We challenged Middle School and High School students to write
a poem about or a letter to an inspirational woman on the Pine Ridge
Reservation, past or present. The entries were scored gender-blind and
anonymously by our amazing JUDGES. There will be a separate blog post about the awards ceremonies, which took place on/around International Women's Day, on the Pine Ridge Reservation on March 7 and 8, 2013.
Get ready to be INSPIRED by students on the Pine Ridge
Reservation... We were!
Melissa Rain
Hernandez
is a Senior at the Little Wound School in
Kyle, SD and she awed the judges with an inspirational poem about Anna Mae Aquash, a former activist and
member of the American Indian Movement, who was murdered in
late-1975.
Melissa's Lakota name is "Tehilapi
Win" which means "loved one." She has lived on the Pine Ridge
Reservation for the last four years and she hopes to attend the University of
California at Berkeley. Melissa has won numerous awards for her written work.
In addition to her inspirational poem, you can read more by
Melissa -- one of her Award Winning Fiction Pieces is published online! Melissa is the Grand Prize
winner of our High School category, and among other things won a $300
gift certificate, a plaque, a certificate, a journal, a book from Jasmine Mans,
a series of books AND Melissa won for the Little Wound School a grant to purchase up to
$1,000 of supplies or equipment for the school and/or its students.
GO MELISSA!
Melissa's Grand Prize Winning Poem
Trail of Broken Treaties
Anna Mae Aquash,
where has the tall grass gone?
I think it left with you,
yet there are traces of dry grass,
withered weeds
sticking out of the ground
in patches surrounded by dirt.
A ghost of what you used to be.
Traces that can be seen
only when the dawn
is purple and pink
as your ethereal body
follows the trail
of broken treaties
along state road 73.
Ray Fast Wolf is in the eighth grade and is an excellent
student at Red Shirt School, and he awed the judges with his touching poem
about his Unci (grandmother in Lakota). The Red Shirt School says that Ray is
one “of the best Red Shirt School has to offer... “a powerful example of
behavior for the younger students in our school, for his peers in class and in
the team sports that he participates in.” Ray has received numerous awards and
was a member of the 2011 All Tourney Team for basketball, the 2012 Football
Championship Team and a member of the Lakota Language Bowl Championship team at
the Lakota Invitational Educational Conference. Ray's written work was
published recently in “What Makes a South Dakotan?” for the South Dakota
Humanities Council.
Ray is the Grand Prize Winner in our Middle
School Category and among other things, earned a $200 gift certificate, a
plaque, a certificate, a journal, a book from Jasmine Mans, a series of books,
AND Ray won for the Red Shirt School a grant for up to $1,000 of supplies or equipment
for the school and/or its students.
WAY TO GO RAY!
Ray's Grand Prize Winning Poem
Unci (Lakota for Grandmother)
She teaches us right from
wrong,
She’s lived long and still
going strong
She is wise and never lying
She can rise over sickness
Without even trying.
She is a loving grandmother
who cares
She has grey hair but is
willing to share
She is fair, she is right
when we feel bad.
She holds us tight.
She is kind of forgetful only
sometimes
I love my dear Grandmother
She is one of a kind.
Unique you call it. yes that’s
right
She and I hardly ever fight.
She’s my grandma She tells me
what to do
“Never give up and always go
to school.”
She is smart and helps me
with my homework
When I am done, I give her a
smirk.
She helps, I cheer up when we
are down
Her voice is a beautiful
sound
We are not babies,
She should not have to carry
us around.
Her eyes shine like a jewel.
Her hair is curled.
I have respect for all the
grandmas in the world
I just say, love your life
you live
And have the best of days
with your grandmother
That is what my grandpa
always says.
The Middle School and High School Runners-Up all won a $100 gift card, a certificate, a journal, a book from Jasmine Mans, and a series of books.
Summer Montileaux is in the eighth grade at Our Lady of Lourdes
Elementary School in Porcupine, SD and she awed the judges with her poem about her mother. Summer lives in Rockyford, SD, with her mother and two other
siblings. Summer started writing short stories in third grade, and after the death of her grandfather when she was in sixth grade, she started writing poetry. Summer has performed her poetry in many competitions and she finds inspiration in music, books and poetry. Summer says that poetry is a
stress reliever -- it is an activity into which she can pour her feelings. Summer plans to continue to write. The following is her poem; Be Inspired!
My lady I cherish and love,
From thy womb, til’ now she has been my
keeper and protector.
The flesh that covers my
bones is her flesh,
My warm blood in my veins is
shared with her.
My protector has protected me
from the temptation of this cruel world.
Protected my body inside of
thy womb, and out.
My keeper fights through the
troubles that face her and comes through.
The faces, the harmful words
of people who do not know, how strong and wise she is.
How humble and generous my
lady is.
All day, everyday, she
worries about me and my troubles, and if I’ll be here the next hour and day.
My life, is the gift she gave
me.
The most spectacular,
wonderful gift I’ve received from her.
Til’ my last day, til’ my
last breath, of everyone that can, I lover her the best.
In every moment we share, I
swear we are infinite.
She is my keeper, protector,
best friend, my mother.
Who has clothed me, fed my
body, and fixed every problem with love and kind words.
She is the one who inspires
me, with everything she has done.
Her mistakes and flaws make
her, that’s beauty I see.
I love her.
We accept the love we think
we deserve.
We both accept it, and that’s
what matters.
She’s my lady.
Wasuton Wi Wicahpi Win Janis is a
seventh grade student at the Little Wound School in Kyle, SD, and she awed the
judges with an upbeat poem about her third grade teacher. Wasuton Wi Wicahpi
Win is also known as “Wasu” and her Lakota name means "Star Woman Who
Comes With Hail."
Wasu runs cross country and has placed in the top ten
in many of her races. Wasu also plays basketball and won the
sportsman challenge at a recent basketball tournament. Wasu is on
the Little Wound Middle School Lakota Language Team, which won the SDABBE
Lakota Language competion in fall of 2012. Her hobbies include
photography, video making, writing poetry, and rock hunting. The following is
her poem; Be inspired!
INSPIRE…
When I first saw her I was a bit scared,
But maybe it was because she always looked prepared.
She's tall and beautiful - I love her curly hair,
And when I got to know her I knew she would always be there.
She was my teacher - my third grade teacher,
And that is when I first got to meet her.
She helped me grow she helped me learn,
The smart person I am now she helped me earn.
She always has good ways to teach,
And into our hearts deep down she would reach.
She's forever smiling and forever happy,
She gets things done good and snappy.
She's smart, she's cool, of all teachers she's the one who
rules.
We have adopted her as a family member,
Wherever I am I will forever remember.
I can list every memory and laugh we had,
And none of them, I promise none are bad.
When I’m with her all I feel is good
just like any body else in the world should.
She sings so good,
Any body could like it, and any body would.
She always carries a smile to your face,
to any body in any place.
How you look it doesn’t matter,
if you need help she'll be your human
ladder.
I will forever look up to her,
She's my role model for sure.
She's good at communication,
and also good at multiplication.
She definitely has the best of all smiles,
but I really wish she would stay in Kyle.
She has a wondrous way to inspire,
And she follows her heart’s deep desires.
She believes in God, and Jesus as well,
She's a good believer any one can tell.
Some may find her compelling,
and also very over whelming.
I'll never get weary of her tremendous
love,
Just like the heavens she is above.
She's persevering strong and kind,
And I am very lucky because a person like
her is hard to find.
She doesn’t care what other people say,
Because she has her own good way.
Being her self, she's also very good at,
and her self is a very vibrant person and
that is that.
Colton Sierra
is
a High School student at the Red Cloud School who awed the judges with a letter
to his mother, a teen mom who raised children, finished High School, obtained a
Bachelors Degree, a Masters Degree and now is working on a Doctorate! Colton
enjoys playing golf and basketball and hopes to go far in education and/or
music. The Writing Challenge permitted the entry of a poem about or a letter to an inspirational woman. Below is Colton's letter to his mother. BE INSPIRED!
Dear Momma,
You are my light, my creator.
You are the mother to my siblings and me. You became a mother to your first
child when you were at the young age of 17. Dad was always on the road riding
bulls and chasing his dreams. You still managed to raise my older sister and
graduate from high school. You were still able to provide for my older sister
when you were just about moneyless. You are a strong woman, Mom, and I know you
only get mad at us because that’s one of the ways that you teach us. You try
your hardest to keep us in line and you do a wonderful job. It’s just that your
kids, well, are a little crazy; just like you and dad.
Another thing that makes me
grateful for our life is how you went out and got a bachelors degree and a
masters degree and you are even working on getting your doctorate! A teen mom
that turned into a successful woman -– a story that is uncommon—but your toughness
pushed you through all of the turmoil. All of the hard times people face now is
something that isn’t foreign to you. You’re slowly growing to be a wise old
woman, mom, and it’s because of all the experiences that you’ve been through.
You showed me that being weak will not get you anywhere and that you must stand
up and face your fears. You inspire me to be courageous and to persevere
through the dark because the light that shines in the end is amazing. You are a
strong woman – I love you mom.
Love your son,
Colton
*********************************************
WOPILA TANKA: Thank you to all of the
students who participated in this challenge--you all awed the judges. Although the judges
were tasked with identifying winners, they were truly impressed by all of the
entries and hope that everyone – all entrants – will continue to write and to
put their voices out for others to hear.
In addition, LCE thanks:
- The JUDGES for their thoughtful consideration
of the entries, for visiting the Reservation, providing workshops at the
winning schools and for their enthusiastic embrace of this project.
- Jasmine Mans for making a video
congratulating the winners, for her enthusiastic embrace of this project and
for providing the winners with signed copies of her latest poetry book.
- Inila-Wakan Janis for his enthusiastic
support of this project, his efforts to promote student participation, and for
making the Judges' trip to the Reservation a very special experience.
- The Red Shirt School and the Little Wound
High School for helping their students get over the finish line to enter and
for hosting wonderful award celebrations. A special shout goes out to the
singers and the drummers at both schools, who honored LCE and the winners.
- The Scarsdale Rotary (Scarsdale, NY) for
awarding LCE a grant, which funded the school awards and which insured that the
Grand Prize Middle School and High School winners would be earning a
substantial award for their schools.
- The Friends of Jane Chilson Dunne, whose
memorial contributions inspired the creation of this project.
STAY TUNED for a full report on the Awards
Ceremonies!
All content: © 2013, Lakota
Children’s Enrichment, Inc.
