Gisella said:
Well, let's see. Pine Ridge is one of the poorest areas of the united states. The average household income is less than 4,000. The reservation also has one of the highest, if not the highest, infant mortality rates in the country, and the average life expectancy is right around 50 for both men and women. The reservation is home to about 20,000 Natives. The north side of the reservation borders the Bad Lands. Which, the indians consider sacred. They, to this day, are still fighting to be given back the Bad Lands. In fact, the government tried to pay them, and they have yet to accept the money, so it is in a trust fund. There are a lot, A LOT of homeless people on the reservation. Although the land is beautiful in its own right, the rolling hills which seem to rise and meet the sky are breathtaking, there isn't really any farmable land. Which is a big problem for the reservation. They cannot provide for all the people living there. As for my advice when visiting the reservation, go early, leave before dark. When I went, one of the social workers (who was a member of the tribe) on the reservation told the group I was with not to linger once it was dark. The reason she gave for this was that the drunks would be out. I almost cringed at her saying that...because it really does fill a stereotype about Native Americans.
About Wounded Knee Massacre, it took place in 1891 right along Wounded Knee Creek. I could get into what led up to it, but i think I'll just jump to the end. The military had forced a couple hundred Natives (men, women and children and the 200 is a rough estimate) to surrender. All the natives were searched and anything that could be used as weapons were taken. There was one Native (If memory serves me right, he was deaf or blind) that refused to give up his gun. He had bought it himself and he wanted the military to pay him for it. Somewhere in the struggle to hold onto the gun, a shot was fired. This led to the massacre of the Natives. Afterwards, they were buried in a mass grave. Also, it was winter when this happened, some of the Indians who refused to give themselves over to the military got away, and another couple hundred (rough estimate) Natives perished because of the cold weather or starvation. Seeing the Wounded Knee Massacre monument site was one of the most overwhelming emotional experiences I have ever had. It was almost as if you could feel the history, the pain all around. You'll find that right around the site (bottom of the hill across the road), there where be a "visitor's center" but basically it looks like some logs tossed up, and something strung across them just to shelter the Natives from the weather. If you ran into who the group I was with ran into, you'll meet a young Native called Casey (forget his last name). He'll try to sell you some bead work, but he was also talk to you about the history of the land. So definately listen to him if you get a chance. He was a magnifient storyteller.
Another tip before I forget to mention this, don't take pictures of things like the Wounded Knee site. This is a sacred site to the Indians and it's considered disrespectful to take pictures of it. You may also want to ask the Natives before taking pictures of them as well.
Well, this is all I can think to tell you. If you have any more questions, just message me or something.
Hope this helps.
