Tears of the Earth: The Struggle of the Lakota

1. Tears of the Earth: The Struggle of the Lakota 

2. A Presentation by Maya Thompson Urbs/ Geog 515: Race, Poverty & the Environment Prof. Rivera-Pinderhughes, Urban & Environmental Studies ProgramsSan Francisco State University Spring 2004*Public has permission to use the material herein, but only if author(s), course, university, and professor are credited

3. Introduction This presentation focuses on the Lakota Indians of South Dakota and their struggles through racism and environmental discrimination. It is designed to promote knowledge of and to discuss several issues regarding the Lakota and it analyzes the environmental pollution and their health impacts, racism and discrimination in Lakota communities, health care, living conditions and reservation life. Photo: �Sitting Bull� courtesy of Shelby Lee Tours

4. Presentation Outline Introduction A Brief History of the Lakota The Treaty of Fort Laramie 1851 What is left of Lakota land? South Dakota The Black Hills Racism and Discrimination Racial Profiling Rosebud Hog farm DM&E Railroad Expansion Cultural Issues Mixed Blood vs. Full Blooded Indians Housing Alcoholism Households Assimilation Sexism Conclusion

5. The Lakota story is another example of how people of color have been exploited and robbed of their voice in the United States. Their history portrays a people rich with culture who were taken advantage of and continue to be. Once plainspeople and nomads who hunted the buffalo, who believed in preservation of the Earth and prayed to Earth gods and goddesses, the Lakota struggle to hold on to their past and look bravely toward their future.

6. Section One: A Brief History of the Lakota The Lakota People The Lakota are part of a bigger tribe called the Sioux. The Sioux include the Lakota, the Dakota and the Nakota, who all speak dialects of the same language. The Lakota, who were once the smallest group of the three, are now the largest of the three, and reside in the several regions of South Dakota. Since the beginning of their existence, the Lakota Sioux were plains people who lived off of the land and hunted the buffalo. The buffalo were their main food source until they were mostly wiped out in the late 1800�s by white settlers. After the disappearance of the buffalo, Lakota were forced to live off of government Rations to survive.

7. The Treaty of Fort Laramie Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851 Fort Laramie was a place where the Lakota and members from other tribes, including the Cheyenne, and the Arapaho gathered to trade and communicate. The Treaty of Fort Laramie was signed when problems erupted after immigrants and Non-natives began to move into Fort Laramie and trust between the tribes unraveled. War erupted between the tribes and the U.S. Government decided to get involved and try to solve the disputes. They created a treaty and had the heads of each tribe sign, agreeing to respect each tribe�s territory. Fort Laramie was a treaty that was meant to split the land up amongst the tribes and to provide the Lakota with a reservation.

8. What is Left of Lakota Land? The Lakota tribe populates a small area between South Dakota, Nebraska and Wyoming where they are forced to live on reservations. The two main reservations I will discuss are Rosebud and Pine Ridge. South Dakota South Dakota is situated near the Mississippi River. It was bought by the United States from France for about $15.5 million. Geologically, South Dakota has hills, lakes, valleys and mountains, one of the well known being the Black Hills. Valuable metals have been found in the Black Hills which may be why the U.S. gov�t refuses to return the rights of this land to the Lakota who see the hills as sacred ground.

9. The Black Hills The Black Hills are made up of mainly mountains and forest It covers about five thousand square miles and contains several valuable minerals including GOLD in abundance. Before Europeans arrived, the Black Hills were home to several tribes of Sioux, including the Lakota. After the discovery of gold, there was a huge influx of whites all wanting to get what they thought of as their share. In the early 1870�s, Custer led an expedition in search of gold through the Black Hills. When it was discovered, he had groups of the Lakota carry bundles of gold back to camp.

10. Racism and Discrimination For centuries the Lakota have been fighting for justice in their communities: 1850�s-1920�s Lakota and members from other tribes are forced into assimilation when the U.S. government put them into schools in order to �civilize� them.

11. In the 2002 article �Protester March in S.D. Over Racial Profiling� by Ruth Steinberger, more than 1,200 Lakota marched to protest the racial profiling that was occurring in their neighborhoods. According to Steinberger, more than a thousand Lakota from South Dakota reservations and supporters joined together to express concerns and outrage for issues dealing with racial profiling, the targeting of Indian youth and issues that they say �victimize� Lakota in their communities. Activist and New Mexico gubernatorial candidate Russell Means discussed organizing committees to confront race-based police targeting and other discrimination which affects the daily lives of Indians. A boycott is being planned.

12. The Rosebud Hog farm Rosebud Hog Farm According to the article �Rosebud Sioux protest hog farm expansion: Rosebud tribe is not living high on those hogs, Bell Farms planned on building a large hog farm with more than 100,000 hogs near Lakota reservations. Many Lakotas protested the building of the farm to much defeat. Hog farms are extremely filthy, they smell and are unhealthy to the humans who inhabit the area. According to the article, when the farm was first discussed it was believed that the farm would �devastate the environment of the north side of the reservation,� and would cost over $100 million to build. The article states that the farm would be built for �economic development� but later it states that no one from the tribe whose land it would be built upon was asked. The construction was given the green light though completely unsupported by Lakota residents. http://ishgooda.nativeweb.org/oglala/0513protest43.jpg

13. Members of the Lakota community have been fighting against the building of the farm since 1999. There is a huge debate on the benefits and costs of building the farm. Rosebud Sioux tribal member Glenda Drapo, who has been working on the farm believes the farm would be a benefit to her people and does not know why people would be against it. On the other hand, camp and tribal councilman Russell Eagle Bear feels differently. According to him, only those working on the project would benefit; it would not help the people who live around the farm in any way and would only harm them environmentally and would be detrimental to their health. He claims that the tribe was written a check for $11,000 which was only one-fourth of the overall profits but they paid $50,000 for the water pumps for the farm.

14. The tribe members realize they are being taken advantage of. Eagle Bear continued to comment that the water from the Missouri River was part of their land as said made in the Treaty of Fort Laramie agreement, but the water from the river is being sold and sent to uninhabited areas where Lakota cannot use it. It is being �stolen� from them and is being used for profit. He believes the ones who will make the most profit will be non-Indians as in most cases, and that is part of the reason he is so against the building of the farm.

15. Environmental/Health Issues involving the Rosebud hog farm Large animal producing companies usually keep lagoons where the animal waste is kept nearby. The liquid manure from these lagoons can contain up to 400 chemicals, including hydrogen sulfide, ammonia and methane and several pesticides, and bacteria that can cause disease. The manure contaminates local fresh water sources by leaking into rivers, lakes and streams from these lagoons. Many of these sources are the water supply for not only Lakota living on reservations but the entire country. Some communities are banning the building of hog farms because of the dangers they pose. Hog farms can produce almost 600 acres of waste annually. That�s twice as much waste as the human population in Rosebud produces. The decomposition of the waste lets off gases (some named above) which are harmful to human consumption and can cause several health effects, some of these include headaches, flu symptoms and diarrhea. Exposure to hog farms can also cause loss of appetite and stress. The odor of these lagoons can be smelled from up to half a mile away.

16. DM&E Railroad Expansion In 2000, DM&E announced their proposal to expand rail lines across land promised to the Lakota through the Treaty of Fort Laramie. In the article, �Lakota unite against DM&E Railroad expansion: Remind federal government of treaty obligations� by Jim Kent, the railroad would be build across sacred lands where Indians were buried. Lakota elders Marie Randall and Oliver Red Cloud are very against the expansion and believe they represent the Lakota tribe in saying that that the expansion is not right. DM&E�s president Kevin Schieffer does not understand why the Lakota could be so against the expansion. He believes the railroad will be a positive addition for the Lakota and says he is in support of their needs.

17. The expansion of the railroad is not only an outrage to Lakota residents but could also create lasting negative effects on the environment. In the article, �Railroad expansion raises global concerns� Charmaine White Face, believes that transporting toxic materials used for the railroad construction and increasing build up of carbon dioxide are causing concern. The expansion would be over the regions of the Dakota Minnesota & Eastern Railroad into western South Dakota and eastern Wyoming. The article continues with stating that the air and water around the area are still clean for the most part, but this would change with the expansion. The expansion would also affect wildlife in the area. Bald eagles who are natives to these areas are declining and have become an endangered species. The expansion would not only hinder eagle growth but would cause a domino effect of other species. Scientists, engineers and environmentalists have been looking into the possible consequences of the expansion and are beginning to make their voices heard. There are also concerns about the hauling of hazardous materials. Things went from bad to worse when the CEO for the railroad, Kevin Schieffer, did not disagree to haul hazardous materials during a meeting between the tribes members and the U.S. Surface Transportation Board.

18. Cultural Issues In the article, They treated us just like Indians, Paula L. Wagoner discusses how land is identity and when one loses land it is like they are losing a part of themselves. �The Lakota household usually contains more than the ?nuclear? family. In addition to the mother and father and children, part of the extended family usually stays in the home and contributes to the earnings, childcare, etc. There are several issues pertaining to Indians who live in the city and Indians who live in the country and work as farmers or ranchers. � City Indians are seen by country Indians as poorer, live in slums or ghettos, devoid of traditional culture and live around constant litter, graffiti, crime, alcohol, drugs and gangs. �They see them as people who have assimilated into an impoverished urban lifestyle. � These stereotypes are further supported by the increase of drug use by City Lakota teens. �Lakota teens learn of gangs through music videos, movies and rap songs and are highly influenced by these images. Some of them become �wannabe gangsters�.

19. Cultural Issues: Mixed Blood vs. Full Blood Another issue within Lakota communities is the issue between iyeska or �mixed blood� and pure blood Indians. �Mixed blood are considered by full blood to be �culturally diminished� The issues between each group are very complicated. �Full bloods are seen as more resistant to involve with other cultures in order to ensure tradition and to protect their culture from exploitation, while mixed bloods are seen as being more culturally accepting. �

20. Housing During the 1700�s, the Lakota contributed to the economy through fur trade, meat production, and selling other goods. �Pine Ridge has the look of a tiny, out the way town with scant buildings. �Rosebud, however, is much larger with offices of the state and county, bigger grocery stores, motels, etc. There is little housing on both reservations because of the lack of market.Skewed Reservation HousingThe main housing provider in these comminutes is HUD (US. dept of housing and urban dev.) which was affected y budget cuts and other problems in the 80?s which have not been resolved. �These problems have negatively affected the housing market to the highest degree. � Whether it is Pine Ridge or Rosebud, most Lakota live in poverty. The cost of HUD housing �is determined by household income and policies: Families with extremely low income are termed households with ?negative rent? which can be as low as around $128 per month. �People who have higher paying, full time jobs have to pay 25% of their combined salaries for rent. This means while one family pays $65 per month for rent, the other pays up to $800 per month for the same exact type of housing. 

21. Alcoholism Pine Ridge Lakota tribes members lead a march through Pine Ridge to promote the enforcement of liquor laws in 2002. There is a high rate of alcohol abuse in Lakota communities. So high in fact that sobriety is being held in high regard as a cultural ideal. �Alcoholism only makes already dire situations worse because Lakota with alcohol problems are using money needed for bills and other important things to buy alcohol. � Money that can be saved or put into better use is being wasted and spent on bail because often many crimes are committed on the reservations under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Alcoholism often leads to the breakdown of family values and this may lead to the separation of family members and various psychological issues. Children who have alcoholic parents often become alcoholics themselves and teenage pregnancy, AIDS and other issues develop. 

22. Lakota Households In the book Lakota Culture, World Economy, �in 1990 the median annual income for Lakota households was $10,513 in Pine Ridge and $10,211 in Rosebud. �Lakota have little access to consumer goods. On the first of the month, grocery stores, post offices and discount stores are filled with Lakotas trying to get their benefit checks, food, groceries and things they need for the month. � When that money is gone, Lakota often try to sell off belongings through yard or rummage sales or try to sell homemade foods and crafts during pow wows and festivals. 

23. Lakota Assimilation In the article, ?The Responses of American Indian Children and Irish Children to the School, 1850s-1920s: A Comparative Study in Cross Cultural Education,? ,? Lakota children were forced to assimilate into American society and learn to be behave in �civilized� manners. � Lakota children were abused, molested and humiliated in the classrooms and did not complain or speak up because they did not think they would be heard; they accepted these things as normal. �Indian children were beaten for speaking their native languages and the Government tried to break them of their culture.

24. Sexism in Lakota Communities Sexism With the beginnings of reservations, women were expected to play the same ?traditional? roles as women in white societies. �In the article, ?Wife, Mother, Provider, Defender, God: Women in Lakota Winter Counts, by Barbara Rische, in the home, Lakota women were expected to do the cooking, cleaning and sewing. � They were not included when �it came to employment training programs and they were completely ignored when land was allotted. Land was only allotted to men in nuclear families. �Lakota women were often portrayed as laborers in historical documents and narratives until Lakota became literate. � Now. reservation life tells a different story. Plains Indian women are becoming more successful than men and are increasingly becoming heads of households and sometimes are the main sources of income in families. � 

26. Work Cited Work Cited�Wife, Mother, Provider, Defender, God: Women in Lakota Winter Counts�B. Rische American Indian Culture and Research Journal 27:3 (2003) 1-30 Lakota Culture, World Economy K. Pickering (2000) Unv. of Nebraska Press 103-106�Cincinnati�s Wild West: The 1896 Rosebud Sioux Encampment�S. Meyn American Indian Culture and Research Journal 26:4 (2002) 1-20�The Responses of American Indian Children and Irish Children to the School, 1850s-1920s: A Comparative Study in Cross Cultural Education� M. Coleman American Indian Quarterly 23:3-4 Summer/Fall (1999) Lakota pictureshttp://www.hanksville.org/daniel/lakota/Lakota.html http://www.etsu.edu/cas/history/natam.htm Lakota hog farm http://water.usgs.gov/pubs/circ/circ1173/circ1173c/images-c/21.jpg �Lakota Dakota Homepage: History http://puffin.creighton.edu/lakota/index_history.html  The Treaty of Fort Laramie Lakota History Webpage http://www.dream-catchers.org/lakota-history.html

27. �Disparities in Infant Health Among American Indians and Alaska Natives in US Metropolitan Areas� Grossman,D. Baldwin, L. et al. Pediatrics 109:4, (2002) 627-634 �No coal train across the plains� Melmer, D. Indian Country (2000) �Rosebud Sioux protest hog farm expansion: Rosebud tribe is not living high on those hogs� Indian Country Kent, J. (2000) �Lakota unite against DM&E Railroad expansion: Remind federal government of treaty obligations� Indian Country Kent, J. (2002) �STB approves DM&E expansion� Indian Country Kent, J. (2002) �Protester March in S.D. Over Racial Profiling� Steinberger, R. (2003) www.dlncoalition.org hog farms Dlncoalition.org �hog farms and the environment� www.heartland.org Sitting bull picture shebbyleetours.com/images/ sitting%20bull.jpg