OLC and Wounded Knee

OLC stands for Oglala Lakota college. The reservation's college is fascinating for a couple of reasons. First, most of the learning is distance learning. These courses are done over TVs instead of email though. The college has a technogenius who has set this all up. The primary intent of setting this up is to minimize the cost, in terms of money and time for the students, many of whom (especially early on) women with children. Second, it is great how the college serves the needs of the community. One, the majority of the teachers and nurses on the reservation are Lakota as opposed to only a handful a generation ago. Two, the science research that I saw focused a lot on land/agricultural use, specifically that of the reservation, obviously helpful to the people on the reservation. I wonder if the focus on land use comes from an Indian concern for the land or is more practical at this point? Three, the key department, it seems, is the Lakota history. The Indian woman giving us the tour said that she remembered growing up watching Westerns, clapping when the 7th Calvary was coming to save the white people in the wagons. This department reminds people of the richness of their heritage as well as the reality of the past. The other good thing I could see was how the college becomes a way for money to come on the reservation. NASA gave a grant and it was neat to see all of these little kids learning/playing in this super hightech lab/playstation. While money spent does not necessarily produce educational outcomes, its obvious that such an investment does expand the horizons of young kids!

Returning to the 7th Calvary...Wounded Knee was not a battle. They disarmed the Indians and then ended up killing 300 people, 3/4 of which were women and children. Not only were the Indians killed, but the soliders mutliated the bodies of the people. While Wounded Knee is a tragedy, as I reflected on the history, Wounded Knee is a drop in a bucket compared to the legacy of destruction. At one point the government was slaughtering Buffalo for no other reason that depriving the Indians of their food. Land treaty after treaty was broken. Obviously the history I heard today was pretty one-sided, but I still cannot help but remark on the tragedy. Moreover, the Souix (Lakota) are one of many Indian tribes which suffered and died (guns, germs...and alcohol) at the hands of Americans. I think I knew all of this before, but the reality of it was overwhelming today.