The Sacredness of Women

While staying at Re-Member, every night there is a guest speaker who shares a little bit about Lakota culture.  Each one is unique and different.  There is one particular speaker who helped me feel more comfortable with the idea of the 'women's cycle' as he puts it.  Will Peters is a local Lakota speaker, and also cherished by every person who comes to Pine Ridge.  His words have helped many many people on and off the reservation, but especially younger boys who are involved with gangs, drugs, or violence.  He also knows a lot about the sacredness of women, which is what I wanted to tell you about.  Sorry guys who are reading this....

Women, as you know, have our little visitor one week of every month.  Most of the time, we dread the arrival, we moan and complain.  It's never a fun experience, and we just have to wait it out.  Every time we start, its a damper on the day right?  Well, I changed my mind about that.  Will told us stories about what a sacred time it is for a woman to go through her menstruation cycle.  It shows the strength of a woman and her ability to bring life.  Hundreds of years ago, when a young girl would begin, she was brought into a tent with her elders and was taught the meaning of this time.  For the men, there was a place called a 'sweatlodge'.  The sweatlodge was a place for men to go when women started their period, and there they would cleanse their minds and spirits.  They also had to take care of themselves.  The men had to provide for themselves. When Will explained all of this to us, I had never felt so proud to be a woman.  He really stressed these explanations to the young men and elders who were listening to the speech.  Will really wanted the guys to understand that it is not disgusting, or gross, or annoying when a woman starts her cycle, it is sacred, and wonderful.  Personally, I am glad he targets the men, sorry guys, its true.  It is just a reminder that we are who we are because God created us to be the person he meant us to be.  There is a reason that we are who we are.  

God bless.  Stay strong women, and thanks guys for thinking about this a little more.

On the Reservation

Life on the Reservation has been emotionally and physically draining, but it is only the beginning for more and more experiences.  Everything comes at you as a surprise.  It's hard to explain, but the people, surroundings, the weather, everything; its overwhelming.  I don't think I have ever been to a more life changing place in my life.  About two weeks ago i went to the brand new elementary school on the reservation.  The old school was shut down because it was infested with molds that were making the kids extremely sick.  Our first day there, I was reading stories to the kids and there was one little boy who was maybe 7 years old.  He opened my eyes to a whole 'new reality' that I have never had to experience in 'my reality'.  When I finished reading I had them line up by the door and I was giving hi fives as they exited.  This little boy looked at me and said, "I will never touch your skin".  I didn't know what to say.  I have never in my life lived in a minority....and now I have a micro sense of what it feels like.  That was only one incident for me, but there are millions of people who get that kind of treatment everyday of their lives.  I came back that day and thought about it the rest of the night.  And I still think about it sometimes.  The Rez life is so hard.  It's been difficult listening to volunteers come in complaining about the showers and the food and the beds.  Every person on this reservation in below the poverty level.  Some people go to bed hungry, showerless, and homeless.  For the people that do have a place to stay, they are living in trailers with 10-40 people.  It varies with families.  There is so much to pay attention to and average volunteer is blind to it.  Respect is the highest priority for the natives here, and it is scarce.  Last week there was a woman who came with her volunteer group and she was a professor of Worldview and Ethics.  She was fired about two days ago from her job because the school found out about the way she treated the people here.  She was disrespectful to their home, their belongings (treated everything like it was junk), the people (homeless, mentally disabled, children, etc.) and anything she was around.  She completely disregarded the teachings of the people.  The littlest things are noticed, and people have to be careful.  I have had a really hard time watching my step because you never know what to say or how to act, but I am glad that I am learning.  I feel that over the past three weeks, my perspective about myself and my faith has greatly improved.  But tomorrow is a new day....like every day.