The weather was looking 'black' as we headed south, so we stopped at a gas station and donned our wet weather gear, Just past the town of Buffalo Gap, we turned on to Hwy 385 and this led on to Hwy 18 East and took us into the county of Shannon, the home of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
Like many Indian reservations across the country, they are characterised by poverty and the obligatory Casino. Pine Ridge is the home of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and depending on which census data you believe (the government or the local tribal government) the population is anywhere between 28 to 40,000. We stopped at Pine Ridge for fuel and then continued about another 30 kilometers to the historic site of Wounded Knee.
Wounded Knee is the site of the last battle of the American - Indian Wars. In December 1890 about 150 Sioux men, women and children were massacred by the US Army. We visited the mass grave and memorial site. What struck me was how little care had been taken with the site. There were a number of visitors there due to the historical significance of the area, but the roads leading up the hill to the site were like goat tracks - the Harley was bouncing around like a motocross bike and the grave and memorial sites were not tended, overgrown with long grass and weeds. It said a lot to me about the 'downward spiral' the native american culture had taken in recent history. Apparently the site is up for sale and the actor Johnny Depp is considering purchasing it and gifting it back to the tribe. Also poignant at the site was the grave of 'Lost Bird' the baby who survived the massacre and was found underneath her dead mother 2 days later. She died at the age of 29 from influenza and was buried at the site.
After Wounded Knee, we backtracked to Pine Ridge for lunch and then headed south down Hwy 87. We soon crossed the border into Nebraska and rode through the controversial town of Whiteclay.
The Pine Ridge tribal government has banned the sale of alcohol on the reservation (the root of many social issues in the tribe). Whiteclay is just across the state line in Nebraska and only 200 feet from the reservation boundary. The alcohol outlets in the town sell 4.5 million 12oz cans of beer annually (around 12500 per day) mainly to the Oglala. It was really sad riding through to see people lying on boardwalks outside dilapidated buildings, clearly 'out of it' on booze. On the reservation side of the boundary there were a number of 'protest signs' stating that 'alcohol was the enemy' and accusing the town of 'getting rich' from the reservation. It was depressing.
On a happier note, it was a privilege to be part of the 60th wedding anniversary celebration for Chris and Marty Borst (Karla's parents). We were made to feel very welcome by the extended family and and it was great to listen to the stories from 'back in the day' in Nebraska.
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