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National Geographic Magazine: The Oglala-Sioux Nation, July 2008 (19 images)

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  • Inside the museum commemorating the Wounded Knee occupation of 1973. The occupation, organized by members of the AIM, was in protest to the rising violence against civil and political rights activitists on the Pine Ridge reservation in the 1970s.

  • Henry Red Cloud walks amongst this herd of buffalo on the Pine Ridge reservation. The buffalo is an essential part of the Lakota identify - they are known as The Buffalo Nation - and increasingly families on the reservation are adopting new herds as a eay to bring the buffalo back. Small entrepreneurs are also starting to develop markets for buffolo meat by selling it to local markets and even processing it as a packaged snack food.

  • An Indian Painted Horse on a Pine Ridge praire. The Painted Horse was the Lakota's selling horse and over time became associated with the Lakota and many other Indian nations. Today there is an effort to rejuvenate the role of the horse in Lakota society, though this has been made more difficult by the recent devaluing of such horses because of closures of slaughter houses in many States. Nevertheless, the Indian Painted Horse remains an integral part of the idea of the Lakota Nation.

  • Inside the Rosebud Casino, near the Nebraska South Dakota State line. Most of the customers at this establishment are Nebraska residents who come across as gambling is banned in their state. ..Many tribal governments have seen substantial improvements in their ability to provide public services to their members, building schools, making infrastructural improvements, and shoring up the loss of native traditions...Tribal gaming operations have not been without controversy, however. Some studies suggest that the presence of gambling establishments on reservations has led to an increase in the rate of compulsive gambling on reservations.

  • 'Buka' Blue Thunder's family and friends commemorate 1 year of his death at a Wiping of Tears Ceremony. 'Buka' was killed in unknown circumstances after spending a night out with his friends at a bar. On this day the family unviels the tombstone and ends their 365 days of mourning. Many families continue to bury their loved ones on family lands, even if these lands are far from population centers and their homes.

  • Inside the Sculptor's Studio at Mount Rushmore, built in 1939 under the direction of Borglum, now a visitor's museum ? a display of unique plaster models and tools related to the sculpting.

  • Portrait of Russell Means. Often derided for his celebrity, and ridiculed for his sense of self righteousness, Russell Means nevertheless is one of the most visible faces of what was once the American Indian Movement (AIM). It was his recent declaration of the independence of the Lakota Indian Nation that drew attention once again to the plight of the Lakota on reservations like Pine Ridge. Though lacking support in the reservations, and largely ignored by his fellow Lakota, Russell Means fought for the cause of his people and though has renounced his reliance on violence continues to do so today through other means.

  • Lakota boys from the Pine Ridge Reservation prepare to compete at the 3MC rodeo in Pine Ridge. Rodeo competitions are

  • Street scene in the infamous town of White Clay. Lying just 2 kilometers south of Pine Ridge and across the Nebraska State line, White Clay is the only place near the reservation where one can officially purchase alcohol (though bootleg alcohol is available on the reservation itself). Consisting of no more than a handful of convenience and liquor stores (most of the bars have long since closed), it's streets have an ominous air as drug men and drug addicts mill around the streets looking to beg or solicit for some cash.

  • Street scene in the town of Keystone on the outskirts of Mount Rushmore showing a tourist store selling what it calls 'Indian arts and crafts'. The Black HIlls, sacred to the Lakota and site of Mount Rushmore, are an important source of tourism revenue for the state of South Dakota. In particular, the 'Western Towns' such as Deadwood, Keystone and others, bring in millions of visitors each year to experience the old style 'American West'. And in the 'American West' the Lakota and other Indian nations continue to be represented as 'The Noble Savage' image - on horse back, living in tipis, sporting massive feathered head gear and such. All evidence of the modern history of the Lakota, their struggle and their current reality are absent from places like Keystone, Deadwood and other 'Western' tourism towns.

  • Signs mark sites of road accidents and deaths. The reservations roads are notorious for accidents and drunk drivers.

  • A view from a workmen's site of the Crazy Horse memorial. ..The mountain carving was begun in 1948 by sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski, who had worked on Mt. Rushmore under Gutzon Borglum. In 1939, Ziolkowski had received a letter from Chief Henry Standing Bear, which stated in part "My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know that the red man has great heroes, too". ..As a non-profit undertaking, the memorial receives no federal or state funding. Ziolkowski was offered $10 million from the federal government on two occasions, but he turned the offers down. Ziolkowski felt the project was more than just a mountain carving, and he feared that his plans for the broader educational as well as cultural goals for the memorial would be left behind with federal involvement.[2]..Ziolkowski died in 1982. The entire complex is owned by the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation. Ziolkowski's wife Ruth and several children remain closely involved with the work, which has no fixed completion date.[1] The face of Crazy Horse was completed and dedicated in 1998...(Wikipedia)

  • At the Black Hills State University Pow Wow, a participant applies his colors and prepares to dance. ..A modern pow-wow is a specific type of event where both Native American and non-Native American people meet to dance, sing, socialize, and honor American Indian culture. There is generally a dancing competition, often with significant prize money awarded. Pow-wows vary in length from one day session of 5 to 6 hours to three days. Major pow-wows or pow-wows called for a special occasion can be up to one week long...The term also has been used to describe any gathering of Native Americans of any tribe, and as such is occasionally heard in older Western movies. The word has also been used to refer to a meeting, especially a meeting of powerful people such as officers in the military. However, such use can also be viewed as disrespectful to Native culture.


  • Roping a bucking bull..Rodeos are an important youth activity as they not only offer the kids something to do, but also allow them to regain their skills with horses and other animals.

  • Scene at a typical dwelling and family compound in the Pine Ridge Reservation. John, a Pine Ridge resident, takes an afternoon smoke outside this house. Most family homes consist of a closely placed collection of trailer homes and single-story timber frame houses. There severe lack of housing on the reservation forces people to find any makeshift dwelling that they can, including abandoned cars.

  • Dusk over a church. A Pine Ridge landscape with a small wooden Episcopalean church on a hill. The church has played a variety of roles in the history fo the subjugation of the Lakota indians. Many on the reservation view the various churches with reservation, but others see them as a source of strength and a vital part of their Lakota identity. Today they are also at the fore front of the revitalization of the Lakota culture for example at institutions like the Red Cloud School in Pine Ridge.

  • Young Lakota rodeo cowboys prepare before the start of an event. ..Rodeos are an important youth activity as they not only offer the kids something to do, but also allow them to regain their skills with horses and other animals.

  • A view from a family home on Pine Ridge of a father and child on their family compound.