The Third World in South Dakota USA

 

Brenda Aplin interviewed by John LeKay, June 9th 2005

 

John LeKay:  Can you please tell me where you live and how you became interested in the Native American Indian culture?

Brenda Aplin:  My name is Brenda Aplin. I am 52 years old and now live in a seaside town called Exmouth in East Devon, in the South West of England. I have recently moved from Exeter, Devon having lived there for the best part of 30 years, but I was born and raised near Nottingham, which is in the East Midlands.  

I have been interested in the Native American culture as far back as I can remember.  I used to sit and watch the old black and white films with my Dad, and I just did not like the way the Indians were always portrayed as the baddies!!!  This did not ring true, and certainly was not fair to me.  How could a culture be accused of being in the wrong when it was the whites as a race that invaded their lands and then systematically proceeded to plunder and kill as they went along! My feelings have run very deep on this subject since I was very small and still continue to do so.

 

                

                                    Brenda Aplin with Tony Blackfeather 2004

 

JL:  When did you first visit Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota and can you tell me about this experience?

BA:   I first visited the Pine Ridge Reservation in July 2002. I went with an American lady and we stayed at I guess just about the only Bed and Breakfast place on the Reservation www.wakpamni.com. We had decided to stay in one of the two Tipis at the B&B site, although we could have had nice comfy rooms, we wanted to experience South Dakota "Al Fresco".  When we arrived it was getting near nightfall, so after meeting the proprietors, we took our things to our Tipi, sited in a field some distance away from the B&B House itself.

I sat outside and savored the night sky, which was awesome. I actually saw a meteorite shower go over; something I have never seen before and was totally mesmerized.  Finally settling down to sleep in the Tipi was an experience in itself and I could hardly believe that I had finally made it to the land of the ancestors of the Oglala Lakota people.

 

The week was spent with a Native American lady that we paid to be a guide for us which was really good. The Reservation lands are just miles and miles of nothing, and if you don’t know where you are going it is frighteningly easy to get lost. The land is amazingly beautiful, but also very unforgiving, and at that time the State was in the 4th year of an awful drought. Everything was parched and arid, the grass just like straw, and the rivers and creeks dangerously low. It made me realize just how skilful at survival the ancestors of the Oglala people really were.

 

I came away from the Reservation with a sense of immense sadness at the way the people are living now; reduced to third world conditions, with many of them hopelessly lost to drink and drugs. A once proud nation reduced to this because of the white man's appearance. It made me think long and hard about this situation and how I could help in some way. The seed had been sown!!

 

JL:  What are the living conditions like at Pine Ridge Reservation?

 

BA:. Some of the Third World conditions are inadequate housing for one. Many Lakota people live in battered old trailers, with no running water or even basic sanitation. As many as 25 people can be found living in a trailer for just 8 people, as they have nowhere else to go. These trailers heat up like ovens in the summer, and are extremely cold in the winters of South Dakota. Temperatures are extreme, reaching in the 100 degrees in the summer, to minus 20-40 degrees below freezing in winter!

 

Some of the people live in wooden houses, in small communities, but these houses are very prone to developing an extremely harmful and potentially lethal black mold, which is very difficult to eradicate. I was told that the only way to do this was to burn the houses down and rebuild, but lack of money for such projects is always the case.

 

There is a hospital at Pine Ridge itself, but lack of trained staff and resources mean they are limited in what they can do. Emergency cases have to be airlifted to Rapid City, about 80 miles away. Many, many people have extreme difficulty even getting to the hospital, having to travel vast distances to get there. Many patients on kidney dialysis, a diabetic related condition, which is rife among the people, miss out on their treatment because they cannot get to the hospital.

 

JL:  Do you know any of the statistics on the medical conditions?

 

BA:  Yes, here is a list of more statistics taken in 2002, but I can assure you that absolutely nothing has changed even today.

 

Pine Ridge Reservation is approx 11,000 (over 2 million acres) square miles in size. It is divided into nine districts: Eagle Nest, Pass Creek, Wakpamni, LaCreek, Pine Ridge, White Clay, Medicine Root, Porcupine and Wounded Knee. It is home to around 40,000 persons, 35% of which are under the age of 16. The population is steadily rising, despite the severe conditions on the reservation, as more and more Oglala return home from far away cities in order to live within their societal values, be with their families and assist with the revitalization of their culture and Nation. Recent reports point out that unemployment on the reservation is between 85% to 95%.

On the reservation - There is no industry, technology, or commercial infrastructure on the reservation to provide employment. Life expectancy for women is 48 years old and 52 for men.  Teenage suicide rate is 150% higher than the US national average for this group.  Infant mortality is 300% higher than the US national average. The rate of diabetes is 800% higher than the US national average, with 50% of the adults over the age of 40 have this disease. Alcoholism affects 8 out of 10 families and the death rate from alcohol related problems is 300% higher than the remaining US population. Tuberculosis is approx 800% higher than the US national average.

JL: What about the housing and heating conditions?

 

BA:  Each winter, reservation Elders are found dead from hypothermia.  At least 60% of the homes on the reservation are infested with Black Mold, Strachybotrys, which infests the lungs and causes fatalities in infants, children, those with damaged immune systems, lung and pulmonary conditions. Exposure to this mold can also cause hemorrhaging of the lungs and brain, as well as cancer. Many people live in old shacks, old trailers, or dilapidated mobile homes. There is vast overcrowding among these families, most families never turn away a relative no matter how distant a blood relation, and as a result some homes built for 6-8 people, have 30 living in them! 

 

Many residents live without proper healthcare due to vast travel distances and involved in accessing that care. 60% of families have no telephones.  33% of homes lack basic water and sewage systems, as well as electricity. 59% of the reservation homes are substandard. Many homes lack basic insulation, heating, stoves, refrigerators, beds, basic furniture etc. With extremes of temperatures from over 100 degrees in the summer, to minus 20-40 below freezing in the winder, the hardships are unimaginable!

 

The list is unending as to the things that this still Noble-Nation need, yet they have continued to survive!

 

JL:  What about their traditions. Do they still follow them?

 

BA: They still continue to follow their traditions as best they can. They still perform their ceremonies, pass down the stories to their children and grandchildren, honour the four directions and pray to Great Spirit on a daily basis. They still give thanks to our Mother Earth for sustaining them, to Grandfather Sun for giving them warmth and life, and for helping making things grow, and they still continue to smile and retain their great sense of humour.

 

JL:  Can you tell me about Lakota Aid UK?

BA:  I founded my charity Lakota Aid in May 2003 - www.lakota-aid.co.uk

The charity website is focused on giving as many facts and information as I can on current issues on the Pine Ridge Reservation. There are many newsletters on there telling of my trips to South Dakota and the things I have been involved in and the many people I have met.

The main aim of Lakota Aid is to spread the awareness of the plight of the Lakota people.

I have talked to many people that believe that these people were all wiped out in the wars with the white man in the 1800's, can you believe that!!!!!  I soon put them straight that they were most certainly not wiped out and are alive and kicking and fighting for survival!

All these people want is to retain their right to stay as a Sovereign Nation, they do not want to be assimilated in the US; they want to be allowed to retain theirs lands, live in peace and most of all be treated as human beings!

This is a big concern that the Charity is trying to get over to the world. The US government just sweeps them under the carpet and hope they will all die out or be assimilated. This is not right and it is about time the world had their eyes opened and acknowledged this situation.

 

BA: One wonderful Elder, Tony Black Feather, now sadly deceased, fought for the rights of his people for nearly 30 years, even taking their appeals and grievances to the United Nations in Geneva. I had the privilege of meeting with Tony Black Feather before he passed away and I felt that his fight for his people had to continue, and I try and do this via the charity and articles I write. His motto was 'Let the Spirit Lead', and his courage and determination has inspired me to help spread his cause as far and wide as I can. I have tried to help out by raising funds for propane fuel over the past 3 years. This has been a real struggle and with the Tsunami disaster occurring, things virtually ground to a halt on this side. Although I am not fund raising at present, If things turned around big-time, then I would start to do what I could again.

Although I feel sometimes I am fighting an uphill battle, and let's face it it is, I cannot give up this fight and will continue to do what I can and spread the cause whatever the odds. Tony Black Feather's words 'Let the Spirit Lead' ring loud and clear in my head, and if he was determined never to give up, then neither am I.

 

 

www.lakota-aid.co.uk