From the onset of European arrival on the shores of the North American continent, the indigenous people have continued to struggle to survive in an already dominated American culture. Since the European invasion, they have tried to fix the problem by removing the indigenous people from the valuable land to the less fertile areas. The Oglala Lakota from the pine ridge reservation described in the movie “we’re still here” is an example of the native communities that still deal with this problems. The Pine Ridge reservation is located in the southeastern corner of South Dakota, and these groups have signed treaties with the US government to guarantee their rights to land and culture even though they are US citizens. The reservation, which is the residence of the Oglala Lakota tribe covers about 11000 square miles, and it borders Nebraska State to the south, Badlands National park to the north, and Rosebud Indian Reservation to the East ("Oglala Sioux Tribe"). Moreover, it is imperative to note that the Oglala Lakota belong to the great Sioux nation and they are one of the seven sub tribes of the Lakota people. In the movie, “we’re still here” it focuses on two tribes that are often overlooked in the many discussions regarding race: the Native Americans and the native Hawaiian. As a result, the film can be used in the different studies on US history, anthropology, and ethnic studies of the people in the US. Further, the film can be used in the literature courses to explore concepts such as culture, the assimilation of people from other cultures, and the legacy of the different tribes.
The Oglala Lakota descended from the original inhabitants of North America and are divided into three major linguistic groups depending on their geographical location. The groups include the Lakota found in Teton West Dakota, the Nakota found in Yankton Central Dakota, and Dakota found in Santee Eastern Dakota. Of note the Sioux nation, who are Native Americans, were among the first nations in the entire North America ("Oglala Sioux Tribe"). The Lakota were some of the original Native American tribes that lived and hunted over the rocky mountain ranges before the arrival of the European settlers. The Lakota tribe dwellings are known as teepees, and they are constructed with twelve poles. However, presently the Lakota tribe is under threat through the destruction of land leading to starvation. From the beginning of the year 1840’s, the white traders that came brought diseases, and this led to hostility and battles with the emigrants and traders. As a result, this led to the signing of treaties, for example, the Fort Laramie Treaty signed between the US government and the many tribes in the region ("Oglala Sioux Tribe"). Naturally, the Lakota are strong and powerful tribes, and this makes them fight their battles with strength and honor. Some of the folklore adopted by the Lakota are the theories of Koo, which are intended to ridicule the Lakota enemies. One of the most critical aspects of the Lakota culture is their oral tradition where the knowledge of the creator was passed to other generations orally. Moreover, the dog was a remarkable animal that helped in the daily lives of the Lakota and before the horse the dog had the burden of dragging the travois that the Lakota used to move from place to place. During their marriage, the Lakota had to pay the dowry, and this was in terms of horses. Evidently, the Lakota are a group of people rich in culture; however, their very existence is threatened because of the destruction of their places of living.
Work Cited
"Oglala Sioux Tribe." TravelSouthDakota.com. N.p., 2018. Web. 2 Mar. 2018.
