I’ve saved $9,130

One thousand, eight hundred and twenty six days adds up to five years. Five years. It has been five years since I smoked a cigarette. I used to listen to people talk about how they quit and how long they had been smoke free. On my first day as a newly committed non-smoker I really didn’t believe my quit would last very long.

 

I couldn’t see many things as a dedicated cigarette smoker. After the toxic blue smoke cleared I saw how extremely disrespectful and selfish I was. My entire life revolved around cigarettes and where I could smoke them!

 

But that is the nature of an addict – the fix is always primary. When you are addicted to a substance, legal or illegal, it rules your entire life along with the lives of your loved ones. Life is secondary to getting the fix.

 

When you are a cigarette smoker you really do not care about the people around you. This is especially true for those of you who smoke indoors and in your vehicles. All the people in your home and vehicle are forced to smoke with you. Let me say that again, when you smoke cigarettes inside your home and vehicle your family is also forced to inhale those poisonous fumes.

 

Children who live with indoor cigarette smokers visit the hospital more often than those of non-smokers. Children who live in the toxic polluted homes with smokers have more upper respiratory and ear infections than other children. Many of our children already cough like they smoke cigarettes.

 

It should be against tribal law to smoke inside our homes or inside public offices and buildings. Sadly, as tribal nations our Indian Reorganizational Act governments are often far behind the rest of the world in terms of creating, approving and enforcing laws promoting good health.

 

For example, I thought it was a fabulous step forward when the voters of South Dakota overwhelmingly voted to ban indoor cigarette smoking. The casinos in Deadwood are no longer filled with cigarette smoke.

 

But our tribal casinos are still hazardous to our health because they are filled with cigarette smoke. Don’t let a designated non-smoking corner in the casino fool you.  The smoke from cigarettes in an enclosed building floats everywhere.

 

Rosebud’s Tribal Headquarters is not a smoke-free building. Tribal employees and elected officials smoke their cigarettes inside the tribal building despite a sign on the door which proclaims a smoke free environment.

 

But until you stop smoking you will vehemently defend whatever right you think to have to force non-smokers to inhale your deadly second hand cigarette smoke. Have you heard about third hand smoke? I knew about third hand smoke long before I quit. It is the residual from your cigarette smoke which is left behind inside your homes, offices and vehicles.

 

I can see it on the walls and windows of homes where indoor smokers live. It is the yellow film that comes off the inside of your car windows when you clean them. It gets in everything and stays there.

 

There are those anti-smoking commercials I watch on the television networks now where children are talking about how they need to quit smoking. These are the children who live with cigarette smoking parents. The one that really hits home is where you can see the child breathing in the second hand smoke in the air inside his own home.

 

90% of the cigarette smoke you inhale is trapped inside your lungs. And 90% of the second hand smoke your child is forced to inhale also stays in their lungs. Does this sound like child abuse?

 

People tell me they need to quit. Others say they want to quit. There are those of you who say you don’t want to quit. You like smoking. I never liked smoking. I never enjoyed being chained to those cigarettes. I was a prisoner in a cloud of blue smoke.

 

Quitting the cigarettes was one of the hardest things I ever did. Like many reservation children I began smoking at a very young age. There was a time when underage smokers could buy their own cigarettes and they were a whole lot cheaper than they are now.

 

It’s funny that people on the rez complain about having no money or no job or no this or that. Yet they come up with enough cash to pay for those cigarettes. I know how it is. Some of you will buy cigarettes before you will buy food.

 

“In South Dakota, 17.5% of the adult population (aged 18+ years)—over 106,000 individuals—are current cigarette smokers. Across all states, the prevalence of cigarette smoking among adults ranges from 9.3% to 26.5%.” www.cdc.gov

 

American Indians have the highest rate of cigarette smokers in South Dakota. Nearly half (46.4%) of all cigarette smokers in South Dakota are American Indian people. We all lament the poor health conditions of our people living on the rez but not many will quit smoking their cigarettes. Children who grow up in a cloud of smoke have a higher chance of becoming nicotine addicts.

 

I never knew how much cigarette smokers reeked until I quit. Cigarette smokers stink something awful. It’s very unattractive to see people smoking cigarettes. And when you smoke in your home or car with your children they will stink just like you do.

 

The Lakota people once considered tobacco sacred but those days are obviously gone. People talk about elders and children being precious. I hear all the time how we must treasure the oldest and youngest members of our tribe.

 

But it is hypocritical to say the children are sacred while you are blowing smoke at them in their own home. If you must smoke then do it outside. Designate both your home and vehicle as non-smoking areas. Your children deserve to breathe clear air.

 

Five years. If I can do it, so can you. I’ve saved $9,130 by not buying 36,527 cigarettes.

Singers are power, pure and simple.

Recently, I read a rant about women singers, specifically, women who sit at the big drum with a drumstick and sing. The man who ranted about those of us who sing apparently thinks we should not be singing because we have a moon time. Or that we should not be hitting the drum because we have a menstrual cycle.

 

This reminded me of a time when my friend and I organized classes which focused on traditional child birthing methods. A man came to the class and proclaimed that he probably knew more about traditional child birthing methods than any woman did. It was laughable. How can a man even think to speak on women’s issues when none of them even have the right equipment?

 

Back to the woman singer issue, I have been to pow-wows, sun dances and Native American Church meetings where I have witnessed women sitting at the drum, holding a drum stick and singing the songs. I saw nothing wrong with it. In fact, one of the most powerful sun dances I have ever been to is where I saw a woman singer at the drum. Her voice did not chase the spiritual powers away.

 

Perhaps you will disagree with me but I do not believe our Lakota culture is static. If it was so, then it would not have survived through all the efforts made to kill us. I do believe our culture has evolved and will continue to do so. The only thing which will halt this evolution is our own people who have a problem with the results of that evolution.

 

Singers are power, pure and simple. We are the medicine. Our voices doctor the people, the Earth and the Universe. The very first note we ever sang is still rippling through the ethers of the cosmos, giving a bit of medicine to everything it permeates. Sacred songs are power too and to me it does not matter whether they were composed 1,000 years ago or 1 month ago.

 

So if you have the desire to sing, then please do so. Women, young ladies and girls, do not let the arrogant opinions of close minded men stop you from taking your power and picking up that drum stick to sing your medicine. They have no right to judge you because of your menstrual cycle. We need all the healing songs we can get. Pray and sing your healing for those ignorant men who would only desire to see us continue to be subjugated as women.

Stalkers at the Rosebud Hospital

Recently, I witnessed an unhealthy incident which made me think again about how some human beings evolve while others do not. Remember, evolution isn’t just about the physical body; it also includes our emotional, mental and spiritual selves. I believe the evolution of our inner selves is a conscious choice. You either choose to evolve or you don’t.

 

I know a lady who has told me many times about how she is regularly stalked by another woman. Usually the stalker woman is accompanied by one or two other people. This group will follow the lady I know around in public places. Now there is no law against being in a public place. Still, there are times when the stalker woman seems to materialize shortly after the stalked lady does. So, does this mean that someone who works in a certain public place is telephoning/texting the stalker gang to come follow this lady around a specific area?

 

Specifically, the gang of stalkers appears out of nowhere when this lady is at the federal facility known as the Rosebud Hospital. Is there an Indian Health Service policy against stalking? Maybe I should call Dr. Yvette Roubideaux and ask her. And while I am at it, I think I will tell her about what goes on in terms of stalking at the Rosebud Hospital.

 

In any case, according to the Law and Order Code of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, stalking is a crime. So in essence, tribal members, or anyone for that matter, who choose to stalk other people in public or private are criminals. See the following for clarification.

 

“5-6-4 Stalking: Any person willfully, maliciously and repeatedly follows or harasses another person or who makes a credible threat to another person with the intent to place that person in reasonable fear of death or bodily injury is guilty of Stalking. Stalking is a Class A crime. [History: Ordinance 97-03]

 

“5-6-5 Harasses – Defined: For the purposes of this chapter, “harasses” means a knowing and willful pattern of conduct composed of a series of acts over a period of time, however short, evidencing a continuity of purpose, directed at a specific person which seriously alarms, annoys, or harasses the person and which serves no legitimate purpose. [History: Ordinance 97-03]

 

“5-6-6 A Credible Threat – Defined: For the purposes of this chapter “a credible threat” means a threat made with the intent and the apparent ability to carry out the threat. A credible threat need not be expressed verbally. [History: Ordinance 97-03]

 

“5-6-7 Stalking a Child Twelve or Younger: Any person who willfully, maliciously and repeatedly follows or harasses a child, twelve years of age or younger or who makes a credible threat to a child twelve years of age or younger with the intent to place that child in reasonable fear of death or bodily injury or to reasonably fear for the child’s safety is guilty of stalking.

 

“5-6-8 Order of Protection: Upon the filing of a complaint under this chapter, the victim shall immediately be issued an Order for Protection from the actor named in the complaint.”

 

Now, this lady I am referring to is often stalked when she has her children with her. These children are under the age of twelve years and they see these people who follow their mother around. I doubt the stalkers actually stop to take some time to think about what kind of distress they are subjecting these children to.

 

I also doubt that these stalkers realize they are committing a Class A crime because all of their attention is focused on following this woman around. Their personal energy is spent committing the act of criminal stalking. Obviously, they have no time to reflect upon their own unhealthy behavior.

 

People who stalk others are showing their children how to act. Essentially, they are teaching their children that it is okay to follow someone else around with the intent of harassing them. Remember, the RST Law and Order code states: “A credible threat need not be expressed verbally.” Children mimic everything we do. Don’t teach your child how to be a criminal stalker.

 

People could find more meaningful ways to spend their time. Is your whole life focused on someone else’s whereabouts? Do you sit in the privacy of your own home and constantly wonder where the object of your stalking is? Seems like a lot of wasted time and energy, don’t you think?

 

Consequently, the stalking also extends to this gang following the lady around in a vehicle. I don’t believe any evolved humans would behave like this. Stalking is actually the behavior of dangerous psychos. Anyway, I would not be one to waste the gasoline I pay a lot of money for by following another person around in a vehicle. Or maybe they don’t have to pay for the gasoline; perhaps a person with a job is buying the fuel.

 

In any case, personal evolution will not happen when your focus is on what another person is doing. The choice to evolve is a conscious one. Do you choose to think on a higher level or do you choose to focus on someone else’s life? Are your days/nights spent burning whole tanks of gasoline in order to follow someone around?

 

Finally, the Rosebud Hospital has a sign posted near the turn off from BIA 9 which reads “Rosebud Comprehensive Health Care Facility.” The word comprehensive means everything. It means all levels. If our hospital is really a comprehensive health care facility, shouldn’t the employees who work there also emulate comprehensive health? When the employees and administration condone unhealthy, even criminal, behavior – such as stalking – it really doesn’t surprise me that our health conditions are the way they are.

 

What good is a hospital staffed with unhealthy employees? Perhaps some training on what constitutes criminal stalking and privacy of patients is needed. Our people deserve better. Our women and children shouldn’t be stalked, especially at a health care facility.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Um, excuse me but hasn’t the plan essentially always been to get the Black Hills back for the Lakota people?

I send kudos to the Rosebud, Crow Creek and Yankton Sioux Tribes along with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community for recently closing the deal on the purchase of several tracts of land in the Black Hills area known as Pe Sla. There were many of us who were anxious over how this land acquisition was going to happen. This is a sacred site. There were many people concerned about what type of development would take place if this land wound up in the hands of an individual or a corporation who would only think about profit.

 

I also appreciate Chase Iron Eyes and all Last Real Indians activists for their tireless efforts in bringing about global awareness on this issue. Those of us who blog or use Facebook, Twitter and You Tube know these sites are an effective way to bring lightning fast attention to issues we are passionate about. Last Real Indians initially kicked off the fund raising efforts and collected a total of $900,000 to contribute toward the land purchase.

 

A big thank you is sent out to all of you who donated money. Even if you sent one dollar, please know your generosity came at a crucial time. It is not every day that we are provided with an opportunity to secure land in the sacred HeSapa.

 

And I especially want to acknowledge the Kindergarten students from Rosebud who made national headlines with their cash donation which they presented to the Rosebud Sioux Tribal Council. Obviously, they were also concerned about the purchase of Pe Sla.

 

I went to a few meetings where the topic of this land purchase was discussed. To be honest, I really didn’t think our tribal leaders would unite long enough to secure the money and put this deal together. I appreciate the determination of the leaders who worked it all out. The Black Hills is an area which is very important to many of us.

 

On the other hand, there were many Lakota people who really didn’t care if the land was purchased at all. I did listen to numerous reasons as to why the tracts should not be bought. $9 million dollars is a lot of money to sacrifice. We are not faced with the best of economic conditions on the Rez. There were many tribal members who believed that this money could be better spent by funding social programs, building houses, paying utilities for elders and low income families, establishing youth programs, etc.

 

I also heard from Lakota naysayers who were against the whole idea. More than one expressed concern about how he or she believed the tribes did not have a concrete plan in place for how the land would be used. Um, excuse me but hasn’t the plan essentially always been to get the Black Hills back for the Lakota people? Anyway, it was quite enough for me that the people who donated and/or raised money were primarily concerned about the purchase of land which contained a site sacred to our people.

 

I cannot stress enough how Pe Sla is a very sacred area. The Black Hills have an essential place in Lakota Star Knowledge. This area is linked to our creation stories and our spirituality. For me, it is crucial to keep the area free of any development. I appreciate that we now have a say in what will happen there. I am sure there are lots of ideas about how to use the land in a way which will guarantee its return to a pristine condition.

 

Many of you believe we should not have to buy what is essentially already ours. There is a mountain of money sitting somewhere collecting interest because our people maintain the Black Hills are not for sale. I agree the land was taken from our people illegally in 1877. Still, I do not see any effort by the federal government to correct the theft of land. In their eyes, the money allocated to the Black Hills docket was the end of it. So in reality, the only way we are going to get any land back is to buy it when we have the opportunity.

 

Arguing over what is the right or wrong way to secure ownership of land in the Black Hills won’t get us anywhere. Holding on to the hope that the federal government will return land to us by refusing the Black Hills settlement money isn’t realistic either. I’m not advocating for an acceptance of the settlement because I realize refusing the money is all about principle, I just don’t believe the federal government will return any stolen land.

 

I have to also say wopila to Leonard and Margaret Reynolds. They willingly took the land off the auction block last summer in order to allow the interested tribes an opportunity to secure enough money to make the purchase. I thank them for their patience as they waited for the day of the sale. I also want to express my appreciation to the Rosebud Sioux Tribe for presenting a satin star quilt to the Reynolds couple on the day the deal was closed.

 

Finally, I have to say wopila to Leksi Leonard Crow Dog and all of the other spiritual people continually offer their prayers for the land. It was very appropriate to have spiritual leaders pray at the same sacred site our ancestors did. I appreciate all of our medicine people.

 

I would love to see the site left undisturbed for a time. It would be great if there was nothing done with the land except to enjoy that we can now have unlimited access to it. Pe Sla is a sacred site and should be treated as such.

 

Our ancestors were the epitome of environmental stewards. Thus, I believe they would view it as disrespectful to graze cattle on a sacred site. They would want many ceremonies to celebrate our reconnection with one of our most important sites in HeSapa.

 

 

Our ancestors were highly evolved spiritual beings

As human beings we are all born with the ability to evolve. You might associate evolution only with physical attributes. After all, the discussion surrounding evolution normally involves how animals have physically adapted over the eons. I believe a human being has the inherent ability to also evolve on emotional, mental and spiritual levels.

 

Our ancestors were highly evolved spiritual beings. I would even venture to say our Lakota ancestors were at an important pinnacle of their spiritual existence when that lost Italian washed ashore. Sadly, we have been on a gradual descent from that spiritual pinnacle ever since. Each generation seems to depend on the one behind it to save us all.

 

Even so, we still have our way of life. Lakota still go to ceremonies which are conducted to ensure the renewal of seasons so our children can continue living on our Earth Mother. But even though we still have all of this, there was much which was lost or forgotten under the wasicu influence. My late Grandmother used to stay that the ceremonies we see today are merely a shadow of what our ancestors once had in terms of spirituality. I believed her.

 

Still, sometimes when we are in prayer or in ceremony we are offered a glimpse of what our spirituality was like before the coming of the wasicu. I have learned those spiritually revealing moments are offered to the human beings who have learned how to become open to their own personal evolution. Some Lakota people have special abilities which are intensified when we are in ceremony. Individual clairvoyance, clairaudience, premonitions and other supernatural or psychic gifts are often magnified when we participate in a powerful ceremony.

 

When you have done the work to process the negative things which keep you stuck, you have a much better chance of opening your inner self to the many dimensions of human evolution. Those things which can hold you back are dark emotions, judgment, prejudices and the like.

 

Personal flashes of evolution are amazing. Have you ever had moments when an extremely profound thought suddenly comes into your mind? Sometimes, I would wonder why I never saw clearly some basic truths of life sooner. Now I realize that I could not have attained the ability of entertaining higher level thoughts unless I had undergone some processing out of certain things which no longer served me. Anger, hate, bitterness, resentment, victimhood, drug addiction, alcohol overdosing and similar behaviors, will only work to further imprison the mind, emotions and spirit. Thus, you will continue to functioning at a very low level of spiritual awareness. When I clung to my own inner darkness, I made a conscious choice to remain locked out of my own evolution. Does that make sense?

 

Our ancestors were very strong on all levels. They were physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually prepared for most anything. They were not prepared, however, for the level of destruction brought by the wasicu. The wasicu taught us how to engage in many negative things. The wasicu influence has been effective in shutting down many of our Lakota people to their own innate ability to evolve as spiritual beings. We are locked out of our own individual power and even though we have the key we do not know how to use it to unlock our own spiritual gifts.

 

Still, it will do absolutely no good to our descendants if we continue to blame all of our problems on the wasicu. The wasicu also brought many things which improved our lives. But, the negative things which they pushed upon our ancestors hundreds of years ago are regrettably the same issues which many of our people choose to carry on in their lives today. As an individual human being, you will never evolve if you continue to engage in the substances, emotions and behaviors which keep the key just out of your reach.

 

I know of many instances where my own people overdose on alcohol and then when their inhibitions are all washed away in the drink, they will attack members of their own family. Human beings who cannot find their way past a bottle of booze will probably not find their way to their own innate keys to evolve as a spiritual being.

 

It’s pretty sad when you have Lakota grandmothers who are my age or older regularly overdosing on alcohol any chance they get. I know of one woman on the Rosebud Rez who is a little bit older than me who recently began receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI). She received a decent check from SSI which was probably a retroactive payment.

 

And not too long ago, this grandma showed up at her community center highly intoxicated. She proceeded to harass the people who were working there over items which were being distributed to all the members of the community. Law enforcement officials were called but they failed to respond in a timely manner so the workers at the community center finally had to shut the place down because she refused to leave. Sadly, Unci made a public spectacle of herself through her indulgence in alcohol.

 

When people drink enough alcohol, they become very belligerent. Booze enables them to summon enough false courage which they will use to attack innocent members of their community. Sometimes, these vicious attacks are not done face-to-face. Some people who overdose on alcohol will drunkenly babble malicious rumors about others. They will also engage in cyber bullying. They will even invent horrible gossip stories about their own family members or in-laws.

 

This is not the life our highly evolved, spiritual ancestors envisioned. This is one example of how alcohol has robbed many of us of our ability to evolve as spiritual beings. When the Takoja see their Unci having a rough life affected by her own alcohol overdosing, it’s a dismal picture.

 

I always pray for the Takoja to evolve into highly spiritual humans just like our ancestors were.