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MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2003

"[A]s many times as we are told how poor, disease-ridden and in need of rehabilitation we are, there are just as many that remind us there is a world beyond what outsiders see and read about in the newspapers. So many of the articles - for example, The Wall Street Journal's story on Dec 26, "A Principal Battles Legacy of Failure At Indian School" - are too predictable and don't say anything new. Few examine reservations other than Pine Ridge, S.D. That reservation has become a negative example of a "typical" Indian reservation.

If you combine their ages, my mother and aunt have spent a total of 165 years on the reservation. Neither they nor their deceased husbands indulged in alcohol. Not only did they raise big gardens and run cattle and horses, they also nurtured large families.

Like my grandmother, my aunt is a keeper of the traditions - it is her strength and law. But she isn't the only one. There are many older people on the reservation, and at Pine Ridge, I would say, who have a greater understanding of life and the world around them than even the great philosophers in history. They have learned to live with what was dealt them, and they handle it quietly but with courage.

Many of these older people have a rich knowledge of healing, culture and ways of life.

Ah, yes, there is another story to be told about the people on reservations. But those big-city reporters need to get past their own stereotypes first. Then, they can find the real story."

Get the Story:
DORREEN YELLOW BIRD COLUMN: Real stories of reservation life lie with people (The Grand Forks Herald 1/4)

More Yellow Bird:
Yellow Bird: We can learn from TIME report (12/23)
Yellow Bird: Happy Birthday, Mom (12/17)
Yellow Bird: Grandmother Moon (12/16)
Yellow Bird: Include Natives in plan (12/10)
Yellow Bird: Walking a different path (12/9)
Yellow Bird: An Indian Martha Stewart (11/18)
Yellow Bird: The dangers of smoking (11/12)
Yellow Bird: Worry about GOP control (11/11)
Yellow Bird: It's cold but it's home (11/5)
Yellow Bird: Gangs in Indian Country (11/4)
Yellow Bird: Wellstone will be missed (10/29)
Yellow Bird: Making the final journey (10/22)
Yellow Bird: No McDonald's in Mongolia (10/21)
Yellow Bird: Next stop, ESPN Sportszone (10/18)
Yellow Bird: Keeping traditions alive (10/08)
Yellow Bird: Burgers, chips and fries oh my (10/1)
Yellow Bird: The smallpox threat (9/30)
Yellow Bird: Oops, I did it again... (9/24)
Yellow Bird: Reservation elections (9/17)
Yellow Bird: Learning from 9-11 (9/16)
Yellow Bird: Remembering 9-11 (9/10)
Yellow Bird: Protecting the Badlands (9/9)
Yellow Bird: My secret nickname (9/2)
Yellow Bird: Appreciating art (8/28)
Yellow Bird: An unsung hero (8/26)
Yellow Bird: I say Sakakawea (8/20)
Yellow Bird: Changing views on rape (8/19)