MEDICINE ROOT
Pȟežúta ȟáka
Medicine Root District
Post Office Box #496
Kyle, South Dakota 57752
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Fax
Executive Board
President – Bernie Shots with Arrow
Vice President – Anne Apple
Secretary – Vacant
Treasurer – Claire Blue Thunder
Sergeant-at-Arms –
Staff
Facility Manager – Alberta Gay
Office Manager – Elizabeth Bull Bear
Data Clerk – Amanda White Lance
Administrative Assistant Maintenance – Vina Yankton
Federal Monitors – Lynnette Iron Crow & Ruby Clifford
Stores
Angels Convenient Store
Kyle Grocery
Communities
Past
Red Owl – Headman: Red Owl
Thunder Bull – Headman: Thunder Bull
No Flesh Creek – Headman: No Flesh
Kyle – Headmen: Little Wound & American Horse
Bull Bear – Headman: Bull Bear
Potato Creek – Headman: Morrison & Bull Man
Three-Mile Creek – Headman: Two Crow
Present
Three-Mile Creek
American Horse Creek
North Rock Community
No Flesh
Potato Creek
Little Wound
Schools
Little Wound School – www.lws.k12.sd.us
Little Wound School is a pre-K to 12 locally controlled P.L. 100-297 Grant School located in Kyle within the Medicine Root District. Little Wound is an accredited education institution through the South Dakota Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The student population (950 students) is predominately Oglala Lakota descent.
Lakota Waldorf School – www.lakotawaldorfschool.org
The Lakota Waldorf School was founded in 1992 by a group of Lakota parents committed to an alternative vision for their children's education – one that includes traditional Lakota values. The founders of the Lakota Waldorf School recognized that for a school to succeed on the reservation it must help the Lakota children to connect with their roots and to develop skills necessary to lead healthful, fulfilling lives in the future.
Oglala Lakota College (OLC) – www.olc.edu -
Piya Wiconi, which is located in the Medicine Root District, is the Headquarters of OLC.
“From its inception in 1971, our college’s mission has been to provide the educational credentials to our students so that they could compete for employment opportunities on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. As a result of having a college on the reservation; Lakota people are now employed in teaching, nursing, human services, business, computer, and vocational educational positions on the Pine Ridge reservation.
Oglala Lakota College was one of the first tribally controlled colleges in the United States. The concept of a tribally controlled college is that it be sanctioned by an Indian tribe, it’s governed by an Indian tribe, it’s governing body be made up of tribal members; and meet the needs of reservation people in their pursuit of higher education.
From its initial status as a community college, Oglala Lakota has grown to now offer Baccalaureate degrees and a Master’s degree in Lakota Leadership along with certificates and A.A. degrees. This last semester we saw a large increase in enrollment from 1,100-1,400 students to1,400 students with a full-time equivalency of 900 students per semester. Oglala Lakota College is a North Central Accredited college and its credits transfer to any college depending on each institution’s particular method of how it accepts transfer credit. The Board of Trustees, local boards, administration, and instructors offer support in your efforts to advance yourself through higher education”. — Thomas Shortbull President Oglala Lakota College
Maps
Medicine Root District’s location within the Pine Ridge Reservation
Medicine Root District's land
Acreage By Type
Tribal –135,156.10
Trust – 559.91
Allotted – 86,676.66
Fee/Deeded –75.508.40
Home Sites – 680
Miles of Roads – 210.43 Miles
Positive
Native American Foods (NANF) www.tankabar.com
Native American Natural Foods, LLC, is focused on creating a family of nationally branded food products that are delicious and that promote a Native American way of wellness that feeds mind, body, and spirit.
Beginning with its first product line, which features Tanka Bar, Tanka Bites, Tanka Dogs and Tanka Wild, Native American Natural Foods provides a category of natural healthy choices in the marketplace that currently does not exist.
Lakota Express – www.lakotamall.com
Our mission is to operate a profitable business that creates economic opportunities for the Lakota Nation and participates in social, educational, and political issues that empower the people and protect the earth. Lakota Express is a full service Direct Marketing company that has successfully raised over a million dollars for our clients each year since the company was founded in 1996.
Pine Ridge Chamber of Commerce – www.pineridgechamber.com
The Chamber is an association of business people — working together to make the Pine Ridge area a better place in which to live, work and raise a family.
Lakota Mall is a project of the Pine Ridge Area Chamber of Commerce that gives local businesses and organizations the opportunity to gain visibility on the Internet.
Lakota Funds – www.lakotafunds.org
Lakota Funds is a community development organization actively promoting socioeconomic sustainability of Oglala Lakota people on the Pine Ridge Reservation. It's culturally appropriate strategies include business loans, technical assistance, and targeted community and business development.
Lakota Prairie Ranch Resort –
This resort provides many different functions to the community. They have a restaurant, tons of public amenities (laundry room, picnic area, playground, & shower facility), accommodations which include bunkhouse, cabins, kitchenette rooms, regular rooms, RV & outdoor camping. Also, Lakota Prairie Ranch has an Arts & Cratfs store which many different local artist’s works.
Negative
Badlands Bombing Range
In 1942 the Department of War annexed 341,725 acres of the Pine Ridge Reservation for use as an aerial gunnery and bombing range. From 1942 until 1948 various sections of this range were used for bombing exercises and air to ground operations.
Since 1960, portions of the land have been returned to the Oglala Sioux Tribe (OST) in a step-wise fashion.
In 1978, all remaining Badlands Bombing Range (BBR) lands were declared excess with the exception of 2,486 acres termed the Impact Area.
In 1999 the Naval Research Laboratory, NRL, conducted a demonstration survey on the Badlands Bombing Range Impact Area using the Multi- sensor Towed Array Detection System (MTADS). Historical records indicated that 105-mm, 155-mm, and 8-in projectiles had been used on the site. During this survey, eight live 155-mm and seven live 8-in projectiles were recovered and destroyed but no 105-mms.
Historical/Current Tidbits
Potato Creek
The orginal families at Potato Creek were Plenty Bears, Hollow Heads, and Hunting Horses. Broken Rope, Afraid of Nothing, Standing Soldier, White Horse, Red Elk, White Deer Man Above, Twiss, Shot With Arrows, Marshall, Old Horse, Bull Man, Crazy Dog, Bush, Bear Runner, Horn Cloud, and many others lived here.
No Flesh Creek Community
The leader No Flesh whose followers were Wazaza’s settled this area originally. They were closely related to the Brules.
Three-Mile Creek Community
Orginal home of the Two Crow and American Horse families.
Medicine Root is the “center of the reservation.”
Chief Little Wound
Little Wound was one of the Oglala chiefs who believed education was the answer for a better future for their people. His belief led others to bring that vision to reality. The school was named in memory of Chief little wound and his son, George Little Wound.
