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| My Buffalo Land's Children |
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Terrie Jo Gibbons is an art teacher for 1200 young students in the reservation schools. Seventeen years ago, when music and art programs were cut from the Shannon County school programs due to a lack of funding, she founded a supplemental art program, getting resources from wherever she could, including her own pockets. Today, she continues that program, the only way these kids can be involved in the art for which they have amazing talent. Terry Jo has also founded summer art camps, situated in the heart of the badlands, to broaden the art experience for the most interested kids. Each year she volunteers her time to run three camps of 50 children each, one of which is just for special-education children. These camps feature a return to natural world, making art from environmental clay, plants, and pigments. Exhibits of art from her students have been shown in many places off the reservation.
In Allen, South Dakota, John Dubray, the original founder of My Buffalo Land's Children, started the Allen Art Project in a basement space of the Allen CAP Office. The young people, under John’s supervision, cleaned up the space and decorated the walls with two murals. The space is now a popular spot for many community events. The Allen Youth have made it their specialty to produce native drums. Their work is now being exhibited and sold both here in the US and in Europe.
But the lack of simple art supplies is a barrier to the selfless missions of both these people. So we are now asking each of you to help these brave leaders of youth on the reservation to continue their art programs with donations to provide art supplies. We especially need supplies in time for the upcoming summer camps. Our goal this year is a total of $5500 for all these school, community, and camp programs.
Donations/contributions to My Buffalo Land's Children may be made by check or money order to One Spirit and sent to:
One Spirit or you may Donate with PayPal
For more information about the program or to donate art supplies, contact:
Rex Hartson
The letter below from John DuBray describes the Allen Program and the original vision: In the south west corner in the state of South Dakota, there is a community called Pass Creek, one of the original nine districts of the Pine Ridge Sioux/Lakota Reservation. The town in the district is called Allen. This Community is made-up of five smaller communities called "Ospiye" These Ospiye are made-up of large extended families called "Tiospiye". These Tiospiye are made-up of small families called "Tiwahe".
In these communities are many young people with visions, dreams, and hope for a better future. They like horseback riding, playing basketball, playing softball, and many things that young people like to do. In this community the love for the horse is rampant. This community is truly a medicine horse community with many of the young people practicing their culture. In this poor socio-economical community the chances of the young reaching their dreams is little or none. By twenty years old they have already given up their hopes and dreams, many times the young look and feel many years past their age. The waste of talent is extremely hard to watch, especially if you love your people the way I do.
These young students of life are very talented. Drawing, painting, quilling, beading, and sculpturing come naturally to these young students of the Pass Creek. I had an art contest at American Horse School and the talent we adults experienced was extraordinary. The natural talent is there with the help of mentors or people who care these youth may possibly seek a career or a life in the world of art. The true meaning of art is create beauty from nothing and this is truly that endeavor.
If this works out for everybody involved the third step would be to create a Pass Creek Youth Center for all our youth to have a safe place to hope and dream. I would like to give the One Spirit Program a "Wopila Tanka" (Big Special Thanks) for taking the time to have faith in our youth. "Hecetuwelo" (so be it).
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