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| My Buffalo Land's Children |
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One of the most important aspects of One Spirit's work is to support the continuation of the Lakota cultural traditions while helping youth develop their talents and believe in their hopes and dreams. We support the leaders and youth of Pine Ridge to build programs that will change the 70% high school drop out rate to 70% completion and make teenage suicide something that does not happen on the reservation. The programs and plans for "My Buffalo Land's Children" have been developed by the adults and youth to meet a serious need. They provide learning opportunities, affirm a positive self-concept, and present an exciting vision of the future.
Among the Lakota, it is more honorable to touch the enemy than to kill them. The warriors here are carrying coup sticks instead of bows and arrows. The feathers in the coup sticks show the number of enemies touched. The dragonflies show that when a warrior is fired on, he becomes like a dragonfly and goes in many different directions. The green line indicates hope for the people and the four hand prints represent the colors of mankind on this earth. The buffalo skull shows the Black hills in the back ground and in front is Pine Ridge, home of the Buffalo people. The turtle represents long life.
The Lakota Guide is a 16 X 40 acrylic on canvas, ledger style painting by well known artist Merle Locke, a mentor in the Buffalo Children's Program.
For ONE Spirit, My Buffalo Land's Children is a unique way of working with the Lakota people that exemplifies our philosophy of supporting their initiatives. Art programs, learning centers, sports, music, horseback rides, mentoring are all part of the community's plan to provide real hope and support for the youth. This program started with the Allen Art Project and is now spreading to other areas of the reservation.
The Art Project began in a basement space of the Allen CAP Office. The young people, under the supervision of John DuBray, 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.
We would like to invite you to join us in One Spirit's Youth program, My Buffalo Land's Children. We are expanding the art program to include schools on the reservation as well as summer camps. We need donations of art supplies for all programs. The summer camps are attended by approximately 150 students from four different schools on the reservation including Wolf Creek, Bates land, Rockyford, and Red Shirt. Below is a list of the art supplies currently needed. The youth programs are continuously run. SUPPLIES NEEDED FOR THE CAMPS SUPPLIES NEEDED FOR THE YOUTH ART PROGRAM IN ALLEN Donations/contributions to My Buffalo Land's Children may be made by check or money order to ONE/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:
Shelly Shipman OR
Kim Jones
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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