Letter From Audrey (Black Bull) Wolf about the conditions on the Crow Creek Reservation
Hello Lyle,
A real example of the water/housing crises in Crow Creek is one my sister and her family faces. She is the only one in the household with a job. Her daughter cannot find a job. They cannot use the water to drink. They don't like to use it for bathing and laundering. Her stairs to the basement have collapsed on one side. She can't afford to fix it. She has four grandchildren plus herself and her daughter using these stairs daily.
My sister desperately needs new or used appliances- washer, dryer, stove, and refrigerator. Next year, she plans to move into Chamberlain [South Dakota] and leave the family homestead. That is a real shame because that land has been there for our family for generations now. She has no choice, they need drinkable water and a house fit and safe to live in.
Life is tough on the Reservation, but it also serves as our homeland, our comfort and what it truly means when we say "I'm going home". There are truly ancestor memories and spiritual comfort in the land. If the living conditions do not improve more people will be forced to move away like my sister.
The reservation is our stronghold, our center and source of our culture and spirituality. I live off the rez but I rely on my relatives to be there to carry on and maintain our home. This is now in jeopardy for our family. We who live away help all we can, but lately the economy has affected our families and we now have little to help out at home. Thank you.
Audrey B. Wolf Disbursements Data Compliance Associate Mayo Clinic Supply Chain Management
