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few on our current road trip through the midwest and west has impressed me as much as going on tiny gravel roads through pine ridge indian reservation, the first native american region that i've visited so far. many contradicting glimpses of reservation life both affirmed anticipated sights and gave new insights into current indian life. the picture shows the entrance of kyle high school.
oglala lakota college in pine ridge indian reservation in the south of south dakota pops up in the middle of nowhere. the main campus just features administration buildings and a nice library. the classes are taught in many different cities throughout the reservation. the historical center offers a free exhibition of the oglala lakota indian's history and features indian painting from the artist of the week.
woksape tipi means house of wisdom and is the library of oglala lakota college. but it appeared to be also the public library of the region as kids were taught children songs inside and we as visitors able to occupy the internet for hours.
hard studying college indians need to go to restrooms sometimes: boys enter the "wicasa" door, girls the "winyan" door.
as announced by lonely planet usa the wounded knee site is "not more than a ramshackle cemetery and a faded road side sign". we found it exactly like that. the road sign was so old that it strained our eyes to read the story of the surprised indians that were attacked by the u.s. army and had nowhere to flee. wounded knee area is flat lands with a few trees and hills but nothing to take cover. hence the mass murder that still has not received an apology by the murderes for the folk of the victims. the cemetery is definitely worth visiting. it might me just a random collection of graves that look oddly taken care of and fading away at the same time but it tells a lot of stories.
80% of indians are unemployed according to lonely planet usa and visitor center ranger tony wounded head. kids run around in the streets, play basketball, ride all terrain vehicles or on the back of trucks smoking cigarettes. adults sell indian beat chains, dream catchers, and in a resigned way give information about the massacre of wounded knee
wounded knee cemetery offered sad looking but also creatively decorated graves like this wind chime made by forks (and probably other items that had already fallen off). other items to show the love to their gone relatives included full cans of cola, teddy bears, a colorful selection of artifical flowers, bead chains, cigarettes, and u.s. american flags
in the middle of the cemetary a small monument reminds of the indian victims that fell in the battle of wounded knee in 1890.
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