Pardon our lack of blogging so far, but ASB Eagle Butte has been too busy traveling, working and enjoying our Habitat director, Larry Fiddler, and his awesomeness. After our two-day excursion to the small town of Eagle Butte, we settled in for some rest. Then we woke up at 6 am to travel to Rapid City, South Dakota.
Our first stop was the Crazy Horse Monument and we learned about the history of the mountain-sized sculpture. It is still in the process of being sculpted and is supported only by private donations and entrance fees. Twice, the monument has refused tens of millions of dollars to complete the project. When completed, the monument will show Crazy Horse, pointing out into the Black Hills and saying, "My lands are where my dead lie buried." It was a really moving symbol and informative experience.
Then we traveled through Custer State Park, where we saw herds of buffalo and fed wild donkeys. The waving grasslands and rolling hills
were breathtaking. From the park we drove over a mountain and marveled at the winding roads.
We stopped at Mt. Rushmore. Meh. The photos do it perfect justice and the idea of carving Presidential profiles into the rocks of the stolen and sacred Black Hills is fittingly symbolic of US relations with Native people.
All that car time has led this group to bond like champions. We were super prepared to get to work first thing Monday morning. So far this week we've put the finishing touches on one Habitat for Humanity house that has been under construction for two years. We're also putting new carpeting in the Okitchiapi Tipi Habitat Office in down town Eagle Butte.
The experiences and discussions we've had so far are impossible to put into words, but photos have done a good job of capturing this beautiful land and people.
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