Opening eyes at Lakota Homes

Opening eyes at Lakota Homes

By Joseph Budd

Native Sun News Today Staff Writer

 

RAPID CITY – The last time Delaney Apple put an event together, down in Kyle, the response was well received. So the next one he decided on, with a bit of prayer, was to bring a project to the Lakota Homes and the kids in this area.

“We camp out a lot. (Its) natural to go camp out. A lot of support, got a plan together, went from there.” Delaney would say, of the new project that was put in motion.

Last year, in north rapid he was a key force in developing a Wotakuye Gluwasakapi, focused on the 4 day prayer and healing, “a fire camp, at the ABC Apartments.” The reception? The residents, who a majority live in north rapid, responded well. Prayers, singing, listening to the drums, it helped. Several people would have loved to do it again, but “this was in November, with the cold weather, so they aimed for late spring, before the schools got out. The Horses, the youth seemed to find a good place with.” He also mentioned, that with the timing of the event, had he not been able to have both the camp and the horses, at the location, he wouldn’t have done it.

Being at the camp, already into the second day, there was a lot of activity. Kids were both on horseback, milling around parents, elders with blankets, the main fire, which according to Apple, “Once we set the fire, it will burn the full four days” but also mentioned that they have a couple of fire men who come by and both make sure the fire pit is in good condition, but also the pits in each tipi are good…good forward thinking regarding the camp.

The mentioning of the four, held a strong tie-in for Apple, regarding the Lakota roots. “Four, it has a strong tie in to the Lakota, four days, four tipis, We pray first in the morning, burn cedar, burn sage. With the kids, we start with the fun stuff, then show them the prayers, the customs. Hope to get the word out to other tribes in the state.” He did also mention, that earlier, they did have some kids come up to visit from Pine Ridge and locally, but tomorrow, they would have kids coming up from Crow Creek and Rosebud as well, helping spread out the event to others. When asked if he thought it could be done, say on a seasonal basis, he said “he’d love to do that, might take a bit more planning in the winter season, but he did mention taking part in the Big Foot rides, in December. “For those rides, you’d travel in cold weather on horseback, follow the trails, camp at night.”

He also told about how they happened to have the horses, and how they were able to bring so many horses to the Camp. With some connections, from a Percy White Plume from Manderson, they have a non-profit group, called Horse Spirit Society, which helps horses heal as well.

Part of the deeper story, Apple had his own reasons for establishing these camps. He had worked in construction, but after working with long hours and not being able to help many people, he was able to go back to helping people, working through things with chemical dependency, which in turn started with him setting up the first fire camp.

With that, a little light in a world needing to find their culture, battle depression, and help the generations come together again.

“With the first event, about 100 people a day would show up, in November, even with the coldness, a lot of people wanted to stop losing people. Drugs, depression, suicide, help people find their connection to their people, it helps. Find relatives with the native community. Stop hurting each other. Our children are the ones that suffer, it reflects on them ten times. The songs, the drums, the language, all has the power to help create the environment. For the people to find something they are lacking. Keep making spaces, to help reach.” Apple mentioned that ride now, there’s 30 to 40 riders, kids waiting to ride, based off of 20-24 horses, but he figured with school in session, come the weekend, there would be more kids coming out on the weekend. “Local kids are thrilled to have this nearby.” He also mentioned that for kids, it’s a kick to sleep in a tipi for a change. Primarily, kids 12-17 years of age would need to register at the camp, and kids under the age of 10, would need to have an adult with them to sign off too. Aiding Apple, he mentioned the help from the Great Plains was able to give some help, NDN Collective donated the tipis for the four days, as well the Horse therapy group, for the transport of the horses. Even mentioned the cooks who donated their time for everyone, preparing food.

 

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