{"id":36935,"date":"2024-03-28T17:50:12","date_gmt":"2024-03-28T22:50:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/crst-member-honored-at-50th-anniversary-of-lakota-survival-school\/"},"modified":"2024-03-28T17:50:14","modified_gmt":"2024-03-28T22:50:14","slug":"crst-member-honored-at-50th-anniversary-of-lakota-survival-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/crst-member-honored-at-50th-anniversary-of-lakota-survival-school\/","title":{"rendered":"CRST member honored at 50th Anniversary of Lakota Survival School"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/span><\/div>
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Madonna Thunder Hawk and her daughter Marcella Gilbert<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

On February 26, 2024, the Warrior Women Project hosted a day-long reunion in Rapid City and an oral history gathering of the We Will Remember Survival School (WWRSS) to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the school. The celebration honored co-founder Madonna Thunder Hawk (Wicahpi Luta Win, Cheyenne River Lakota) with a uniquely designed Star Quilt which included a flag representing WWRSS and a Wounded Knee 1973 flag. She also received an abundant bouquet of fresh flowers and an honor song by Keith Janis.<\/p>\n

Thunder Hawk has been repeatedly recognized for her role in the American Indian Movement (AIM) and for her tireless commitment to justice for all Native Americans. She said, \u201cThis (WWRSS anniversary celebration) was the best honor for me EVER, because it came from the Survival School participants.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 1974, Madonna Thunder Hawk co-founded the WWRSS in Rapid City as a space for cultural revitalization and as an alternative to mainstream education. The survival school students chose to name the school \u2018We Will Remember\u201d to honor those who stood against the US government at Wounded Knee 1973 and all Wounded Knee Veterans.<\/p>\n

Designed to respond to the needs of Native American children and youth experiencing racism and intolerance within the local public school system, it was the first alternative education setting in South Dakota. WWRSS became part of a national network that included a federation of survival schools, mostly young people who participated fully in the revolution of cultural revitalization.<\/p>\n

On March 9, 2024, the Native Sun News Today (NSNT) spoke with Thunder Hawk (MTH) and her daughter Marcella Gilbert (MG), who was a teen student at the WWRSS and helped to organize the anniversary celebration. Together they related a powerful history of the WWRSS and revealed themselves to be two excellent examples of \u201cWomen Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion\u201d \u2013 the theme of this year\u2019s National Women\u2019s History Month Celebration.<\/p>\n

The following are direct quotes from the two strong, smart, brave Lakota women.<\/p>\n

MTH: \u201cAfter Wounded Knee \u201973, (AIM) started working with the Wounded Knee Legal Defense\/Offense Committee. Many AIM families were in Rapid City with their children for court and legal matters, sometimes for extended periods of time. The children were not welcome in the public schools. My ten-year-old son, Philip Gilbert, said, \u2018We need our own school.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

MG: \u201cEverything with the school was impromptu and happened very organically. We started with studying the 1868 Treaty \u2013 everyone in the school had to know about it and what it meant for our time. It meant we (Native Americans) had a nation-to-nation relationship with the US government. It meant we had POWER! \u2026 The curriculum at the school was based on Native identity \u2013 who we were and what that meant\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter Wounded Knee \u201973, there was international awareness of AIM. The AIM house in Rapid City became a point of contact for national and international individuals and groups who were interested in and supportive of AIM. They sent us donations and letters of support. Those of us students who knew how to read and write would respond to the letters and give updates on our activities. It developed into a pen pal situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe (organically) developed a student exchange program with other Native survival schools. Students from other schools would come to visit us and some of us would go to visit them. We learned about many other Native cultures on Turtle Island (North America) \u2026A young man from Germany came and stayed a while during the summer for several years\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

NSNT NOTE: The WWRSS eventually moved to the Pine Ridge Reservation to land owned by MTH\u2019s in-laws. The curriculum continued to evolve organically in response to the students\u2019 interests and needs. All curricula related to the current issues of that time.<\/p>\n

MTH: \u201cEverything we did related to the AIM. It was all about taking care of one another, protecting, and revitalizing the culture. We brought ceremonies back into the open after the ceremonies had been illegal for decades. We reclaimed our religious freedom. Everywhere we went, we always went with a prayer.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 1978, Dennis Banks organized the first \u2018Longest Walk\u2019 from Alcatraz Island to the White House to bring attention to the issues of Native Americans. Students from the WWRSS participated in the walk for 3 \u2013 4 months. They joined the walk in Indiana and were there when the walk arrived in Washington, D.C.\u2026 It was their decision to do the walk. We treated our young people as being capable (of making decisions). They understood the issues and how important (the walk) was. \u2026You gotta respect young people. They will surprise you\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was still a lot of responsibility at home so I stayed to do the things needed at home. Young adults in their late teens and early twenties were the \u2018moccasins on the ground\u2019 (on the walk). Older students and volunteers looked after the younger students.\u201d<\/p>\n

MG: \u201cIt was AMAZING. As a teenager, it was so much to take in! People from all over the world participated. There were Asian Buddhists who came to walk and we met tribal people from many Native Nations who welcomed and allowed us to walk through their land. \u2026We learned so much about different tribal protocols. \u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter the walk, we went directly from Washington, D.C. to Havanna, Cuba for the 11th<\/sup> World Festival of Youth and Students\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Madonna Thunder Hawk and Maria Kaan in Rotterdam<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

NSNT Note: The 11th World Festival of Youth and Students was held from July 28 \u2013 August 5, 1978. Attended by 18,500 young people from 145 countries, this was the first time the festival was held in the western hemisphere. For the opening ceremony, thousands of young people from around the world marched three kilometers through the main avenues of the capital towards the Latin American Stadium where the ceremony was held. It ended with a huge demonstration in the historic Plaza de la Revoluci\u00f3n Jos\u00e9 Mart\u00ed.<\/p>\n

NSNT: \u201cWho funded your travel to Washington, D.C. and to Cuba?\u201d<\/p>\n

MTH: \u201cWe didn\u2019t have to do fundraising. When our students walked to Washington, D.C. with Dennis Banks, local religious groups along the way would offer lodging and meals. Cities would allow us to camp in their parks. They came to us. \u2026 It was (a sign of) the times. The rest of the country was on the move (along with us). We were working with the anti-war movement, the no nukes movement, the environmental movement. AIM leaders were meeting with leaders all over the world. \u00a0We had contacts nationally and internationally. We were working with the Black Hills Alliance and the Women of All Red Nations. People came to us with support and donations. \u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cOne reason our survival school was successful was that most of the students were bilingual (as children they learned their Lakota language along with English). They understood both worlds (the Native world and the Euro-American world.)<\/p>\n

MG: \u201cI attended WWRSS from eighth grade until the school disbanded in 1981. Then I went to Job Corps and completed my GED. From my survival school experience, I had the confidence to know that I was smart enough to do it. After earning my GED, I earned my B.S. in Community Health Education and master\u2019s degree in nutrition from SD State University. My brother Philip Gilbert got his GED and then became a carpenter with a certification as an electrician. Many survival school students went on to earn their GED and go on to higher education \u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cMy survival school experience also trained me to be a life-long activist. You have no choice. Once you learn this stuff, you can\u2019t unlearn it.\u201d<\/p>\n

NSNT: Why did WWRSS disband?<\/p>\n

MTH: \u201cTwo reasons: First, there was an epidemic of spontaneous abortions on the Pine Ridge Reservation (where the school was located). Many women were losing their babies between two and four months of pregnancy. The doctors carelessly said, \u201cIt could be anything (causing the epidemic).\u201d<\/p>\n

One doctor dismissed the crisis with, \u201cIt could be a lack of personal hygiene (among the native mothers),\u201d revealing his ignorance and racism. This extremely offensive statement motivated Women of All Red Nations (WARN) to find the truth.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cWith help from the Black Hills Alliance, WARN arranged for water testing in the area and learned that the water was contaminated with nuclear waste and unsafe. That\u2019s one reason the school disbanded.<\/p>\n

\u201cSecond, the WWRSS students were \u2018aging out\u2019 and the SD public schools began to offer alternative education.<\/strong><\/p>\n

MG: \u201cWe (WWRSS students) returned to our families and lived our lives knowing we could do and be more. Many former students came to the 50th<\/sup> anniversary celebration and showed great respect and admiration for Madonna. She had an impact. She changed young people\u2019s lives. One said, \u2018She taught me WHO I AM and taught me to be proud of who I am.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Elizabeth Castle, the director of the Warrior Women Project, said, \u201cThe survival school movement is an obvious powerful response to a boarding school initiative, to surviving an unrecognized genocide.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the website (www.warriorwomen.org\/<\/a>), \u201cThe Warrior Women Project is dedicated to preserving, amplifying, and sharing the untold stories and ongoing legacy of Indigenous Women\u2019s activism\u2026\u00a0 Our mission is to empower these warrior women\u2019s stories, ensuring their contributions to social justice are both accessible and inspirational for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Project is actively seeking former students of the WWRSS school to contribute to an oral history project about the school. These stories of resistance and empowerment are being recorded to ensure they are preserved for generations to come. Once archived, the stories will inform curricula and teaching tools, ensuring that the legacy of Indian-led decolonizing education can be passed on to future generations.<\/p>\n

Community financial support is needed to preserve this little-known chapter in the history of decolonizing education. To contribute to the oral history project and\/or donate financial support, contact the project through their website.<\/p>\n

(Contact Grace Terry at angelsabide.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The post CRST member honored at 50th Anniversary of Lakota Survival School<\/a> first appeared on Native Sun News Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>

Visit Original Source<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/span><\/div>

Madonna Thunder Hawk and her daughter Marcella Gilbert On February 26, 2024, the Warrior Women Project hosted a day-long reunion in Rapid City and an oral history gathering of the We Will Remember Survival School (WWRSS) to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the school. The celebration honored <\/p>\n

Read More<\/a>
Shared by Native Sun News Today<\/a> March 28, 2024<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>","protected":false},"author":1541,"featured_media":36937,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5627],"tags":[10105,3222],"class_list":["post-36935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-resource-directory-blog","tag-archive","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1541"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36935"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36935\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}