Heart Of All Oral History Project

Walking Together : Past, Present, and Future (Part 2)

Earlier in the project, we heard that the tree was the first and most important symbol ever to be taught when we were young. In learning about it, we would find guidance on how to live a good life and where we should look to remain firmly grounded. Episode 7 Part 2 starts with a new and strikingly different perspective on our relative the tree by recent Little Wound graduate Pte San Win Little Whiteman. The next section turns to a discussion of the contemporary challenges facing our Lakota Oyate. This includes the issues of language revitalization, racism, mining, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women(MMIW), education, the influence of Western culture, and the neglect of Unci Maka. The third segment is devoted to woksape, or words of wisdom, for all Lakota youth. Here, through the voices of twenty of our project participants, we take in diverse views that tie together the past and present while offering valued guidance for facing the future in the best way possible. In the fourth and final section - in what can be seen as the project’s epilogue - we hear a passionate appeal from recent Little Wound graduate Zoey White.

Walking Together : Past, Present, and Future (Part 1)

Episode 7 of our series is the culmination of our project and also its ending point. Over the past two-plus years, we have done our best to put together a detailed look at the story of the Lakota Oyate -  from origin stories to time before contact with Europeans; from feelings of wonder at the new arrivals to fatal clashes over land and resources; from supposed agreements to genocidal attacks on us, our relative tatanka, our language, and our way of life; from standing up for who we are to finally having our voices heard. In this final episode, we will take a different look at the past to see how we arrived here in the present and what needs to be done as we move into our collective future. Part 1 begins with a vivid look at the current state of the Lakota language and its importance to our future as an oyate. The second section - our longest segment by far - is an intimate journey through the early lives of many of our beloved project participants. Through it, we will better know these relatives that have so generously shared their lives and stories with us.

A New Day : Education to Repatriation (Part 2)

The 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty created the “Great Sioux Reservation” - comprising the western part of South Dakota including He Sapa - which was to be reserved exclusively for the “absolute and undisturbed use and occupation” of the Sioux Nation. By 1877, after the discovery of gold by George Armstrong Custer’s sanctioned expedition, this treaty was swiftly broken when the Black Hills were confiscated by the U.S. Congress. Episode 6 Part 2 begins with a detailed explanation of the cases related to the Black Hills land claim that culminated in 1980’s United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians Supreme Court case. The next and final segment of this episode discusses 1990’s Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act(NAGPRA) which was enacted “to establish the rights of Indian tribes and their lineal descendants to obtain repatriation of certain human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony from federal agencies or museums.”

A New Day : Education to Repatriation (Part 1)

Episode 6 of our series explores some of the major changes that came about starting in the 1970s - most of them policy changes - that were signs of brighter days ahead. While we heard many times that these new policies would take quite awhile to have an actual impact, they still represent something to celebrate, as all progress should be celebrated. The first section of Part 1 looks at changes within the field of education following the 1972 Indian Education Act and 1975’s Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. The second section covers the 1978 American Indian Religious Freedom Act that overturned the 1883 Code and Court of Indian Offenses which banned indigenous spirituality under risk of severe punishment and even death. The third section turns to the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act which was a response to strong evidence that indigenous children were being removed disproportionately from their families and placed in non-indigenous homes even when “fit and willing relatives were available.”

Dawn : Relocation and Occupation

Episode 5 of our series focuses on the 1973 Occupation of Wounded Knee by the American Indian Movement(AIM). It starts with a segment about how Wounded Knee, a place of incredible historical importance, got its name. We then turn to a discussion of Termination policy which “eliminated much government support for Indian tribes and ended the protected trust status of all Indian-owned lands.” The focus here is the process of Relocation where it was hoped our relatives would assimilate into mainstream American society. The next three parts of this episode look at the event that some people call Wounded Knee II, a tense affair that pitted AIM against Tribal President Dick Wilson and the U.S. government. First, we hear about some of the important factors and events leading up to the 71-day Occupation. Next, we hear about the Occupation itself from individuals who were both inside and outside Wounded Knee. Lastly, we hear about the extremely volatile years following the Occupation which were depicted to us as both “a civil war” and “a revolution” on the Pine Ridge Reservation.