(I recently attended a week-long workshop for educators on Lakota culture. Here's an excerpt from a reflection paper I wrote after the experience).
Looking back over my notes and experiences at the workshop, I see that I came away with a lot of new knowledge, and I think I’ll be chewing over what I learned for some time to come. Over the five days that we five strangers stayed at WingSprings (the conference facility near the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation), camping in tipis in a shortgrass prairie landscape, we learned much and shared a bit of ourselves in the process. I think I also learned more about myself during this workshop than at any other I’ve participated in recent memory.
One of the main “learnings” I came away with was how the ceremonies, rituals, and traditional religion serve to inspire and anchor Lakota people in their unique “cultural memory”, of what it means to be Lakota. Coming from the dominant white society, you don’t often get the chance to see the effects of colonialism first hand, right here in North America; visiting the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation puts those things into focus. Actually participating in a sweat lodge ceremony, or inipi, on the second day, was much different (and much more meaningful) than just reading or watching a program about it. Even though we did not get to witness the Lakota Sun Dance ceremony, ceremonies that take place throughout the summer in “Indian Country”, and which are lynchpins in Lakota religious life, we did learn from experts in the community (Jerry and Theresa Lessert, Charlie White Buffalo) who are involved in running these sacred ceremonies. Through this experience in the field I felt viscerally the importance of the Lakota religious ceremonies.
We also learned (and read a good deal in the course packet) about the gods and goddesses, the story of the creation of the universe, and important stories of how the Lakota came onto the world, and how they received the sacred pipe from White Buffalo Calf Woman. It was also interesting to learn about Lakota kinship relations and their power to define Lakota identity and society. We even learned some of the language, greeting one another each day in Lakota, and using Lakota terms of address (such as “cousin” or “aunt”, for instance). All in all, I came away with a greater appreciation for ceremonies, rituals, and religion, as well as a desire to learn more, and hopefully share some of what I have learned with the broader, white/mainstream society.
There was also a good amount of cross-cultural dialogue among the participants and the workshop leaders. For my part, I tended to listen more than speak; in the future, I think I will be able to speak more confidently on this topic, knowing what I know now from this workshop. There were times when the fact that some of us were “outsiders” to Lakota culture (one of the participants was Lakota, the other four, myself included, where of European ancestry as far as I knew) came into play. It was good to notice that tension, but to not let it sidetrack the learning environment. Many of us may have had to deal with the sense of “white guilt” in our own ways during the workshop. However, the attitude engendered by the workshop facilitator was always about thinking critically, but dispassionately, about the issues, and also honoring that the fact that we all come from different places and have different perspectives to share.
Developing a lesson plan to teach a ceremonial aspect of Lakota culture was both interesting and challenging. The facilitator of the curriculum portion, a school principal and curriculum coordinator for a reservation school district, explained some of the cultural background that would help us understand Lakota students, such as reading body language, and the fact that the etiquette for socializing (for instance, with parents), as well as humor, are different than white mainstream culture. While I had glimpsed snatches of the ideas of “Indian Time” and “Indian Humor” through reading books and attending pow-wows, it was really good to get this information from an expert, and to witness it firsthand with our presenters...
Finally, I’m challenged by a question that this workshop brings up: how will I incorporate this information, knowledge, and experience into my practice as a librarian and educator? As a librarian, how can I teach about Lakota culture? My hope for the lesson plan is to do a small group presentation for students, possibly alongside a HealthRhythms group drumming session at a residence hall event, in the next academic year. It will be a challenge to integrate this information into my professional life, but I also see it as an opportunity to stretch my skills and move into different areas.
In a way, learning about Lakota culture and ceremony helped me learn about myself, and my desire to understand, interact, and work with people from other cultures (especially Lakota). The fact that a colonized people--right here in the Midwest and the Great Plains--have retained their sense of identity, and are still struggling to create and maintain that identity in the face of obstacles (like poverty and racism) is inspiring to me, and makes me want to continue down this path, in some way.
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