This is an old blog post from my tumblr, but as I sit at home, look out my window and see all the clumps of snow, bare trees and wet concrete… I am reminded of more beautiful days. Enjoy!
Arriving on the Lakota Reservation was nothing short of surreal. Just seeing simple things like clouds with definition and shape, seeing the sky with three different colors as the sun sets, walking through mountains and climbing to the top to see the view was breathtaking. The scenery matched the spirit of the Lakota people, beautiful, mysterious and rich.
My time in the classroom was the best part of my experience in Kyle. I was the teacher for the older students, ranging from ages 12-18yrs. Listening to their ideas about community and photography and the importance of youth voice gave me goose bumps. Their attentive eyes and ears to share our experiences and a bit about our culture and background made me feel like my role in that moment was highly important, and it made me take my art and my teaching even more seriously than before. My group of students were so dedicated and interested in learning not only analog photography and how to operate the darkroom but how their voice is important and how their art can help them speak out loud. I believe that Cameras for Kids is an experience that my students and I will never forget and one that we hope to return to and share again next summer.
One thing I have studied for the past four years has been Identity. Being on the reservation and learning about Lakota culture helped me have a greater appreciation for history, tradition and family. I went to my first Pow Wow and the culture and legacy was so rich there. One Lakota woman described it as, “We may be poor in the material way but we are rich in culture and history, that is something no one can ever take from us.” As I saw elders and toddlers dance together in their traditional dress to honor the ancestors I was moved to tears. Identity is pivotal to community growth, peace, unity and strength. It made me want this for myself and for my people. African Americans have been displaced from their place of origin, and being able to thoroughly know your history, traditions, ancestral genealogy, and language is a gift that strengthens and empowers. My mom always said if you don’t know where you come from it is hard to know where you’re headed. Somehow I have to obtain that cultural wealth that the Lakota people have for myself and my people. I believe this is my new project and my new mission in life.
The Reservation is a very spiritual place and I felt closer to God while I was there. It’s a place that demands respect, honor and quiet. I have learned on this trip that I have such a high value for silence. Listening is the best way to learn for me and often times, when I wasn’t running away from insects, I was trying to find a place to sit in the silence. It was there that I started thinking about my role in the world and how much of a personal responsibility I have to changing it for the better. I thought about my identity, my family and my people. It made me think about home and my responsibility to it. I spent a lot of time just listening, not only to the stories of the Lakota people but also just to the sound of the wind. The ability to just sit and listen to nature and hear my own thoughts was something I wasn’t privy to in Chicago. In order for me to get this moment to hear my own thoughts or to hear God I usually have to be somewhere near or in a Yoga Studio. Being in Kyle it was natural, it was easy to walk away from the noise and immediately find silence. I appreciated the sacred nature of the grounds we walked and it made think about how every moment and every place I step in life, the found should be sacred. This made me more aware of the present and have a greater appreciation for the now, my humanity is tied to the earth and all those who live on it.
