Reflections From The Rez

I am returning to Pine Ridge, and to Re-Member in one week. The course of events that has brought me here has been an interesting one to say the least. When I left Pine Ridge last fall, my intent was to seek permanent employment in a career-path job, but as time passed, and options opened, and closed, and then opened again, I found the option that was best suited for me right now was on the Rez. Is this a career? No, but it's an opportunity that is available right now to do something I am passionate about, to work with people who love what they are doing. It almost has become a joke with family and friends that after applying for over twenty jobs (mostly in Northern New England) that I've settled on returning to Pine Ridge because "there's more opportunity on the rez than there is at home!" It's not about the money, and although there are loans to pay each and every month for the education that is responsible for bringing me to Pine Ridge in the first place, I...

A report from KELO-TV in Rapid City shines a light on the ongoing issues of Whiteclay, and the latest efforts to bring change to the area. See the original story, posted online, here .

I haven't seen Avatar, and probably won't till it works it's way onto my Netflix queue a year from now. The hype surrounding the stunning animation failed to draw me into a theater (due partly in fact to the reality that the nearest I-Max theater is over an hour away) but the story, at first blush didn't seem all that appealing either. However, as the reviews began to delve deeper into the storyline, and informed movie-viewers started to draw parallels to Kevin Costner's Dances With Wolves , one begins to wonder... Did James Cameron just produce the box-office record setting film that is effectively a storyline that describes the historical realities of the American West? In reading several analysis pieces, MTV provides one of the more telling analyses. Following, a piece from 4 January, 2010 -- found in full at the MTV website . 'Avatar' And 'Dances With Wolves': How Similar Are They? We break down the similarities between the epic movies. By Eric D...

It's been a while since I've posted any original content, but the associated links and content were fillers in a time where I felt it appropriate to step away, for a time, and evaluate my position with things on Pine Ridge. Since leaving in October of 2009, I've been on an interesting journey. From crossing the country, or parts of it several times, to dealing with unemployment, prospective employment, and temporary employment, my mind has been torn in about as many directions as possible. I applied for the vacated Director position at Re-Member following my travel to Michigan to meet with the Re-Member Board of Directors in November 2009, and was informed on December 31 that I was a finalist for the position, but that another individual had been selected. I congratulate Ted, the former Board President on assuming the reigns of Re-Member, and leaving behind his own business and personal life in Michigan to attend to the organization he has coordinated from a Board position ...

From The New York Times: "Tribal officials on the Pine Ridge Oglala Sioux Reservation are struggling to control a rash of gang-related crime among native youth." View the published article, and an accompanying audio slideshow from the NYT Online. The article, published in the Times on 13 December: "Gang Violence Grows on an Indian Reservation." http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/14/us/14gangs.html Styling themselves after large urban gangs, the Indian gangs have emerged as one more destructive force in some of the country’s poorest and most neglected places. The audio slideshow : http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/12/13/us/1247465539709/gangs-on-tribal-lands.html

A story from the Rapid City Journal on the Pine Ridge BIA Chief's son, a Darmouth College grad who by all standards, lived a double life upon his return to the Rez. From the RCJ: By day, Ecoffey worked for the Pine Ridge Area Chamber of Commerce. He mentored and tutored reservation youth, taught classes and was assistant basketball coach at Red Cloud High School. But by night, he ran with a crowd that was dealing cocaine and marijuana. He developed a gambling problem and a serious cocaine addiction, eventually distributing drugs himself. Read More: BIA superintendent's son sentenced for drug conspiracy

My stay on Pine Ridge has concluded, for now. I left the Rez on Thursday, bound for Rapid City and an airplane that would jet me back into a reality that I wasn't quite prepared for. It has been a bit surreal over the past few weeks as I have packed my things, shipped them home, and attempted to prepare myself for the transition back home. In the last two weeks, as the weather became worse and worse, the requests for help only intensified. In spite of less than optimal weather -- everything from 15 degree days with snow, to 40 degree days with steady rain -- we slogged our way though a project a day at times, in our attempt to help as many families as possible before the end of the season. I made my last trip to Bette's Kitchen, Big Bats, Sioux Nation and the Pine Ridge Subway with Bryan during the last week, spending the time driving US-18 talking about the transition back home, and joking about how our outlook on day-to-day things have changed. It's impossible to describe...