Brown prairie grass hid headstones and decaying wooden crosses with chipped white paint that bore scrawled names of those long gone. A tree branch held a tattered American flag, an improvised staff, the only thing that rose high enough to distinguish the area from any other.
A prairie rattlesnake was a more likely visitor to this sacred land than a mourning family member.
That day in July 2007 wasn’t the first time Larry Cortez had seen the rundown graveyard on the Crow Creek Reservation in western South Dakota.
Each one was a good day to die. For 71 days in late winter and early spring of 1973 shots were fired in anger at Wounded Knee, South Dakota, between federal marshals and members of the American Indian Movement.
"After Wounded Knee we became warriors again," said Dennis Banks, one of the leaders of the AIM occupiers and subject of the soon-to-be-released film, "A Good Day to Die."
Winona Frozen River Film Festival audiences had a chance to preview the film and ask questions of Banks at festival showings of "A Good Day To Die."
For millennia before Europeans settled in North America, the indigenous peoples of this continent flourished with vibrant cultures and were the original stewards of the land. From generation to generation, they handed down invaluable cultural knowledge and rich traditions, which continue to thrive in Native American communities across our country today. Click here to read the entire proclimation by President Obama
Friends Mourn Red Cloud (10/13/2010) Red Wing Republican Eagle , Red Wing, Minn. by Mike Longaecker
Red Wing, Minn.– When you heard American Indian singing and drumming around the Prairie Island Indian Community in recent years, you could bet Winfred Red Cloud was near.
When there were spiritual blessings to be made around town, he was the man. And when young people or outsiders had questions about traditional native culture, they often turned to Red Cloud.
Fountain, Statue Dedication Bridges Cultures (09/19/2010) Waabasha Herald, Wabasha, Minn. by Michael Smith
Wabasha, Minn.– “A Bridging of Cultures” took place on the Wabasha riverfront Saturday morning, and it was merely the latest in a long line of historic events that have renewed the city and restored a riverfront along America’s artery.
The Fountain and Statue of Chief Wapahasha II that now grace the riverfront at the foot of Pembroke Avenue were dedicated Saturday morning by John and Marcia Bouquet, who gifted this work to the City of Wabasha in honor and memory of their parents. John’s parents, Dr. B. J. and Dorothy Bouquet, grew up here and loved this city, while Marcia’s parents, Gus and Vivian Marmesh, also were known to love Wabasha and spent a lot of time here.
