We had one day off during the week to go site seeing; some of which we had already done on Sunday. On Sunday we went to see the Badlands, which are basically gigantic rock mountain-like formations in red and tan. As soon as we saw them we were amazed, all hoping out of the car simultaneously to climb up and down and all around the natural playground. I felt a bit like Indiana Jones, scaling intense cliff sides and standing on what I took to be the edge of the world. We did this for hours, and it never got old. It seemed the longer we were out there, the more mystical the moments became. At sunset, we took one last look out over the lands, green plateaus housing buffalo herds and a fiery red sky looking back at us. It was an all new experience for me.
And that was only the beginning!
On our day off, we went to see: Wounded Knee, the Wind Caves, Crazy Horse Monument, Prairie's Edge, and Bear Butte, in that order. Wounded Knee was our first stop, and it must have been about 6:45 when we got there, because the sun was just rising in the sky and the morning frost was fresh on the graves. It was freezing, silent, and most of all, sobering. The gravesite was completely still, the kind of stillness that only comes from eternal sleep. The mass grave that stood above the rest was covered with colorful, battered cloth pieces waving in the breeze. These cloth pieces are like prayers from people who had come to the site beforehand to pray for the deceased. I saw graves of children there, and babies, and who knows how many young people were buried in the unmarked, mass grave. It was a sad sight to behold, but one of great historical significance.
Next, we went to the Wind Caves, which were much less tragic yet just as significant. The Lakota people believe that the first humans crawled out of those caves at the dawn of time. The only natural entrance to the caves are the size of a man's hat, which is why we went in the manmade entrance. Down in the caves, there are passageways and tunnels leading every which way deeper and deeper into the Earth's core. All of the passageways have not yet been explored, but of the thousands that have been, we only got to go down one. The walls of the cave were amazing; molded and shaped from thousands (millions?) of years of decay and erosion. At one point, our tour guide had us all be completely silent, and he turned off all of the lights. I have never experienced such darkness. Not a sound but our breath and a little drip of water every now and then. Not a sight at all. I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face. Imagine what it would be like to live in such nothingness. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip, having a feeling so foreign as being completely and utterly empty. Something I will never forget.
The Crazy Horse Monument was our next stop. I could see it for miles away, even before we pulled into the parking lot! That is just how big it was. The entirety of Mount Rushmore can fit inside his head. Wow. Sadly I think it will be a while until it is done, but it was fantastic to behold anyway. And while we were there we stopped at a restaurant that overlooked the monument, which was where I got to have my first taste of fry bread and a buffalo burger, both of which I would highly recommend to those of you who aren't vegetarians. Really, it's that good.Prairie's Edge was basically just a gift shop where tourists could go to get hand-crafted American Indian art, wood carvings, bead work, grasses and herbs, etc. But it was pretty cool.
And our final stop was at Bear Butte; a large hill where the Lakota send men on their vision quests for four day and nights with no food or water. It is a sacred place to the Lakota people, said to be made on a giant bear's back. We were there at night, when the stars came out, and spirits floated around us, watching us. Ernie LaPoint and his wife Sonja (Ernie is the last genetically traceable great-grandson of the famous Sitting Bull) came and talked to us a bit about Lakota spirituality, and vision quests, and how if you were not prepared properly, the hill could do strange things to you. Some people had completely disappeared on their quests. More colorful cloth pieces were tied on the trees all around the hill as people began to prepare for the spring ceremonies. It felt like a strange place, but I couldn't quite put my finger on why. But anyone who goes there can see and feel why it is so sacred to the Lakota people.
All of these places are places I will never forget: breath-taking and historical and sobering and spiritual. I'd like to experience more things like this before I die. And if I do, you will be the first to know.
No comments:
Post a Comment