Visit from Garry Rowland of Pine Ridge Reservation
I just returned home from the Grove where we had Garry Rowland of the Lakota people from Pine Ridge Reservation. He is the leader of the Wounded Knee chapter of the American Indian Movement, and also helped start up the Wounded Knee Visitor Center at Pine Ridge. He was also present during the Wounded Knee takeover in the 70’s when the two federal agents were killed.
He spoke for about an hour about the history of Wounded Knee and his people. He spoke of the massacre in 1890 and the takeover from the 70’s. I myself was completely enthralled because of my love for the people at Pine Ridge, and all of the tribes of the first people. And to actually have one sitting here in front of me, speaking for his people and how the U.S. Government has treated them over so many years was extra special. Living in Maryland restricts us from being exposed to much of the Native culture, even with the poor example of it at the new Native American Museum in D.C. Some people think that they know so much about the Native Americans because they read about it in books and such, and own a t-shirt or a drum or two, but I just ignore them.
Mr. Rowland had many things to say, and we listened. I recorded what I could of him, but he was a very soft-spoken man, so it will be hard to hear some of it. He was an elderly man, with the complexion of the survival of his people. He wore a trucker hat with a patch on it from when he was a paratrooper, and two feather pins with colored beads on each side. His entire demeanor made you feel like he had something to say, and when he stood, regardless of his quiet nature, you were respectful, and you heard what he had to say.
I did not take him for a political man, instead a very peaceable one. I did not feel he had anything but a sincere care for his people, and a sadness in his heart from all of the broken promises and treaties of the U.S. Government.
He and I spoke privately several times throughout the day. I had many questions about Wounded Knee and the living conditions of Pine Ridge. I asked about the Goon Squad and the tension between the mixed-blood and the traditionalists of the Lakota people, and he asked about my home. He spoke with me about the Lakota language and taught me some more pieces that I did not know (I speak very little Lakota, as right now my main focus is Cherokee).
We raised over $300 (probably closer to $360, as I made a $60 donation yesterday) to give to his cause, and many people at the Grove were talking about donating more time and money to the reservation and Wounded Knee. I personally would love to take a road trip out there, and hope to do so very soon.
[Download the compressed mp3’s of Garry’s visit.]
On a side note, some of us were outside under the pavilion, as several people were taking a smoke break (I do no smoke). And as we were standing there with Garry, a beautiful hawk swooped down over the sanctuary and landed in a nearby tree. I was also given a birthday present from Caryn, which was a stuffed red-tailed hawk that when you squeezed its belly, it made a hawk cry.
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