Rez Life

A few days ago, I arrived in the sleepy town of St. Francis, on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota.  My housemates and I drove down from Rapid City (where we flew in and met up with some Former Jesuit Volunteers, FJV's for short, who hosted us).  Needless to say, this down-state New Yorker was slightly blown away by rolling hills that stretched for miles, a must-see tourist attraction on Interstate 90 that was a giant drug store that handed out free ice water, skyline without any interruption, and speed-limits of 75.

This is sure to be a cross-cultural experience for me, which is good, given that this is one of the main reasons I decided to participate in this program.  There will be a ton to write in the future about the Rez, the people, the history of the Lakota, and all that I am doing and experiencing.

For now, I will settle for my first impressions.  This is a people who have been here a long, long time.  An old people.  They are a people who have suffered a great deal throughout the last 100 years, and who continue to suffer.  Rosebud, located in Todd County, South Dakota, is one of the poorest counties in the United States, making poverty a stark reality for many of it's inhabitants.  Alcohol and drug addiction has rocked this community and caused much pain.

But this is old news.  This is all we ever hear in regards to reservation life, to the "plight of the Indian." Don't get me wrong, it's here and it's reality, a reality I have already seen with my own eyes within my first few days here.

What we don't here often enough, but what also rings true, is that this is a people of hope.  There is tremendous hope in this community.  There are many who are seeking to build up their people, not through donation and additional dependency, but from the ground up, allowing all to participate in the creation of their own future.  This is a people who has brought back many aspects of their traditional culture, calling on their great past in order to affect this present time.  This is a beautiful place.  A beautiful people, who know how to laugh and tease each other, who come from a reality completely different than my own and have much to teach me.

And believe me.  I am all ears.