Tag: native american

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Strong Values, Strong Hearts

By Bernie Hunhoff

Editor’s Note: This story is revised from the November/December 1995 issue of South Dakota Magazine. To order a copy or to subscribe, call 800-456-5117.


Writing and teaching has been the lifework of Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve, a Brule Sioux who grew up on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. Her literary achievements have garnered more attention than her classroom pursuits, but in both roles she has labored to cast a positive light on the differences between Native Americans and other races.

Sitting Bull, the great Sioux chief, was quoted as saying, “I have advised my people when you find anything good in the white man’s road pick it up but when you find something bad or that turns out bad drop it. Leave it alone.”

Sneve’s philosophy mirrors that quote. But she encourages her people to also recognize what is good in their own heritage. Sneve realized years ago that the strong values of Indian life were seldom revealed in stories of their culture — especially those family strengths which came under siege during the last 100 years of cultural integration in America.

When her daughter, Shirley, was reading books by Laura Ingalls Wilder in the early 1970s, she asked if the Sneves had lived the same experiences as the Wilders. Before she answered, Virginia read the books herself and discovered that the only reference to Indians spoke of “naked wild men” with horrible smells and bold, fierce faces. She then read other children’s literature and found similar treatment of her ancestry. Some stories told of brave young warriors and beautiful princesses but there were few stories that revealed the real-life strengths of the Indian culture and no stories of modern Indian children.

Sneve, who had been trying to write for adult women’s magazines, decided to try her hand at children’s stories. Her first, Jimmy Yellow Hawk, was a book about a little Sioux boy who wants to change his name. She wrote of his concerns in the contemporary world and the cultural reasons for Indian names. The book won a national competition for minority children’s books in 1972. That started Sneve on a career as a children’s author.

“It has been emotionally rewarding,” said the soft-spoken Sneve when we spoke with her in 1995. “I get letters from children who have criticisms or suggestions. Sometimes they have ideas for better endings. And they can be very blunt.”

But obviously not so blunt as to discourage her. Since the success of Jimmy Yellow Hawk she has written more children’s books and numerous short stories that have appeared in Boy’s Life and other publications and collections.

She has gained a reputation, both in Indian country and the literary community, as a first-rate storyteller. “Virginia is a good example of an elder in the traditional sense of the word,” explained Chuck Woodard, a professor of English at South Dakota State University in Brookings and longtime friend. “She’s a careful observer of experiences, and she has learned, not only from her own experiences but also of her people, which is one and the same in a tribal sense.”

Woodard said Sneve’s ability to imagine is a key to her writing. He said her 1995 book, Completing the Circle, “is a culmination of her lifelong reflections of what it means to be tribal. She uses both recorded events and her own imagination — developed by decades of examination and reflection.”

Sneve’s daughter, Shirley, saw signs of mom’s imagination when she told bedtime stories to her and her brothers, Paul and Alan. “She made up this series of episodes to get us to take a nap. I remember a witch named Helen and some other characters. But back then she left the Indian stories to my grandparents.”

Grist for Sneve’s stories is gleaned from her experiences growing up on the Rosebud Reservation. She attended BIA day schools and graduated from St. Mary’s High School for Indian Girls in Springfield. She then studied at SDSU in Brookings, graduating with a B.S. in 1954 and a master’s in education in 1969. She taught at schools in White, Pierre and Flandreau. When she retired as a teacher and counselor at Rapid City Central High School in 1994, it freed more time for writing.

Sneve sees her writing as an extension of her work as a teacher and counselor — and as a means to give an accurate portrayal of her ancestors’ lives on the Northern Plains. But Sneve doesn’t lecture. It’s not her style. She weaves a lot of legends and true family stories together with facts.

Her explorations have taught her much of the strengths and weaknesses of Sioux culture from the female point of view. “I was amazed at the tenacity of the women and how they held the family together. They had so many trials in their lives, especially in the last 100 years, but they still managed to survive and rise above those trials and not give in.”

She has noted that most literature is written from a male perspective. That is especially true in the case of the American Indian. “Male historians used male sources (missionary, military men and fur traders) in narrating their Sioux histories and those sources reported few events involving the women of the tribes, rarely even noting their names. Yet Indian women really had more of a say of what went on in tribal affairs than anyone on the outside realized,” said Sneve.

The Sioux felt women had a near-mystical power because they could give life. “The tribes realized they bore the children and if there were no women the tribe could not survive.” She discovered a quote from Standing Bear in 1931 who said, “Women and children were the objects of care among the Lakotas and as far as their environment permitted they lived sheltered lives. Life was softened by a greater equality. All the tasks of women — cooking, caring for children, tanning and sewing — were considered dignified and worthwhile. No work was looked upon as menial, consequently there were no menial workers.”

Virtue, modesty, hospitality and devotion to family were highly valued and young girls were encouraged to act appropriately and not bring shame upon the family. Pride in appearance and skill in the womanly arts were also important.

When white men first arrived on the plains, women who cohabited with them brought honor to their families and tribes, according to Sneve. But such marriages often resulted in drudgery and isolation for the Indian woman and if her husband became abusive she did not have the family support she would have had within the tribe.

Mixed-race marriages later became even more difficult. The Driving Hawk and Sneve family trees include such marriages. While they have been successful, Sneve has obviously pondered the dilemmas faced at times by both whites and Indians.

In 1977 she wrote a short story called “Grandpa Was a Cowboy and an Indian.” Here is an excerpt:

First I thought I’d stay out of it but after fists started flying, I jumped in. The first guy that swung at me was a white man so I hit back and was helping the Indians. I thumped away at my white friends till in the confusion an Indian got me in the gut. Now that made me mad. Here I was on his side and he slugged me. I gave him a good one back and then I was fighting Indians. I ended up getting whopped good by both sides and never did make up my mind which bunch I belonged with.

All the conflicts of the Indian culture — both from within and from the outside — caused much disruption in the lives of the Dakota people, said Sneve. “The fact that any families held together is pretty amazing.”

She thinks her own family did well, “because of the values that were passed down from the generations, particularly among the women. Family was important. We took care of one another.”

Those values are still alive today. “Indian women have become more politically active,” Sneve said. “I don’t think Indian women are so much feminists. They are not as concerned about women’s issues as they are about tribal issues and the issues that affect all of their people.”

Woodard, the English professor, said Sneve’s 1995 book represented “a strong affirmation of the values of Dakota women. It shows what powerful models they have been of integrity, courage, humor, storytelling ability and resilience.”

Somewhere between the lines there may also be a call to action, woman to woman, It’s not a loud bugle call — just a gentle lesson of how life was and how we all might learn from the past.

Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve Today

Sneve has continued to write since this article was published in 1995. Her most recent book, The Christmas Coat: Memories of my Sioux Childhood appeared in 2011. She has received many honors for her work, including the 1992 Native American Prose Award and the Spirit of Crazy Horse award in 1996. In 2000, Sneve was the first South Dakotan to receive the National Humanities Medal.

Watch for Sneve at the 2012 South Dakota Festival of Books in Sioux Falls. She will be presenting ìLakota Storytellingî and hosting a Q&A after the Lakota Berenstein Bears screening on Saturday.

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Pe ‘Sla, Property Tax and Reconciliation

By Cory Allen Heidelberger

The day after I wrote about Lakota efforts to raise enough money to outbid developers for the 2000-acre Pe ‘Sla/Reynolds Prairie, the white owners called off the auction. A week and a half later, the Great Sioux Nation announced it had raised enough earnest money to seal a deal to make this sacred Black Hills site the property of the Great Sioux Nation.

Don’t bang the celebration drum just yet. Cartoonist Marty Two Bulls notes that Custer may be having a big chuckle with Columbus and the conquistadors in Hell:

First we stole the Black Hills. Now to get them back, the Natives have to buy them back. But this is the best part: even if they buy them, they have to pay a yearly tax to keep them.

Buying 2000 acres is a practical investment, with practical costs. Given the sacred nature of the place, it is unlikely the Native purchasers would exploit the land for some money-making purpose. Preserving this prairie oasis in the heart of the Black Hills will cost the tribes money.

“The land is priceless,” says Lakota activist Madonna Thunder Hawk says. “It doesn’t matter how much money the tribes have to put up for Pe’ Sla. We have to have it.” A quick search of the Pennington County property tax database shows that the county taxes paid by current Pe ‘Sla owners Leonard and Margaret Reynolds are around $1.50 per acre on some parcels. The tax bill for the entire 2000 acres might be a few thousand dollars a year. That may not be much, but the taxes still catch the Great Sioux Nation in that dark Custerian joke of deception, theft and ongoing tribute.

So maybe South Dakota should recognize the unique nature of the Lakota claim to this portion of the Black Hills. We can recognize that the Lakota hold Pe ‘Sla as holy as we hold our churches, temples and mosques. We can exempt Pe ‘Sla from taxes, for as long as the Great Sioux Nation owns it and protects it from development.

Taking Pe ‘Sla off the tax rolls would have a minor impact on tribal, county and state finances. It could have a major impact on white-Native reconciliation. Just as the successful acquisition and ongoing possession of Pe ‘Sla may promote cultural renewal and further positive activism among our Native neighbors, South Dakota’s declaration, written into tax law, that “Pe ‘Sla is yours, and it is sacred” could build a little trust and respect and make it easier for whites and Natives to work together on other projects.

Cory Allen Heidelberger writes the Madville Times political blog. He grew up on the shores of Lake Herman. He studied math and history at SDSU and information systems at DSU, and is currently teaching French at Spearfish High School. A longtime country dweller, Cory is enjoying “urban” living with his family in Spearfish.



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What Does the Civil War Have to do With Dakota Territory?

By John Andrews

Think of the Civil War and what comes to mind? We all learned about Bull Run, Vicksburg, Gettysburg, Antietam, Shiloh and Robert E. Lee’s final surrender at Appomattox Courthouse. But are you familiar with the Battle of Whitestone Hill? The Battle of Killdeer Mountain? The Battle of the Badlands?

They aren’t as prominent in Civil War history because they didn’t directly affect the outcome of the conflict. But they are important here because all three battles took place in Dakota Territory and greatly affected how this region was settled.

We’re in the midst of commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War as well as the 150th anniversary of the Dakota Uprising in Minnesota (another important regional clash during the Civil War period). To discuss Dakota Territory’s role in the war that divided our nation for four years, a series of programs is planned around the state beginning this weekend and continuing through the fall.

“Back East it was the Civil War. Out here on the Northern Plains it was a whole different situation,” says Brad Tennant, an associate professor of history at Presentation College in Aberdeen and discussion leader for a portion of the series. “I think it’s often overlooked.”

The first tragic event was the Dakota War of 1862, which ended with the executions of 38 Dakota warriors, the largest mass execution in U.S. history. Following the uprising in September 1863, the military dispatched Gen. Alfred Sully up the Missouri River through Dakota Territory in pursuit of hostiles who had fled Minnesota. He found an encampment at Whitestone Hill, about 80 miles northwest of Aberdeen. Sully’s troops murdered nearly 300 Yanktonais, Dakota, Hunkpapa Lakota and Blackfeet. As it happened, none had been involved in the Minnesota conflict.”It’s North Dakota’s counterpart to Wounded Knee,” Tennant explains.

The next clash between Sully and the Indians came at Killdeer Mountain in June 1864. More than 1,600 warriors fought Sully’s force of 2,200 men. Estimates range from 31 to 150 Sioux warriors killed, compared to five U.S. Army soldiers. The Battle of the Badlands followed in August 1864 near Medora, with another 100 to 300 Indians killed.

Not surprisingly Dakota Territory promoters had a difficult time convincing Easterners to settle on the Plains. Tennant cited a study by former University of South Dakota professor Thomas Gasque that found only three South Dakota cities with a population greater than 1,000 possessing a name of Indian origin: Sisseton, Yankton and Sioux Falls.”That’s not just a coincidence,” Tennant notes.”Most of our places were named after people or geographic features, simply to make it sound less Indian, and to convince Easterners that the territory was not as hostile as they may have been led to believe.”

There’s much more to learn about the Civil War period in Dakota Territory at these upcoming discussion sessions.

Aug. 26, Sept. 16 and Oct. 7: Klein Museum, Mobridge
Sept. 6, Oct. 18 and Nov. 8: Public Library, Sturgis
Oct. 4, Nov. 1 and Dec. 6: Siouxland Library Main Branch, Sioux Falls
Oct. 11, Oct. 20 and Nov. 4: South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center, Pierre

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Black Hills, Mining, Land and the Lakota

By Cory Allen Heidelberger

I hear cries in the occupied wilderness this week.

The Lawrence County Commission met in Deadwood today to consider Valentine Mining’s application to dig for gold in Spearfish Canyon. Some Black Hills locals spoke in favor. Some spoke against. All were white folks.

After three hours, an Oglala Sioux woman, Charmaine White Face, took the microphone. She urged the commission not to approve the permit. Among other reasons, White Face questioned the authority of any white person in the room to approve this mine. She read back to us President Grant’s 1875 order to the Army to stop blocking miners from entering the Black Hills, the effective abrogation of the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty. This treaty violation, said White Face, means no white person really owns any part of the Black Hills. No white commission can exercise any sovereignty over this stolen land.

The organization leading the fight against the 21st century miners calls itself the Spearfish Canyon Owners Association. Owners. Perhaps I project, but White Face’s white allies in the room seemed to remain uncomfortably silent through her talk.

Meanwhile, an hour to the south, some of White Face’s compatriots want to buy 2000 acres of grassland in the heart of the Black Hills. The Lakota call this place Pe’ Sla; we call it Reynolds Prairie. Pe’ Sla is as sacred to the Great Sioux Nation as Bear Butte, Harney Peak and Devil’s Tower. It goes up for auction Saturday.

“The Black Hills are not for sale,” the Sioux declared in 1980 when they refused a hundred-million-dollar settlement of their demand for the return of the Black Hills. But the Black Hills are for sale, say the white owners of Reynolds Prairie. To save Pe’ Sla from the sacrilege of subdivision, tribal activists are raising money to bid in Saturday’s auction and take back their country by the white man’s rules of gold and green.

In Deadwood, a Native woman says we whites cannot own, let alone mine, the Black Hills. Just down the road, Lakota people believe that, to protect the holy land, they must buy that which is not for sale from those who do not own it.

We cannot speak of the Black Hills without contradiction.

Cory Allen Heidelberger writes the Madville Times political blog. He grew up on the shores of Lake Herman. He studied math and history at SDSU and information systems at DSU, and is currently teaching French at Spearfish High School. A longtime country dweller, Cory is enjoying “urban” living with his family in Spearfish.

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Mystery Mosaics in Hughes County

By Katie Hunhoff

Mysteries are rare these days in South Dakota’s hill country. Nearly every square foot of grass has been explored by hunters, ranchers, farmers, historians and archaeologists. Although most everything has been identified, a few finds still baffle researchers — like the stone mosaics of snakes and turtles on bluffs above the Missouri and James rivers. The snake outlines stretch several hundred feet and are made of boulders the size of footballs and bowling balls. The turtle effigies are smaller; they could fit inside a single car garage.

We explored the mystery of the effigies in 2003. Ray Salathe, a cattle rancher, told us he drove over a stone snake pattern many times before realizing what it was.”We didn’t know it was a snake until we got to looking things over,” he said. Salathe never learned who placed the stones in the shape of a snake, even after archaeologists and historians visited his ranch and nearby buttes to study the rocks.”They figure the Indians made them,” he said.”Some think the war parties camped up there because it is so high you can see forever and there’s a spring for water right below the hill. I’ve heard the theory that the stones had something to do with honoring an Indian chief who was killed there. How true it is, I don’t know. Neither does anyone else.”

Eighteen miles northwest of Salathe’s ranch lies Medicine Knoll, which is home to both turtle and snake outlines. The butte that rises about 400 feet above the town of Blunt in Hughes County held special significance to the late Vine Deloria Jr., a respected scholar and author. His great-grandfather, Saswe, survived a surreal experience at Medicine Knoll with rattlesnakes while on a vision quest in 1831.

Saswe had been praying night and day for two days without food or water. On the afternoon of the third day, he was no longer visible on the hill. His mother became frightened and asked a cousin, Brown Bear, to see if Saswe had fainted. As Brown Bear rode to the top of Medicine Butte, his horse became nervous so he tried to turn back. Suddenly the horse and rider found themselves surrounded by hundreds of snakes.

Determined to find his cousin, Brown Bear swung his rope at the snakes to open a path. He found a large bundle of snakes writhing back and forth over Saswe’s prostrate body. He figured he had fainted and the snakes, finding his warm body, had swarmed over him and killed him.

Brown Bear returned to camp to tell what he had seen. The family was devastated and mourning began. But suddenly Saswe walked into the camp. When asked about the snakes he was perplexed, remembering nothing about them. The account was among the 19th century stories passed down within Deloria’s family. Saswe grew to be a respected Yanktonai Chief, so his vision quest added even more mystery to the snake mosaics on Medicine Butte.

According to the Deloria family history, the rattlesnake effigy was already in place on the butte in 1831 when Saswe did his vision quest. Deloria says to the best of his knowledge, the origins of the mosaics are unknown.”Nobody I know in the scholarly world or the Indian worlds can say for certain how old they are or who made them or even why they made them.”

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Lessons From a Hoop Dancer

Bernie Hunhoff photographed Kevin Locke in 2000 at the Micheaux Festival in Gregory.

By Katie Hunhoff

Rural churches in our corner of South Dakota sometimes struggle to survive. One of their worries is how congregations can serve young people.

I think of Kevin Locke whenever someone mentions youth and religion. There would never be an empty pew in any congregation that could offer a smidgen of his magnetism and his message of hope.

Locke is a Lakota Sioux hoop dancer, musician and storyteller who was raised at Wakpala, a small place south of Mobridge on the Standing Rock Reservation. In our travels, we’ve had several opportunities to watch him perform. I’d watch and listen every Sunday morning if I could.

He travels far from South Dakota to spread his gospel of peace and reconciliation — he has been to 70 countries — but the message is deeply rooted here on the Great Plains. Selections in his most recent album, Earth Gift, are old songs that he hopes to preserve.”Buffalo Said To Me” is a song from Brave Buffalo, who lived on Standing Rock many years ago.”Muskrat” is from Everett Kapayou, a Meskwaki from Iowa.

Locke plays the songs on a big cedarwood flute. Some think he may be the only living musician who is carrying on the traditional music.

He also uses handfuls of hoops — red, black, white and yellow — to perform intricate and athletic dances that leave every audience spellbound with interest and wonderment. The four colors are significant to the Lakota culture. They represent the four human races, four directions, four seasons and four winds. Years ago, Locke told one of our writers that God wants us to reach out for unity and light.”We are all branches of the great human family,” he said.”We can soar like the eagles, give off fragrance like the flowers.”

But he said we can only realize our beauty and potential if we set aside divisions, distrust, prejudices and fear of one another.

The boy from Wakpala has become a man of peace, a missionary for human harmony. He once thought that he would study law, but a Lakota elder taught him the sacred hoop dance when he was young and he felt a calling. He has now been performing and teaching for over 30 years.

One of the things he likes about the hoop dance is that everyone gathers in a circle. There is no back row or back pew, unlike all the churches we attend.”Everybody has a front row,” says Locke. We must work to strengthen ourselves, links in a mighty circling chain, to overcome violence, addictions, racism and hate.”

Lofty notions, to be sure. But maybe that’s what young people are wanting as they sit in the back pews of too many churches today.

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Lakota Voice Project Opens

Images of hope were on display at the Lakota Voice Project art opening at the Little Wound Elementary School in Kyle, South Dakota on June 22. Pine Ridge schoolchildren were given disposable cameras and asked to take photos documenting what hope looks like. The exhibit is part of an effort by Oglala Lakota College business students to raise awareness about the high suicide rate on the reservation. Photos by Jeff Easton.

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The Rugged Spirituality of Bear Butte

By Christian Begeman


Just a few miles north and east of Sturgis, South Dakota is one of the most interesting places to visit in the state. No, I’m not talking about Buffalo Chip Campground or anything to do with the annual motorcycle rally. I’m talking about Bear Butte State Park. It is a place of vibrant history and rugged beauty as well as deep spiritual significance.

Rising over 1,200 feet above the surrounding prairie at an elevation of 4,426 feet above sea level, the butte has an interesting geological story too. Eons ago, volcanic activity forced magma up against the earth’s crust to push out rock. For some reason, the volcano failed to erupt. Time, weather and wind eroded the landscape around the rocks to give us what we see as Bear Butte today.

Centuries later, the butte became a place of deep spiritual meaning to various Plains Indian tribes, the most recent being the Cheyenne and the Lakota (or Sioux). Sweet Medicine of the Cheyenne is often compared to Moses of Judaism and Christianity as he spent time as an exile on the butte where Ma’heo’o (God) met with him and gave him the basis of Cheyenne moral, spiritual, and political customs. Later the Sioux would hold annual councils at the base of the butte to gauge their strength for the year as well as catch up on the news of the land.

I’ve heard a couple accounts of the butte’s origin. One that has been attributed to the Lakota goes something like this; one day some children were out playing and a large bear they accidentally disturbed started chasing them. (Some retellings say one of the children was pretending to be a bear and actually changed into one.) The children outran the bear and climbed up on a large tree stump. As the bear approached the stump, the tree stump grew and grew and so did the bear. His claws raked the sides of the stump causing deep gashes on the side. Then an eagle rescued the children and flew them east and very high in the sky. The bear chased but soon grew weary and fell into a slumber at the foot of the Black Hills. The children became the constellation that we know as the Pleiades (or Seven Sisters). The bear became Bear Butte and the scarred tree stump is what we now know as Devil’s Tower in present-day Wyoming.

The Bear Butte region also echoes with many of the great names of the Old West. Red Cloud, Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse are all said to have been there often. According to some stories, Crazy Horse is even said to be buried somewhere near the butte. Custer and his infamous expedition to the Black Hills to confirm the stories of gold camped at the base of the butte as well. The Bismarck to Deadwood Stage Trail passed just to the west and north of the butte. In fact, you can still see evidence of the ruts at the marker on Cotton Creek Road a few miles north of the butte.

I had the honor of visiting with Jim Jandreau, the park manager, about the sacredness of the butte. He offered some keen insight as to why the place was considered holy. Not only is it a high and beautiful place, but the beauty is distinctly rugged and hard edged. Only spirits would live in a hard place like this and therefore it was reasoned that the butte must be very close to the spirit world. As you hike the butte, you will see numerous prayer flags and prayer offerings tied to branches along the way. Sometimes you will see homemade beadwork accompanying eagle’s feathers as well. A homemade gift is considered one of the highest honors to be given in Lakota culture.

I climbed the butte just after sunup on a Sunday morning. The landscape was hazy as a result of fires to the south and west. I was worried that my photos would suffer, but the butte was full of beauty I did not expect. Various wildflowers, birds and wildlife accompanied me on my hike. Later in the day a brief yet fierce thunderstorm rolled up and over the butte. As it passed, a rainbow appeared to the northeast. Then as the sun set, the departing storm clouds were painted pinks and purples. I couldn’t have asked for a better day in one of South Dakota’s most interesting and special state parks. It is my hope this place is kept and protected for all to experience for many years to come.

A rainbow emerges after the storm.

Christian Begeman grew up in Isabel and now lives in Sioux Falls. When he’s not working at Midcontinent Communications he is often on the road photographing our prettiest spots around the state. Follow Begeman on his blog. To view Christian’s columns on other South Dakota state parks and recreation areas, visit his state parks page.


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Visions of Hope

By Laura Johnson

What does hope look like to the young eyes of Pine Ridge Reservation? There will be a thousand examples of it on display this Friday, June 22, at the Lakota Voice Project art installation opening at the Little Wound Elementary School Auditorium in Kyle.

The project is the brainchild of business students at Oglala Lakota College. They wanted to raise awareness about the alarmingly high suicide rate on Pine Ridge, a problem that had touched every single one of them. To do so, the college students distributed hundreds of disposable cameras to Lakota schoolchildren, with only one rule — to document what hope looks like. The children did, and their visions are beautiful.

The American Advertising Federation of the Black Hills helped the Oglala Lakota College students develop the Lakota Voice Project. The collaboration has proved as inspiring for the professional mentors as it has for the youth. Jason Alley, a board member of the Advertising Federation, recently wrote,”This class of college students gave me a first glimpse of a world that few advertising professionals truly understand. And they gave me a view of a way that life can be lived that surprised me, that invigorated and enlightened me. More importantly, they are a shining example to our local advertising community at large. Do something to better your community. Do something to change social forces. Do something that won’t show up in your company’s bottom line. Do something.”

Do something. That’s a good lesson for all of us to take from the Lakota Voice Project’s messages of hope.

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South Dakota’s Grandest Convenience Store

Editor’s Note: This is taken from the story “25 Unusual Man-Made Places,” which appeared in the March/April 2010 issue of South Dakota Magazine. To order a copy or to subscribe, call 800-456-5117.

You can call Big Bat’s in Pine Ridge a convenience store, but it’s the closest thing to a mall you’ll find in Indian Country. There’s gas, oil and junk food — all convenience store staples — but also a huge dining room where real meals are served three times a day, with art by Lakota artists like Donald Montileaux. Murals tell important Lakota stories. There’s the White Buffalo Calf Woman, ancestral twins fathered by an eagle, the acquisition of the horse and the evolution of pow wows.

Bat and Patty Pourier opened the store in 1990. Fire destroyed Bat’s in 2001, but the Pouriers invested $1 million and rebuilt the grandest convenience store in South Dakota.

When Bernie Hunhoff visited with Bat and Patty in 1994, Bat mentioned how his Lakota heritage had helped him as an entrepreneur.”It can be a road map to a new end. We come from a warrior culture and I am a warrior, but I do it in my business. I am learning the concepts of business management and the economy is my battle field.”

Bat and Patty have since retired, but their son Tye and other members of the Pourier family are keeping the Pine Ridge hot spot in operation. Big Bat’s is located in the center of Pine Ridge at the intersection of Hwys. 18 and 407, and the Pouriers have opened other stores in Hot Springs, Chadron and Scottsbluff.