By Andy
It was the spring of 1805 when Lewis and Clark passed
through Montana. They discovered a Blackfeet Tribe that was proud, rich in
heritage, and self-sufficient. The Blackfeet were nomads that followed the
buffalo around the plains. The buffalo supplied everything they needed:
housing, clothing, and food.
The Blackfeet and the white man co-existed for 60 years
until after the Civil War. Then, in one of the most disgusting programs ever
implemented in Washington D.C., The Blackfeet and all other Indian tribes in
the west were intentionally killed, their land taken, their religion and
culture de-emphasized in favor of that of the white man; and intentionally
forced into subservience and dependence.
For the Blackfeet this was done through the intentional
introduction of blankets infested with yellow fever, which decimated the
population and the systematic killing of the buffalo. With no means to feed, cloth or shelter themselves they
became dependent on the government to keep them alive by 1885.
Today, what I have observed is a Blackfeet Tribe that
remains proud and rich in heritage, but they remain dependent on the government
and Tribe. With land that cannot be planted and is only marginal for ranching,
it is difficult to envision a way for them to step up and become
self-sufficient again. Let’s hope that wind turbines or oil or something else
will come their way in this generation, so that the 80+ % unemployment rate can
be addressed. I do get the sense that most Blackfeet want to work, but there
are simply too few opportunities.
So, enough with history! But I do think that this historical
summary is a great backdrop for understanding what this Global Volunteer team
experienced this week. Yes, we can be critical of the trash that is everywhere,
the difficult living conditions, the lax commitment to work and getting places
on time that the Blackfeet Community exhibit. But this is superficial and would
miss the bigger point. The Blackfeet remain a proud people and remain rich in
heritage and culture. Without exception I have found them to be friendly, open
and welcoming. I have learned about them as people and their culture as much as
could be learned in a week- and it has been extremely educational and
satisfying for me. I leave with a very warm feeling for the Blackfeet and
appreciate everything they have shared with me during my brief visit.
Friday morning I woke with the sunrise as I have done every
day this week. I watched 30 minutes of news on CNN and enjoyed an hour of
peaceful reading time. We have our typical breakfast of cereal and fruit and
received our work assignments for the day. Danny and Terri would continue their
work on five signs for other Head Start facilities, Brian and I would once again
help Wilbert with his gardens, and Marisa would help Smokey in the maintenance
shop at BCC.
But, once again proving that flexibility and patience are
required traits on the Blackfeet Reservation, everything changed. Apparently,
the $550/a person checks handed out Thursday reduced the need for some to work
on Friday. Checking in with Wilbert we discovered that his workers would not be
reporting so Brian and I would not be needed. No problem, we’d just join Marisa
and help Smokey at BCC. We drove to the maintenance shop to be greeted by
Smokey and the news that neither of his crew had reported to work this morning
either; so he also did not need help.
After taking a very interesting tour of BCC’s new energy
efficient science building, we returned to the head Start building looking for
work. We minimally helped Danny and Terri for a while Joe lined up
alternatives. Brian and Marisa went to build a recycling bin out of old wood
pallets (a true engineering feat-good thing Marisa was assigned) and I would
accompany Bill to Cut Bank to buy paint for the signs that Danny and Terri were
working on. After determining that Bill had left without me, I searched for
some doors that needed sanding. The paint arrived and Danny and Terri set out
to complete at least one of the five signs they were working on while the rest
of us cleaned up the Head Start building for the next Global Volunteer Group.
Not the most satisfying day of work for me personally, but I do want to
compliment Terri and Danny for doing a fantastic job on the signs.
At 4 we hopped into the van to head out to a 5000-acre
ranch for horseback riding. What an experience! The weather was sunny and
perfect and the host family was fun and welcoming. A few in our team were a bit
tentative about riding horses but we all soon realized that these horses were
well trained, gentle and responsive to our commands. Chuck, our trail leader,
was fantastic. We rode up to a rock formation, which was fascinating in itself,
but also gave us an expansive view of Montana’s rolling hills, lakes, and
streams. The mountains stood majestically in the background. It wasn’t possible
to capture beauty on camera, but we all tried anyway. We returned to a
delicious meal of burgers from beef raised on the ranch, fruit salad, chips,
and cake. Afterwards we gathered around the campfire to tell stories and
snuggle with the eight puppies that couldn’t have been cuter. The best $60 I
ever spent.
We returned to the Head Start building around 11 and
quickly headed to bed- like usual we were all very tired. This was different
than other nights however; as there was a bit of sorrow in knowing we had to
leave in the morning. The experience has been so fulfilling, interesting, and
rewarding that I do not want it to end. But, like they say, all good things
have to come to an end! So, we’ll all head back to our busy lives after spending
a week with a bunch of strangers that formed into a fantastic team. I really
enjoyed everyone; Danny and Terri from California, Marisa from New Hampshire
and our team leader Joe. We all leave as newly found friends and with the
common memories of a fulfilling and fun week on the Blackfeet Reservation.
Build on this experience to make the world a better place
for everyone!
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