Being Lakota: Identity and Tradition on Pine Ridge Reservation

Description

Being Lakota explores contemporary Lakota identity and tradition through the life-story narratives of Melda and Lupe Trejo. Melda Trejo| nee Red Bear (1939-)| is an Oglala Lakota from Pine Ridge Reservation| while Lupe Trejo (1938-99) is Mexican and a long-time resident at Pine Ridge. In their forty years together| the Trejos raised eleven children| supported themselves as migrant workers| and celebrated their lives and cultural heritage. Conversations between this Lakota/Mexican couple and scholar Larissa Petrillo convey key aspects of the couple’s everyday life: what it means to be an Indian and Lakota; how they negotiate their different ethnic identities; their feelings about recent concerns with appropriating Lakota religious practices and beliefs; and the tenets of Lakota spirituality that shape their perceptions and actions. These issues are highlighted as they talk about their experiences setting up a Sundance ceremony. In the late 1980s they began holding a Sundance on the Red Bear family’s land near Allen| South Dakota| and the ceremony was dedicated to Lupe after his death. Being Lakota deepens our understanding of modern Lakota life and affords a memorable glimpse of the choices and paths taken by individuals in a Native community. It also serves to explore new approaches to collaborative ethnography| with reflections on learning to work well in a Native community.