Tag Archives: Sioux Nation,

The Hana Chronicles: Month 9, Day18

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Posted by on in children, Education, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Personal Values, Social, Striving, Travel

October 9, 2026- Hana showed interest in a long cord that was plugged into an outlet, by her favourite book shelf. I ran my fingers up the cord and showed her that it was attached to a very large air purifier, on top of the bookshelf. She has since stayed away from the cord, and will occasionally look up at the machine, then will focus on the books.

We have walked around the first floor, an average of 3 times per day. We went on two outside stroller walks today, which we will be able to do a few more days, until AUGtober returns next week, albeit for just a few days. Then SOGGtober will cool things off. Hana loves both kinds of walks.

HANA’S NOTE- Papa had to go out somewhere tonight. I wish he could have stayed home.

(I went to help clean up, after a Baha’i Regional Conference.)

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Nebraska- I have visited and crossed the Cornhusker State, six times. My first was in 1979, for a visit to Scotts Bluff National Monument, then across to Omaha. In 1984, we stopped at Crazy Horse’s gravesite, at Fort Robinson Historic Site, Crawford and visited the Omaha Reservation, in Macy. In 1997, we came across and stopped at Henry Doorly Zoo, to visit the rainforest, as Aram was nine and had interest in that environment.. It happened that he left his plastic Batmobile on the ledge of the rear window. It was 104 that day. So long, Batmobile. Traveling solo, I’ve stopped in North Platte, York and Lincoln, since 2011.

The Turf- The Sand Hills and the southern third of Pine Ridge cover Nebraska’s western half. Dissected Till Plains, left after the glaciers retreated, cover the eastern portion.Nebraska is drained by the Missouri, Niobrara, Platte and Republican Rivers. along with their tributaries. The Missouri separates Nebraska from Iowa.

First Nations-Nebraska is the ancestral home of the Oglala Sioux, Santee Sioux, Otoe, Winnebago, Omaha, Sac and Fox, Pawnee and Ponca peoples. The Ponca were forced to move to Oklahoma, in 1877. This was challenged by the Ponca leaders, in court, and in 1879, Standiing Bear vs. Crook was decided in favour of the Ponca. Today, they have a small reservation in Knox County. Not all relations between tribes were peaceful. The Sioux and Pawnee clashed repeatedly, in the early 1870s, over hunting rights. In 1873, a party of Sioux warriors attacked a band of Pawnees, at what is now called Massacre Canyon. As many as 150 Pawnees, mostly women and children, died in the attack. While occasional clashes took place until 1875, there were no further such massacres, though it was not until 1925 that the Pawnee and Sioux smoked the pipe of peace.

Where I feel most at home- Macy, Lincoln, Big Springs, North Platte, Big Springs, Scottsbluff

Where I feel most at peace- Scotts Bluff National Monument; Golden Spike National Monument, Nebraska National Forest (Chadron)

NEXT: Kansas

The Hana Chronicles: Month 9, Day 17

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, Education, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Personal Values, Social, Striving, Travel

October 8, 2026- Hana has increased her level of walking activity. She is insistent on at least three complete circuits of the first floor, in an afternoon. The playpen is satisfying to her for about an hour at a time and that’s the limit. She likes certain books, especially “Len Lion’s Wobbly Tooth”, which is ironic, because of her four lateral incisors-top and bottom, erupting in the past two weeks. She proudly showed me her bottom laterals, this afternoon.

My granddaughter has set a limit on how much food she will eat. She generally will eat a full meal, if there has been no bottle for at least two hours. If the meal comes too soon after a bottle, then Hana will eat 2/3 to 3/4 of the solid meal and put her spoon down, in a way that says “I’m done.” Her mother accepts that and we go on with our day. There is certainly no lag in Hana’s energy!

HANA’S NOTE– I like walking around the house and seeing new things, each time. My mommy showed me a pair of slipper shoes, that she says I can wear this winter.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: South Dakota- Somehow, the Coyote State is one of my favourites, outside of the five Southwestern states. The Black Hills play a big part in that, but I also like Sioux Falls, for the hospitality shown me, on my three visits there. I’ve been across South Dakota about a dozen times.

The Turf- The Black Hills occupy the southwest of South Dakota, with the Badlands and high grasslands occupying the rest of the region west of the Missouri River. East of the Missouri is mostly short grass prairie. South Dakota is drained by the Missouri, which runs north to south, and by the Belle Fourche, Grande, White, Cheyenne, James, Big Sioux and Vermillion Rivers, with their tributaries.

First Nations- South Dakota is the ancestral home of the Sioux Nation, who are organized into eight tribes across the state and the Oyate people, of the Sisseton Reservation.The Sioux, Santee and Cheyenne, across the northern Great Plains, fought with the U.S. Army cavalry over the period 1862-1866. The Great Sioux Reservation was the temporary result of these conflicts. In 1876-77, warriors led by Chiefs Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse fought with the U.S. Army, in order to defend the sacred Black Hills. The Sioux and Cheyenne warriors were eventually defeated. In 1890, the Ghost Dance movement, started by Paiute medicine man Wevoka, reached the Sioux Reservations. Many people adopted the way of Ghost Dance, which predicted that the whites would be buried by a new layer of soil, while the grass and the bison would return, with the ghosts of Native Americans suspended in mid-air. The U.S. Government regarded this as a doctrine of terror, and moved to crush the Ghost Dance. When a Miniconju warrior at Wounded Knee Creek refused to surrender his rifle to the Cavalry, a shot rang out and the soldiers sprayed the camp with rounds from a Hotchkiss rifle, killing 300 men, women and children. Wounded Knee remains a place of sorrow. In 1973, Richard Wilson, a conservative who was Chairman of the Pine Ridge Oglala Sioux Tribe, outlasted an impeachment trial, on charges of corruption. Traditional Oglala leaders appealed to the American Indian Movement for assistance, in removing Wilson. Nearly 200 Lakota, accompanied by AIM members, occupied the town of Wounded Knee, for 71 days. Acts of violence resulted in the deaths of five activists and at least two FBI agents. After the death of activist Buddy Lamont, a truce was negotiated, and AIM withdrew. Problems stemming from Wilson’s autocratic governing style were blamed for 64 deaths, even after the end of the occupation. Wilson was defeated for re-election in 1976.

Where I most feel at home- Sioux Falls, Deadwod, Custer, Wanblee, Wall, Vermillion

Where I most feel at peace- Black Elk Peak, Badlands

NEXT- Nebraska

The Hana Chronicles: Month 9, Day 15

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Posted by on in children, collaborating, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Striving, Travel

October 6, 2026- At the midpoint of her ninth month, Hana walked with me, around the first floor, three times. She had very little need for napping today, taking a 30-minute rest, this morning, and wanting to stay on the move, the rest of the day. She expressed a momentary interest in trying to go upstairs. I vetoed that one. It will, at minimum, require her ability to walk around the house unassisted, over at least a two-week period. Her parents, of course, also need to be on board with it.

My granddaughter also mimicked someone-not sure who, that she thinks yaks too much. I don’t say all that much, so I will leave that one to the Universe to decipher. She loves my prayers, and comes over to put her hand on the prayer book, while I am reciting. In the middle of the devotional, this morning, she called out “Baha’u’llah!” I have used His name in her presence, maybe twice. Something is at work in her little mind.

HANA’S NOTE- I don’t want to be held anymore, when I am drinking from a bottle. I drink it better when I am standing up.

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Montana- I have been in Big Sky Country three times: 1972, between Babb and Monida, by way of Great Falls and Butte; 1982, from Monida to Cut Bank and then on up through the Blackfeet Reservation to Cardston and Stand Off, Alberta and over to Bozeman, on the return trip; 1987, crossing the state by bus, from St. Regis to Wibaux. It is one of two states that I have not re-visited since 1987 (the other being North Dakota). I would love to come up with a reason to fix that, in the next several years.

The turf- Western Montana is covered by the Rocky Mountains. The central and the eastern areas are riparian and high plains. It is the latter region that gives Montana its moniker: Big Sky Country. The state is drained by the Kootenai, Flathead, Bitterroot, Marias, Missouri, Blackfoot, Beaverhead, Musselshell, Yellowstone, and Milk Rivers, along with their tributaries.

First Nations- Montana is the ancestral home of the Assiniboine, Blackfeet (Piegan)., Little Shell Chippewa, Cree, Crow, Gros Ventre, Kootenai, Northern Cheyenne, Pend d’Oreille (Kalispel), Salish and Sioux.

Seven battles between First Nations and the U. S. Army figure strongly in Montana history. The most famous is 1. the Battle of Little Big Horn, June 25-6, 1876, between the U.S. Army 7th Cavalry and forces of the Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho Nations. The First Nations won this battle, which was sparked by a Cavalry raid on a Lakota and Cheyenne village. This is the battle which resulted in the deaths of 268 U.S. soldiers. including General George A. Custer. 2.Baker’s Massacre (1870) was intended to “teach good manners” to the Blackfeet (Piegan), as Gen. Baker’s mission was to punish a chief who was thought to be harbouring the killers of a prominent rancher. Baker attacked the wrong village, resulting in the deaths of 90 women, 50 children and 37 men. 3. Battle of the Rosebud, occurring the week before Little Big Horn. The forces of General George Crook fought to a draw with the Cheyenne and Sioux.4. Two Medicine fight(1806) Piegan warriors fought with a unit of the Corps of Discovery, led by Meriwether Lewis. Two Piegan were killed. This resulted in the Piegan closing their territory to fur traders. 5. The Hayfield Fight(1867) was one of the last skirmishes of Red Cloud’s War. Chief Red Cloud won commitments from the U.S. Government that the Powder River area would be “unceded Indian territory”. Of course, that “commitment” was soon forgotten. 6. Battle of Bearpaw (1877) was the last battle of the Nez Perce War (October 5). It was upon this defeat that Chief Joseph delivered his surrender speech: “From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever.” 7. Battle of Big Hole (1877)- This battle, in July, deepened the distrust which the Nez Perce had towards the U.S. military. General John Gibbon’s forces killed between 70-90 Nez Perce, mostly women and children. 29 soldiers were killed.

Where I feel most at home: Babb (I was welcomed by a Piegan family, upon crossing the Canadian border, in 1872), Bozeman, Choteau, Butte.

Where I feel most at peace- Babb, Flathead Lake

Future Five: Glacier National Park, Bob Marshall Wilderness, Little Big Horn National Historical Site, Helena, Missouri Breaks.

NEXT: We go to the Great Plains, and North Dakota.