Saturday was our day for screenings. Rosie very kindly offered to host us at the trading post and put out an announcement on the store’s Facebook page that we would be offering screenings while taking all of the required COVID-19 precautions. We set up next to the store and planned to give out school supplies with screenings. While certainly not the same volume of screenings as at the pow wow or the Indian relays, we did have a steady trickle with some breaks in between. We were able to share results with a few previous screening participants that showed improvement in cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure. We also met some great people, and the students did a great job as usual. It is great to be back doing this, even if it is on a much smaller scale. We will take what we can get and be happy about it!
After a siesta, we decided to try to catch the sunset at Red Shirt Table. The sunset is a vivid orange from the wildfire smoke so it is particularly beautiful this year. We made it in plenty of time, and the students spent some time at the edge of the overlook taking in the most sweeping view of the Badlands and of course, taking A LOT of photos. I decided to walk down after talking to Jim on the phone, and stood at the edge breathing it all in, looking, and listening. To my surprise, I was able to hear the distant drum beat from a family’s sundance ceremony. Wow! This is always a favorite spot on the reservation—for the students as well.
Sunday dawned bright and early for one student and myself. I woke up at 5:30am to a persistent knock on my cabin door. After fumbling with the door in my sleep clouded state, I found that a student had cut her foot. She had gotten up to go to the bathroom and snagged her sock on a carpet nail, slicing her foot open and peeling back the skin for a nasty looking, three-inch long wound. After talking to her about the first aid kit and getting fully awake, I made the decision to take her to Rapid City to urgent care. I didn’t think that they would be able to stitch it because of how the skin was torn, but did feel that it needed to be assessed and evaluated beyond our basic first aid kit. We left at approximately 6:30am and made it to Rapid just as the urgent care had opened (and after hitting a bird on the way—this will come up again later!). She was seen very quickly and in was in and out of the urgent care within 30-40 minutes. She was initially told that she wouldn’t need stitches, but after further assessment, she ended up with 4 stitches and a tetanus shot. Not a great start to her Sunday, but she handled it like a champ and has been a trooper throughout. We picked up a few more supplies, some caffeine for me, and headed back to the rez. At the checkpoint to come back on to the rez, one of the border guards kept pointing to the front of the Suburban. I couldn’t figure out what this was about until the other guard came to the window and said, “You know you have a bird in your grill, right?” and then proceeded to pluck it out barehanded and throw it in the weeds. No, I didn’t know, and we drove around Rapid with said dead bird in the grill. After profuse thanks to the border guards for taking care of this issue for us, we made it back to the trading post without any further excitement.
Our plan for this day was our beading lesson from Jessica. The other students had just started when we returned. This group really enjoyed and got into the beading more so than any other group that I have brought. Jessica is a great teacher—patient and kind in her approach. The students ended up beading for most of the day with several finishing 2 or 3 bracelets. One student even purchased supplies so that she could continue to bead after the trip. This day of quiet focus was exactly what was needed after the hectic morning. Our evening activity included a visit to the Wounded Knee Massacre site. We spent some time in the cemetery in quiet reflection as a visit is supposed to be. The wind is always blowing here and with that comes a sense of troubled, restless energy—this is a spot where terrible things happened that should never be forgotten.
Nursing Students at Pine Ridge 