’s summer students on the playground.
The Lakota students still on campus for our summer program went to Mitchell, South Dakota, last week for an outing and decided to stay for the double feature at the local drive-in theater. When trying to enjoy such a treat, we pay for it by being at the end of the line for the Central Time Zone. The Mountain Time Zone is about a hundred miles west, so our evenings tend to stay light for a long time. Sunset comes around 10 PM and the movie had to wait until the skies darkened completely. They saw Monsters’ University and Despicable Me 2; but they did not get home until nearly 3:00 AM since Mitchell is over an hour away. Needless to say, there was a sleep-in the next day.
While I was home for a brief vacation about two weeks ago, I had the chance to concelebrate Mass at the parish nearest to where my mother resides in the San Antonio area. The people were very friendly and asked where my parish was, but when I told them I was from South Dakota and served as chaplain at St. Joseph’s Indian School , several said ‘I’ve been there’ and/or ‘I contribute to your school.’
They are excited to meet someone in the flesh from St. Joseph’s, and I am happy to interact with some of our benefactors and answer any questions they may have and assure them that our students and staff our very grateful for their generosity and that we keep you all in our prayers.
Speaking of prayers, a benefactor from Oklahoma recently sent in a request that we keep the people of Norman in our prayers due to the destruction from the tornadoes that went through the area recently. I feel it is important to pass along since, as I was driving down and back from Texas, I went through the Norman area on Interstate 35 and you could still see the effects of the storm. It was amazing to see some homes gone completely and other homes right nearby that had very little damage at all. Please say a prayer or two that we can rally to help support and encourage our fellow citizens who have a long road to recovery ahead of them.
I hope your 4th of July weekend went well and that you enjoyed whatever activities you and your family and friends took part in! May we not just celebrate, but also be good citizens and help our country be the best it can be as a model of freedom, justice and peace.
Have a great week ahead and may the Great Spirit bless and reward you.
Sincerely,
Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ
Chaplain
PS Fr. Steve made it home from his most recent donor luncheons in Michigan and Indiana. He also had some time to squeeze in a brief visit with his family. Please continue to keep him in your prayers that the Holy Spirit will guide and strengthen him as he prepares to assume the responsibility of guiding our Province into the future for the next three years.
Welcome to the lofty heights of St. Joseph’s Summer Home! I mean this in a literal sense, as over the last weekend we took the Lakota (Sioux) children on a camping trip to South Dakota’s Black Hills!
Thirteen Native American students, two St. Joseph’s houseparents and one intern (Genevieve) camped out for two nights.
We spend the first in the South Dakota Badlands, where we shared a campground with the buffalo and South Dakota’s infamous “gumbo” in the morning after a rainy night.
The second night, we camped at Center Lake in Custer State Park. Genevieve commented that the campground looked like a postcard or like it was out of a TV commercial.
The highlight of the trip was the hike up Harney Peak, the highest summit in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. The kids did an amazing job on the two-hour hike from Horse Thief Lake to the fire tower on the summit of Harney Peak. These summer home kids are some tough kids!
The kids were impressed that you could see Wyoming to the west, the Badlands to the east, Nebraska to the south and Bear Butte to the north all from the fire tower! On the way down, we shared the trail with a mountain goat and some marmots.
The Summer Home is a great time for the Lakota students to get some adventure and travel in that they don’t get in the school year. We are thankful to all you donors who make these important times possible!
Hello everyone! My name is Kelli, Planned Giving Summer Intern at St. Joseph’s Indian School.
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 Girlwas 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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
When I was traveling with the girls, they were usually coming to the bus at the last minute, or fashionably late. The boys, however, packed up the bus and were ready to roll 20 minutes early, so we got a head start on our 350 miles to Fort Laramie.
The Lakota boys had the bus packed and ready to go 20 minutes early!
Nate, a St. Joseph’s staff member, had been talking with various site officials along the way, explaining that we were trying to give our Lakota (Sioux) students a better sense of their tribal history and culture. The Fort Laramie staff was especially helpful. The park superintendent and a seasoned ranger both came out to greet us. They spent over two hours walking us through the buildings and helping us to imagine the hustle and bustle of the Fort during the 1800’s.
Fort Laramie was strategically located one-third of the way on the California and Oregon trails, and at the halfway point of the Mormon Trail. Thousands of wagons passed through at the height of the drive westward. Settlers and their livestock disrupted the migration paths of the buffalo and took up precious resources as they grazed, hunted and gathered along the trail. This lead to inevitable conflict.
I was surprised that the fort had no stockade fence around the perimeter, and was open like any town would be. The ranger compared it to a modern shopping center, where people traded and mingled freely. She told us, “no one would want to burn down the Walmart of their day.”
The boys were enthralled by military things – barracks and cavalry uniforms, shackles and ball and chains placed on those in the guardhouse. An armory displayed the weapons used by the frontier army. A strong sadness overcame me when I saw the type of Hotchkiss canons that were opened up on Native American women and children at the Wounded Knee massacre.
Three tipis were set up in the pasture near the fort. That was likely the general area the treaties of 1851 and 1868 were signed.
We drove another three hours back into South Dakota and camped in Hot Springs for the night. After a day of travel and touring, our teenagers were ravenously hungry. It was too wet to cook outside, so we settled for a Chinese buffet. That wasn’t available in the 1800’s, but it sure was tasty and hit the spot before we called it a night.
St. Joseph’s seventh graders have embarked on their annual trip to learn more about Lakota (Sioux) culture. Fr. Jose and I gave them a day’s head start, and then caught up with them in Sturgis, South Dakota, after they had climbed Bear Butte with prayer ties – a cultural and spiritual pilgrimage.
Fr. Jose hails from Portugal, and this is his first visit to the Black Hills. He has read much about the history and culture of the Native American people in this area while working on his thesis – he is excited to take in as much as he can.
After he saw so many billboards along the way, we had to stop at Wall Drug for him to experience that piece of Americana. He had his picture taken by the 20-foot jackelope and had a 5 cent cup of coffee – I had a signature free ice water – and we continued on the journey west.
The Lakota students hiked to the top of Bear Butte, an important place for prayer and reflection.
We met one of St. Joseph’s white mini buses pulling into the grocery store in Sturgis. The boys told us of their time on Bear Butte, a sacred prayer hill that is the northeastern gateway to the Black Hills. The journey helped bind them more closely together and they were calling themselves “Brothers of Heritage.”
It’s our hope that bonding like this helps prepare them for leadership as they begin eighth grade next year.
Kevin Costner, the actor, was planning to build a hotel and resort in Deadwood that never came to fruition. He commissioned huge and magnificent bronzes of the tatanka (buffalo) showing Native American hunters chasing them over a buffalo jump, so their people could have food to live and grow strong.
Instead of a resort, Costner built a visitor center that tells the story of these magnificent creatures. It was my first time visiting.
A guide spoke to us about the medicine wheel. It’s a symbol we’re very familiar with at St. Joseph’s Indian School. However, she expanded my understanding by explaining some of those values that people learned from observing tatanka.
Bravery – when hunters tried to decimate the historic herds with rifles, they thought the buffalo were stupid because the ones in the front of the herd did not flee. What they were doing was standing their ground, protecting the ones behind them. They would not back down, but faced the danger with courage.
She also told of how during a blizzard, mother buffalo would dig though up to four feet of snow to find the grass underneath and provide food for the herd. Again, they persevered with great fortitude and did not give up during hard times – a good lesson for us all to learn.
We came back to the campground for a meal with the girls, and then celebrated mass in one of the cabins. Fr. Jose teased that it was the smallest chapel he’d ever celebrated mass in. It made for a more homey, intimate setting and each of the girls added their own personal prayers during the petitions.
We have the students take quiet time to journal each day of the trip. Besides preserving memories, we want them to reflect on their experience and see what they have learned. As the sun set, we gathered around picnic tables outside the cabins and had a talking circle. The girls shared things they remembered from the day, lessons learned, and why they are on this trip.
Some of the girls also spoke of anxiety about going home for the summer due to family struggles. Knowing that is part of what they face in life, giving them a strong grounding in the values that can see them through hard times is even more critical.
The Lakota students learned more about the tatanka – buffalo – at the visitors’ center built by Kevin Costner.
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!
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 loved the hands-on activities!The Lakota fifth graders got to try their hand at throwing an atlatl or spear thrower.
