If She Can Do It, You Can Too

Doris has been sharing a lot about other Lakota women activists who are her role models. One of them is Joann Tall, a Lakota elder in Rapid City. Joann and her colleague formed the Great Plains Restoration Council, an organization dedicated to restoring land to serve as Buffalo Commons so that all native wildlife and ecological processes exist into perpetuity, and to contribute simultaneously to their restoration of Native well-being. “Joann inspired me because she has always been vocal about helping our youth and bringing back our culture,” said Doris. Joann brought Doris into the Great Plains Restoration Council in 2003. Doris worked to engage youth in restoration projects in the Stronghold area of the Badlands National Park. Doris said, “I taught our youth that the buffalo is our connection through the project. I wanted to give them a hope and teach them that we have a purpose here to restore this land and bring buffalo back no matter what struggles we go through. We need to remember that we are a buffalo nation.”

Last Monday, I had a chance to meet Charlotte Black Elk, another Lakota woman activist and Doris’s role model. Charlotte is a descendant of Crazy Horse’s friend, Little Big Man, who threatened to kill any man who advocated selling the Black Hills in 1875. So, when I learned that she is a political and environmental activist for Native rights, and her most passionate work was to have South Dakota’s Black Hills returned to her people, I was not surprised at all. Doris said, “Charlotte spoke publicly about our connection to the Black Hills and our claim to the land. She inspired me to look into the legal field because there are not many Native American women attorneys.”  In fact, Doris started a criminal law class at Oglala Lakota College this fall. She said, “Learning laws is important because it teaches us what our rights are. Without the knowledge, it is hard to challenge things that are done illegally to us.”

When I met Charlotte, she said, “I am not that active anymore. It is time for young people to take over my work. It requires a lot of energy to do the activist work. For Black Hills, it will be another 40 years of work.” Right at that moment, her daughter Dene walked in with her two friends. “She and I can skin a buffalo in 25 minutes. She knows how to use a knife in Lakota way,” said Charlotte.

Later in the evening, Doris introduced me to Dene and her two friends who are Native Canadians from Northwest Territories. I learned that they were just at the 40thanniversary of the historic take over and occupation of Mount Rushmore. I thought, “Here I am, meeting a young Lakota woman and Canadian Native women activists!” I introduced myself and told them that I am profiling Native American women activists in our national parks. They said, “Really!? We wish you were there with us yesterday at Mount Rushmore!” Dene said, “I didn’t go there to be a part of the anniversary. I was there to meet these girls. But next thing I knew was that I was holding a microphone and started talking. I felt that I had to say something.”

We talked for a while about how vital to have role models in our lives who look like us, sound like us and do things that inspire us. “When doing an activist work, we have to love all people no matter what because ultimately we are all one people. We are all connected. We have to remember to bring the connection back to all people,” said one of Dene’s friends.

The best part was that to know these young people are emerging to lead their people. We need more young people like them – smart, passionate, ambitious and filled with love for all people to change the world. When Doris asked if she can take a picture of us, I said, “What a co-incident how we all met tonight!” But they said, “There is no co-incident. We believe it’s all meant to be.” We do our work because we believe in what we are doing. The work inspires me and has led me to new people, new conversations and helped me gain new perspectives. When we take actions by putting our intention and energy out to the world, it makes sense that the universe would guide me to right people, like these young women, and things happen. I received so much energy from them by just talking, laughing and seeing a deep connection among us – a strong aspiration to see a just society for all. I believe that’s possible if we practice seeking out opportunities to learn about worlds that surround us – a vital step to better understand each other and feel connected. It starts right here, within us. It is my job to share stories from this world that you might have never seen or heard. My hope is that by doing so, we all have information to enrich our perspectives so that we can stand by those whose rights are often neglected due to our ignorance.

These young women gave me energy and hope. Working independent sometimes keeps my energy to be stagnant. When you interact with a group of women like them, it gives me more dynamic energy to go on. After two and a half months into my project, I needed it – more than I realized. And I think they are right. It was not a co-incident, it was meant to be.