Sisseton, SD - Women's Issues (Post 4)

Today, the Sisseton Sistas had a busy day filled with educational, cultural, and discovery activities. We started our day at Wac'ang'a by watching two documentaries, "Tough Guise" and "Dakota 38." In Tough Guise, we saw a discussion of the portrayal of masculinity in the media, which leads men to believing that violence is crucial to their identity. One of the greatest lessons of this film was that often times, society does not acknowledge the impact of violence in the media on men.

The second documentary was Dakota 38, which captured the journey of the Dakota people starting to forgive the U.S. government for the execution of 38 Native men in 1862. This effort took them on a 16-day trip from Crow Creek, S.D., to Mankato, M.N., where the hangings occurred. Many of us were not aware of the execution of the 38 Native American men in Mankato, and we felt that there were many more historical events left to learn so we can have a fully understanding the suffering of Native American people.

After lunch, we shared our perspectives on the radio show "Getting Real About Life," on the local radio station KXSW 89.9 FM. It made us feel honored and welcomed that we were welcome to share our perspectives and what we have learned so far with the people of Sisseton who tune in to KSXW. One of the women in our trip even performed one of the segments in Vagina Monologues called "Crooked Braid," which tells the story of Native women's abuse as told by them in interviews. Like True Tigers, we finished our two-hour long appearance on the radio show with Mizzou Fight Song. Mizzou-rah!

With the help of Sophia, we toured the Sisseton Wahpeton College and the Tribal headquarters, where we learned more about Native culture and history, as well as the significance of colors and symbols.

To end a great day, we explored the Sica Hollow State Park, where we found the branches that will become talking sticks in the upcoming days. To fully enjoy the 50 degree weather (heat wave!!) we visited the Nicollet Tower, where we enjoyed the scenery of the great plains from the top of the tower. Warning: pictures from this amazing day are just too cute to handle. Below is some cuteness in the making, just to give you a hint...

We loved ending our busy and exciting day with an awesome breakfast for dinner in the company of our sistas. 

Love,
Sisseton Sistas

(Contributing writers Dani and May)