"I was in my mid-30s the first time I visited Pine Ridge Reservation.

Growing up in South Dakota, I knew there were places named Rosebud, Porcupine and Wounded Knee in my state. But since few of my journeys took me anywhere near those locales, I had never visited a reservation.

I suspect my experience is not that unusual here. I didn't know anyone who lived on a reservation, and I didn't think about that often in my daily existence.

A reporting project I worked on shortly after joining the Argus Leader in 1990 spurred my interest in learning about Native American history and culture.

Two of our staff members - a reporter and photographer - joined a ceremonial trail ride across South Dakota that started near the North Dakota border and ended in Wounded Knee. The late December journey commemorated the trek Lakota Sioux Chief Big Foot and his followers made after the death of Sitting Bull.

That trek's tragic ending is familiar to most of us. Big Foot and his followers were among the nearly 400 Native Americans killed by the U.S. 7th Cavalry at Wounded Knee. The ride in 1990 commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Wounded Knee massacre.

Editing the stories filed from the trail provided me a new insight into the history and cultural beliefs of the Lakota, and I wanted to learn more."

Get the Story:
Maricarrol Kueter: Make attempt to know your neighbors (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 11/21)

Related Stories:
Editorial: It's time to do more for our neighbors on reservations (11/15)
Argus Leader: 'Growing up Indian' on South Dakota's reservations (11/8)