Resources for Re-Member Volunteers

+ Expand List

 PACKING FOR THE WEATHER

• Spring and fall volunteers: It may be cold and snowy, or it may be hot. Bring layers!

• In addition to your everyday items, we recommend bringing slippers or foot coverings to wear inside the bunkhouse. If conditions are muddy, you will be asked to leave your shoes at the door.

• Summer volunteers: If you are coming in the summer, chances are it will be hot. It is not uncommon for temperatures to reach upward of 100º during the day but drop to the 50s-60s at night.

• In addition to your everyday items, we recommend packing one set of long pants along with a light jacket or sweatshirt.

• No matter what time of year, be sure to bring a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, and a water bottle!

 LINENS AND TOILETRIES

• While we do provide a clean fitted sheet, we do not provide additional linens or blankets/pillows. Please pack:

  • Sleeping bag OR sheets and blanket, and pillow
  • Towel and washcloth
  • Toiletries

• Some of our volunteers like to sleep outside, under the stars. If you choose to try this, it is also suggested that you bring a tarp, or other form of ground cover, with stakes to hold it down.

 PACKING FOR WORK

• Keep in mind that you may be painting, sanding, staining, or doing any other number of work projects. Do not pack your favorite t-shirt. Bring clothes that can get dirty or even ruined!

 FOOTWEAR

• We require that all volunteers have shoes (sneakers are fine) for our work projects and workshop. Sandals are fine at other times. Again, please also bring slippers or footwear for inside the facilities in case we have muddy conditions.

 TOOLS AND SAFETY EQUIPMENT

• You do not need to bring any tools. We have abundant safety equipment, including safety-glasses/goggles, ear plugs, and dust masks. We do recommend that you bring your own work gloves to ensure a proper fit.

 MONEY

• While all meals, accommodations, and transportation during your stay are included in your trip cost, there are opportunities to purchase crafts from local crafters and artists. This is entirely optional. For many residents on Pine Ridge, the sale of crafts is their sole source of income.

• If you think you may be interested in purchasing crafts, please bring some cash with you as we do not have easy access to banks or ATMs and most artists are unable to cash non-local checks, or process credit/debit cards.

 OTHER

• Camera; reading/writing material.

 WHAT NOT TO BRING

• Clothing or items with “Indian” logos of any kind, or “Indian-type” apparel. These may be viewed as offensive by the residents of Pine Ridge. Similarly, we ask that clothing with wording / pictures which could be construed as overt proselytizing be avoided too.

• Also, in keeping with cultural beliefs, we respectfully ask that you do not wear clothing of a revealing nature (i.e. spaghetti strap or low-cut tops, crop-tops, short-shorts, etc.) while out on a work crew. This, too, may be viewed as disrespectful and offensive by some of the residents. In general, the rule of thumb is modesty and respect.

• Volunteers will not have internet access, so please leave your tablets and laptops at home!

+ Suggested Books

• On the Rez by Ian Frazier: A contemporary book about life on Pine Ridge from a white man’s perspective. You will enjoy reading about and then encountering many locations.

• Neither Wolf nor Dog, The Wolf at Twilight and The Girl Who Sang To The Buffalo by Kent Nerburn: Well-written books about the author’s encounters with Lakota people; provides insight into present day thoughts on Pine Ridge.

• The Earth Shall Weep by James Wilson: A history of North American Indigenous peoples, written from their perspective. It provides great insight into the effect of the European invasion of the Americas.

• Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown: For decades, this has been the definitive book about the Western Indian tribes generally and the Lakota particularly, and covers their history from the mid-1850’s to the massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890.

• The Moon of Popping Trees by Rex Allen Smith: This is another account of the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre, and provides a slightly different take on the event, with references to many articles and documents of the day.

• In the Spirit of Crazy Horse by Peter Matthiesson: The story of the 1975 shooting of two FBI agents on Pine Ridge and the subsequent trial of AIM activist Leonard Peltier.

• Crazy Horse and Custer by Stephen E. Ambrose: Written by the noted historian, tells the story of both men and the events that drew them together.

• God is Red: A Native View of Religion by Vine Deloria, Jr. – A comparison between Native religion and both Judaism and Christianity, although he paints both with broad strokes, it presents a powerful challenge to some Christian doctrine.

• Custer Died for Your Sins: an Indian Manifesto by Vine Deloria, Jr.: Covers both Native spirituality and the anger that permeates the lives of many Native Americans today.

• Gift of Power: the Life and Teachings of a Lakota Holy Man by Chief Archie Fire Lame Deer: A story of transformation from anger and survival to redemption as a holy man.

• Black Elk Speaks, transcribed by John C. Neihardt: This is a very famous text by the most famous Lakota Holy Man, as transcribed by John Neihardt. Re-Member’s volunteer groups eat at the restaurant owned by Black Elk’s great granddaughter, near the location where this text was dictated.

• Wounded Knee II by Rolland Dewing: A thorough history of the events of 1973 when the American Indian Movement (AIM) occupied the village of Wounded Knee. The effects of this period are still evident on the reservation today.

• Travels In A Stone Canoe: The Return to the Wisdom Keepers by Harvey Arden and Steve Wall; Wisdom Keepers: Meeting with Native American Spiritual Elders by Steve Wall; Wisdom’s Daughters: Conversations with Women Elders of Native America by Steve Wall; Noble Red Man: Lakota Wisdom Keeper Matthew King by Harvey Arden: The authors write extensively about their encounter with contemporary Native American spiritual elders.

• Meditations with the Lakota by Paul Steinmetz: Prayers, songs and stories of healing and harmony.

• The Sacred Pipe: Black Elk's Account of the Seven Rites of the Oglala Lakota, by Joseph Epes Brown: An explanation of the sacred rights of the Lakota religion.

• Walking in the Sacred Manner / Madonna Swan / Of Uncommon Birth by Mark St. Pierre with his wife, Tilda Long Soldier. The 1st is about Lakota women, spirituality and healing. The 2nd discusses an exceptional Lakota woman; and the 3rd tells the story of two South Dakota soldiers during the Vietnam War; one Lakota, one white.

• The Lakota Way by Joseph M. Marshall III. Stories and lessons for living.

• Not For Sale by Kevin Hancock. A journal about a personal journey of discovery in the land of the Lakota.

+ Suggested Films

• Smoke Signals: Gives you a sense of life on a reservation. Skins: By the same director as Smoke Signals, it is about Pine Ridge and was primarily filmed there.

• Incident at Oglala: Produced by Robert Redford, this is an outstanding documentary about Leonard Peltier and events during and immediately following the occupation of Wounded Knee in 1973 by the American Indian Movement.

• Thunderheart: This is loosely based upon the events detailed in Incident at Oglala and was filmed here on Pine Ridge. Jerome High Horse, our Construction Manager, was an extra in this film.

• Dances with Wolves: This is a beautifully filmed movie and very well done. Some of the residents on Pine Ridge say that they got the dialect wrong in the movie. This is also typical of Hollywood, in that the focus of the movie is on the love affair between two Euro-Americans who ride off together, leaving the Native people to their fate.

• American Indian Homelands: Matters of Truth, Honor and Dignity-Immemorial: Narrated by Sam Donaldson, an excellent documentary about land issues on Indian Reservations. Can be hard to find.

• The West, 500 Nations, and Into the West: These three series, by Ken Burns, Kevin Costner and Steven Spielberg respectively provide multiple historical perspectives, each for different reasons.

• Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: Produced by HBO in May 2007, this film focuses on Henry Dawes, the allotment of land for farming by Indians, and the Massacre at Wounded Knee.

• Dreamkeeper: A 2003 film about a Lakota Elder and Storyteller and conflicts with his grandson about traditional vs. contemporary ways and life on the Rez.

• NOTE: Some of these movies may contain violence and content which, although culturally relevant, could be difficult or inappropriate for young viewers. We suggest that Group Leaders pre-screen movies before showing them to the entire group.