Rubber Meets the Road

My observations regarding our experience here on the Reservation. Sometimes reality is worst than what you could ever imagine. That's where the rubber meets the road.

The reality on the reservation is as follows:

1. Addiction to alcohol and illegal drugs is rampant.
2. Government dependency is debilitating to the soul.
3. The hope level among the people here on a scale of 1 to 10,with 1 being low and 10 as great hope.....on the "Res" as they call it, is at a "1.5".
4. No economic prosperity
5. Few intact families (Father, Mother, and children living together)High level of
physical and sexual abuse due to alcohol consumption and associated behavior.
6. Diabetes is out of control, along with kidney failure (Due to diet, but mostly
alcohol) High level of dialysis patients and early death associated with these
diseases. (Not to mention the number of people dying in alcohol related
accidents).
7. Poverty level is high.
8. Teen Pregnancy and single parenthood common and promoted.
9. Victim-hood is a way of thinking,and the US Government and the white man owes them!
10. National, state, and Local (Trival) Government enabling and dependent on the
dependency of the people on the reservation. Power through subjugation.

Is there a way out.... possibly with the following changes in the mind set of individuals?

1. Positive Community and religious Influence
2. Education or skill development valued and sought beyond high school
3. Work opportunities developed by individuals
4. Benefit of economic development by local community leaders
5. Personal accountability and integrity.
6. Self reliance
7. Alcohol and illegal drug consumption stopped.
8. Dietary changes with excercise.
9. Intact family unit valued by individuals and promoted in the community.
10. Work ethic developed by each individual.


Development of Basic service businesses needed on the Reservation:

Hardware store
Hair cutting
Recycling
Trading post - to sell local crafts
Landscape Nursery or Landscape maintenance businesses
Flower Shop
Clothing shops
Shoe Shops
Craft and Fabric stores
Bakery
Food establishments -Pizza, Sandwich shop, Soup and Salad
Appliance Repair
Gas Station on Highway (Take advantage of travelers needing services)
Movie Theatre
Public Park - with Indian statues
Second Hand Stores for Clothing, appliances, etc.
Summer Indian Folklore Entertainment - to generate Tourism Industry
Manufacturing businesses
Sports shop - Fishing and Hunting Tour guides
Boat Dock -
History Museum of the Standing Rock - Sioux people
Drug Store

Oh, give me a home, Where the Buffalo Roam

The Sioux-Standing Rock Indian Tribe have a Buffalo Ranch on the Reservation. We happened to find them close to the fence one day so that we could get some great shots of them. If you have not stood next to a Buffalo lately, trust me...they are huge!


I had my first Bison (Buffalo) sandwich the other day. Not bad!

Indian Pow Wow

Picture 1: Teenage Boys in full dance costumes.




On Friday night we went to the big event of the community - the "Standing Rock Indian POW WOW"




During the summer each of the Indian tribes have a Pow Wow, in which they invite the other tribes to participate. Each tribe has groups of dancers and drummers who compete at the events.

Picture 2: Junior Princess from the Standing Rock Indian Reservation



The costumes are so colorful and it is mesmerizing watching them dance around the pavilion where the Pow Wow is held. Each tribe has their own set of drums with anywhere from three to six men drumming on the large drums at one time. They have their individual styles of drumming and dancing per tribe.

Picture 3: The very young to the very old participate in the competition.

At the same time, in another location close to the Pow Wow there was a tribal
rodeo going on. The Indians Tribes in North and South Dakota are into rodeos just like our towns and cities in Utah are in the summer.

Goodwill of Good neighbors.

View of Lake Oahe, which is a bloated Missouri River area due to a Dam that was built downstream. This is the view from the Standing Rock Tower facing north.

Today Roger and I were chauffered to Bismarck, North Dakota by our sweet neighbor Johna. She is a Psychologist with a PHD working on the Indian Reservation. She is also the animal rescuer on the Island. She has three dogs and a couple of cats she has rescued and rehabilitated. It was very generous of her to spend the day with us in Bismarck.

Our trip to Bismarck was fun. It only takes 50 minutes to get there traveling on a two lane highway through farm land. The highway travels within a 100 yards of the Missouri River most of the way to Bismarck. It is green here, like it is red in St.George. Everywhere you look it is green grass. I have never seen so many fat cows in my life. They have so much land for grazing that is so lush with grass. I can't help but ask Denice Hughes what he is thinking of .....raising cattle on the Arizona Strip. His cattle would think that they had "died and had gone to heaven" if they saw this land and all the grass feed!

We checked out all the great shopping spots, and even found a fruit stand to buy pickling cucumbers. (I have even put up seven bottles already of pickling cucumbers. I don't know what I was thinking because I have no place to put them now that they are bottled.)

There is a LDS Temple in Bismarck that is only open on Thursday and Friday evenings, and all day Saturday. The Bismarck Stake takes in most of the State of Bismarck. In a couple of weeks is Stake Conference. More people will travel from long distances to attend, than live right in the Bismarck area itself. They are reorganizing their stake presidency.

Interesting side note: The Stake Presidency is having a change in a couple of weeks. The Stake President has been out of work for a few months and just moved his family to Shawnee, Kansas for work. (Just in case any of you think Stake Presidents are exempt from trials and challenges....proof that everyone has opportunities to increase their faith!) Our son Ryan, lives in Shawnee Kansas with his Wife Hannah. We will not be in town for the changes in the Stake Presidency. We will head to Chicago for Lauren and Joe's open house.