We're all enjoying our week "off" ~ a week without teams. It's been a good week to relax, read, knit and of course, get caught up on some mundane chores - cleaning and laundry! The weather has been beautiful, cloudless skies and HOT! We enjoy our slow mornings -- time to enjoy our morning cup of coffee.
We had visitors to our deck this morning...
The Spirit Lake Tribe reservation was established by Treaty between the U.S. Government and the Sisseton Wahpeton Sioux Bands in 1867. The Reservation is divided into four distracts or wards: Wood Lake, in which the ministry center and the town of Tokio are located, Mission, Fort Totten and Crow Hill. The Reservation encompasses approximately 405 square miles. It is a "checkerboard" reservation, as many non-native Americans own land here (the Native Americans sold off parts of their land years ago). Today, the tribe has first rights of purchase -- that is when a non-native American wants to sell, the tribe has the first right to purchase it. The tribe is slowly getting their land back. The topography of the reservation is generally consistent with the Northern Plains region, with both flat terrain and rolling hills, along with some wooded areas.
Fields of gold aka canola fields
Powwow Grounds...
empty now but will be hopping during Powwow weekend, July 26-28
There are approximately 6,000+ tribe members living on the Reservation. Unemployment is extremely high; over 46.5 %. The largest employers are the casino (a very small casino, suffering from a lack of visitors. There's no reason to come to Devil's Lake unless it is to fish. Each tribe member received approximately $300 from the casino last year), the Clinic, Tribal Headquarters and Sioux Manufacturing.
Each district has its own recreation center and food pantry...
Candeska Cikana Community College
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Four Winds High School
Tribal Housing...circles are an important part of the Native American culture. It's hard to tell from this photo, but the homes are in a semblance of a circle...
Sully's Hill National Wildlife Refuge and Historic Old Fort Totten are also located on the Reservation.
Established in July of 1867, the fort was built to watch over the reservation after a group of the Sioux tribe moved to the area. The soldiers were stationed there to enforce the peace and guard transportation routes. The fort was decommissioned in 1890. It was then turned over to the Bureau of Indian Affairs where until 1959 it was used as a Native American boarding school. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. It is open for tours.
Sully's Hill consists of 1600+ acres of marshes and wooded hills that are the home of American Bison, elk, white-tailed deer and a colony of prairie dogs. It was established in 1904 by Theodore Roosevelt. Sully's Hill has hiking and auto tours...
The bison at Sully's Hill are 100% genetically pure. There are approximately 6,000 genetically pure bison in the U.S. Because of this, these bison must be kept separated from the Tribe's bison, which are not genetically pure.
Prairie Rose
Devil's Lake
Today, less than 2% of the Native Americans on the reservation are traditionalists...
Devils Heart is a very spiritual place. It can be seen from almost anywhere on the reservation. Leading up to powwow, traditionalists will climb to the top of the heart where they will fast and pray for three nights and three days in the hopes to have a vision whereby they learn which animal is their spiritual guide.
Look closely and you will see flags off in the distance. This marks the site where traditionalists will partake in the sun dance. The sun dance is a religious ceremony practiced by a number of Native Americans, primarily those of the Plains Nations. The ceremony includes dances and songs passed down through many generations, the use of a traditional drum, praying with the pipe, offerings and fasting. The object of the sun dance is to offer personal sacrifice as a prayer for the benefit of one's community and family.
Considered a sacred herb by the Native Americans', white sage is used for purification and protections purposes. Many follow the ancient tradition of smudging, which is believed to clear away negative energies. White sage has been used traditionally to purify the mind, body and spirit before praying.
On July 4th, we were honored to attend a Naming Ceremony. Dr. Russ McDonald invited us to the ceremony in which his son, Brian, received his Indian name. At the beginning of the ceremony, we all participated in smudging. Awesome! The purpose of the smudging is to cleanse us of any negative energy. One of the songs that was drummed and sung was a prayer song; all songs are sung in their native tongue. We stood and prayed in six directions as the drum group drummed and sang ~ we prayed facing the west, north, east, south, up to heaven and then bowed to the earth (Mother Earth is held in high esteem, as all they have comes from the earth). Russ' father bestowed the name Sacred Thunder onto Brian. He explained how and why he chose that name for him. Russ then presented his father with a blanket to thank him. The drummers sang an honor song using Brian's Indian name. Because he is a veteran (they are very proud of their military service) Brian was honored with an eagle feather. Russ tied it onto his shirt. In their culture, eagles are holy. They are believed to carry prayers to God and messages from God. There was drumming, prayers and singing, and of course, eating!!! Mike was honored to give the meal blessing. Before we ate, a young man filled a plate with a sampling of all the food that was offered. This plate is in remembrance of all who have passed away before us. It was then placed on the ground; then was buried following our meal. More drumming and singing followed our meal. The final song that was drummed and sung was a thank you song -- to thank all who attended the Ceremony. It was a wonderful ceremony and a great honor to be included!!!
This week, Dr. Russ McDonald was elected Spirit Lake Nation Tribal Chairman. He will be a great leader. In our culture, the position of Tribal Chair is similar to that of Governor.
We've had a fun week off. We are expecting the arrival of 18 team members from Medina, Ohio. They will be arriving Sunday afternoon.
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