Livin' Lakota Loca

A few weeks ago I took a week long class called Globalization in the Native American context. The class was held on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota and was designed to increase the application of Biblical principles to global issues. We discussed social justice, economic and environmental stewardship, political systems and human rights as they relate to Native Americans, specifically the Lakota Sioux tribe in Oglala. I had no grasp for how different life could be just 6 hours up the road from me.

This is our class photo in front of the Recreation center where we stayed. I'm in the front row along with Leon Schwartz, the Youth Pastor at one of the few churches on the Reservation. We spent much of the week touring different parts of the Pine Ridge Reservation and hearing lectures from different folks on various aspects of the Lakota Sioux. Because we were in a different place each day, it was tough to really get to know any of the Natives. One kid that stole my heart was J.R. He and his family have recently started following Christ, even though its not easy to be a Christian on the Res. Most stats say that less than .05% of the Lakota Sioux are Christians. Please take a minute and say a prayer for J.R. and his family.
This is one of the few pastors in the area, Leon Matthews, telling us about the battle at Wounded Knee. His great grandparents and other family members are buried here. During my junior year of high school I read "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" in Mr. Hierl's AP US History Class. What seemed like fiction 13 years ago became a sad reality after visiting the ground where so many were killed.
On the last full day, our professor convinced our class to play some of the locals in a game of soccer in the rain. He was giving our grades, so we submitted. We got soaked, but ended up winning 1-0.