NATIVE AMERICAN TACK LAKOTA PROJECT: THE BACK STORY.
Five years ago I met a gentleman who, while raised Comanche, found himself entrenched in western medicine as a surgeon. He had many a man, woman and child die under his knife. He spent his summers on horseback. Living off the land, the way his mother had taught him. He knew there were better ways to heal bodies, minds and souls.
Through him I began to work with the Lakota Horsemen on Pine Ridge in South Dakota. Seeing their trials in abject poverty I began quietly working towards finding a way to honor their love of horses and their humanity.
We donated thousands of books and computers to the reservation.
The suicide rate is the highest on our continent. The average life span is 55 years. America, how can this be?
It has taken four years for me to discover artists who can find their way up out of the oppression. Many failed attempts, some of which I am grateful for. I thought I finally had a reliable artist. She said she had no money so I stepped out on faith and sent her $1,500.00 to produce some brow bands. She packed her kids on a greyhound bus and left the reservation with those funds. I look at it as an opportunity to help a desperate soul find safety.
Still. I plug away. I know donations do not always positively affect poverty. People need to be validated, honored. And this is why I have worked for years to provide a channel for artists on the reservation to work.
Should you like to support these efforts, please visit https://www.singinghorse.net/ Singing Horse Trading Post
Please connect with Rosie at Singing Horse & share her link. Honor the horse, honor the culture, we are all connected.
Elaine – owner, ThinLine