One chilly morning, over 30 Indigenous people gathered to hike Black Elk Peak – the tallest point in the Midwest, and a seven-mile loop. As she walked, 74-year-old Verlyn Long Wolf prayed. The Oglala Lakota woman said she prayed for the air, the water and all living things.
“On the way up, all I could think of was my ancestors,” Long Wolf said. “My relatives endured so many hardships for me to be alive today. Surviving those taught me how to survive, how to be resilient and keep ourselves going.”
It was the first day of spring, Sylvan Lake had begun to thaw, the sun peeked through the thick evergreen trees, and people of all ages gathered together. It was the time when traditionally the Oceti Sakowin would participate in Wakinyan Aku Iyekiya Pi, or acknowledging the return of the thunder beings.
After lining up in a circle from youngest to oldest, an elder prayed for safe travels and the return of the thunder beings before beginning the trek up Black Elk Peak.
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“Our ancestors believed in these ways, in these ceremonies,” Long Wolf said. “(This is) to keep life going. We acknowledge that everything has a life, and we’re just a little, itty bit part of it. It’s about creating a balance.”
Typically, the ceremony takes place during the spring equinox, when the thunder beings are set to wake up plants, hibernating animals and even people. Many different Native nations have springtime ceremonies.
For the Oceti Sakowin historically, relatives would travel together to the Black Hills for the ceremony and gather at the highest point; however, some bands honor the thunder beings in different ways.
A big component of the ceremony was identity. It involved being Lakota and being proud to be Lakota, Long Wolf said.
“We get to claim our identity, who we are and what we need to do to stay focused,” Long Wolf said. “We were Lakota for thousands and thousands of years and then suddenly we got introduced to something that took our way of life. Now we get to say this is me, this is a part of me and I want to live this way.”
While several different families and tribes held hikes, this specific hike was led by Oaye Luta Okolakiciye (Moving Forward in a Sacred Way) or OLO. OLO is a cultural, community-based approach to treating substance abuse disorders and behavioral health located in Rapid City.
Long Wolf, the program manager for OLO, works to organize different programs offered such as Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous, a men’s support group and different talking circles. Participants from the 12-week wellbriety support group were brought on the hike as part of the program’s cultural healing component.
The OLO wellbriety program emphasizes the importance of cultural ceremonies and healing on the path to a sober, healthy lifestyle.
Participants from the middle school/youth talking circles also joined the hike. The Rapid City Area School District allowed OLO to use a school bus to bring about a dozen Indigenous children from the local middle schools to participate in their culture. Teenagers in vibrant ribbon skirts, graphic hoodies and Nike sneakers ascended the mountain together alongside elders and community members.
“We’re taking steps to promote the culture and utilizing our beliefs,” Long Wolf said. “People go (to OLO) a lot to just feel good about themselves and being Lakota. It’s okay to ask about ceremonies, it’s okay to talk about a way of life that was taken away. I’m happy to be a part of OLO.”
Culturally based programming has been shown to be effective in substance abuse disorder recovery and mental health support. A connection to one's culture and a supportive group of people can be extremely beneficial in recovery, Long Wolf said.
“It’s our way of helping each other heal,” Long Wolf said. “We’ve tried the western concept and it works for a little bit but then they still have to figure out who they are and that they have a choice to believe in whatever they want to believe instead of conforming to a way of life they have a really hard time with. Everyone needs a place to go and get different perspectives. One sponsor told me, ‘If you have a problem and you go to a meeting and there’s 10 people there, you have 10 solutions.’”
For program participants and leaders alike, the hike was an enlightening experience, Long Wolf said.
“I accomplished something really great. I’m almost 75 years old and I climbed all the way to the top,” Long Wolf said. “It has an exhilarating effect, people are really proud of themselves, they’re owning who they are and what they want to do in life. They’re just happy to have life.”
OLO is planning on holding more cultural events throughout the year and launching a women’s and elder’s talking circle. Those interested in the middle school talking circle can sign up at the OLO website.
This story is co-published by the Rapid City Journal and ICT, a news partnership that covers Indigenous communities in the South Dakota area.
Amelia Schafer is the Indigenous Affairs reporter for ICT and the Rapid City Journal. She is of Wampanoag and Montauk-Brothertown Indian Nation descent. She is based in Rapid City. You can contact her at aschafer@rapidcityjournal.com.