matthewwilliamsphotography.com

Essays: A Beautiful Dream - Pine Ridge, South Dakota

View the NY Times Article>> 

View the NY Times Multimedia>> 

View the TIME.com Gallery>> 

“I did not know then how much was ended. When I look back now from this high hill of my old age, I can still see the butchered women and children lying heaped and scattered all along the crooked gulch as plain as when I saw them with eyes still young. And I can see that something else died there in the bloody mud, and was buried in the blizzard. A people's dream died there. It was a beautiful dream . . . the nation's hoop is broken and scattered. There is no center any longer, and the sacred tree is dead."  

- Black Elk 

Like many Indian reservations scattered throughout the United States, Pine Ridge is a place that is forgotten by many people living in South Dakota and it is virtually unheard of by mainstream American society. Located just east of the Wyoming border in Southwestern South Dakota, the Pine Ridge reservation is hidden behind Mount Rushmore, the Needles Highway, Devil’s Tower, and the infamous town of Wall. Alcoholism, poverty, and violence have been part of everyday life for the people who live on and around the Pine Ridge Reservation. Almost every time American citizens opens a newspaper or magazine they are exposed to some sort of poverty, mostly in third world areas in Africa, the Middle East or Asia. People feel a certain responsibility to help or at least acknowledge the fact that these things are real.  

But what about the “third world country” that is located in the middle of the richest country in the world? According to the Wall Street Journal, the life expectancy of people living on Pine Ridge Reservation is the shortest in the Western Hemisphere, outside of Haiti. Because of the history of historical oppression suffered at the hands of the US government, Pine Ridge is one of the most troubled places in the United States. The unemployment rate of Pine Ridge hovers around 80%, and the prospect of finding a job is even slimmer, because Rapid City, the nearest city of any consequence, lies 110 miles away. In addition, gang violence is at an all time high among the youth on the reservation creating a dangerous environment for teens to grow up in. 

Despite the oppression suffered by these people throughout history, the culture and respect running through the Lakota way of life is unmatched. People throughout the reservation show amazing resiliency and respect for their culture and what lies ahead for them in the future.  

  • George Eagle Bull sits with his niece, Kimimilia, in front of his house in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, on Friday, July 24, 2009.
  • A young mother helps her son onto the horse on Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota.  Family values are something that elders in the community see as being lost among the younger generations as they turn to drugs, alcohol, and gang activity.
  • Liz Eagle Bull fixes breakfast about a week before her baby is born on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in Pine Ridge, South Dakota.  There is only one hospital on the reservation and many times people are forced to drive nearly an hour or are left without medical care altogether if they don't have a vehicle.
  • Ed Standing Soldier shows off his tattoo in a friends house in Pine Ridge, South Dakota.  That tattoo, which reads {quote}Lakota{quote} is a proud testament to his heritage.
  • A young girl stands in front of her trailor in Pine Ridge, South Dakota.  Pine Ridge Reservation, located in Shannon County, is considered the poorest county in the United States.  Gang violence, unemployment, and alcoholism are major problems throughout the reservation.
  • An eagle from the National Eagle Center rests after the opening ceremony of the Pow wow in Pine Ridge, South Dakota.  Eagles are considered one of the most sacred animals to the Lakota.
  • Alexis Oxendine pushes a stroller through the front yard in Pine Ridge, South Dakota.  Many houses lack basic amenities such as running water and electricity.
  • Darlene High Hawk tends to her two daughters, Destiny (right) and Danielle (left), who are fighting for their mothers attention on Friday, June 2, 2006 in a housing complex outside of Pine Ridge, South Dakota.  Darlene has six children and doesn't have time to leave them and work.  Pine Ridge Reservation is considered the poorest county in the United States.  Gang violence, unemployment, and alcoholism are major problems throughout the reservation.
  • Rich Lone Elk, 24, a member of the North Side Tre Tre Gangsta' Crips, hugs one of his girlfriends, Alexis Oxendine at their house in Pine Ridge, South Dakota.  (Photo by Matthew Williams/ZUMA Press)
  • Rich {quote}Junior{quote} Lame, sits in his bedroom on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, on Wednesday, October 21, 2009.  Although, not a member of one specific gang, Junior is surrounded by the gang influence and hip hop influence throughout his everyday life.  Most of his friends are involved in the gangs.
  • Dogs walk the streets of Pine Ridge, South Dakota on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation during a cold morning on Thursday, October 22, 2009.  Many children carry bats or sticks to ward them off.
  • Rich Lone Elk, 24, cooks dinner at his house in Pine Ridge, South Dakota.  The house, which lacks basic amenities like plumbing is home to as many as 8 people.
  • pineridge41
  • Ed Standing Soldier drinks a {quote}Joose{quote} at his friends house in Pine Ridge, South Dakota.  Ed collects cans in White Clay, Nebraska regularlyto pay for his next beer.
  • pineridge12
  • A man sits with his head in his hands in White Clay, Nebr.  White Clay, population 17, which is merely two miles away from Pine Ridge, consists of four liquor stores that sell an average of 12,500 cans of beer a day, mostly to the residents of Pine Ridge Reservation.
  • Danielle High Hawk is put on the trampoline where she can't escape while her mother tends to her other daughters on Friday, June 2, 2006 in a housing complex outside of Pine Ridge, South Dakota.  Darlene has six children and doesn't have time to leave them and work.  Pine Ridge Reservation is considered the poorest county in the United States.  Gang violence, unemployment, and alcoholism are major problems throughout the reservation.
  • Jordan Anduja plays basketball in his uncle's front yard on the Pine Ridge Reservation in Pine Ridge, South Dakota on Tuesday, July 28, 2009.
  • Teens gather at the skate park in the evenings and during the long summer days in Pine Ridge, South Dakota.   Pine Ridge Reservation, located in Shannon County, is considered the poorest county in the United States.  Gang violence, unemployment, and alcoholism are major problems throughout the reservation.
  • Liz Eagle Bull fixes breakfast about a week before her baby is born on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in Pine Ridge, South Dakota.  There is only one hospital on the reservation and many times people are forced to drive nearly an hour or are left without medical care altogether if they don't have a vehicle.
  • A young girl waits in line for the pow wow to begin in Pine Ridge, South Dakota.  Many of the tribal elders feel a loss of tradition and respect among the youth.
  • pineridge19
  • Basketball passes the time on a hot summer night on Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota.
  • pineridge21
  • Cassie Wilson, Rich Lone Elk's sister, walks through the kitchen looking for clean water to drink in Pine Ridge, South Dakota.  Many people on Pine Ridge Reservation don't have running water or electricity.
  • PINE RIDGE RESERVATION
  • Rich Lone Elk stands outside his house on Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, on Thursday, October 22, 2009.  Rich, a member of the Northside Tre Tre Gangsta' Crips has been involved in the gang since he was in his early teens.
  • pineridge64
  • Alexis Oxendine pets one of the horses on Pine Ridge Reservation.  Many people use horses a primary means of transportation during the summer to get from place to place.
  • Posters of rappers surround family photographs in June Wilson's room.  June, 17, lives on Pine Ridge Reservation with is family without running water and finds escape in rap music.  Gang violence on the reservation is at an all time high and has created a dangerous environment for young people to grow up in.
  • Rich {quote}Junior{quote} Lame, stands in his bedroom on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, on Wednesday, October 21, 2009.  Although, not a member of one specific gang, Junior is surrounded by the gang influence and hip hop influence throughout his everyday life.  Most of his friends are involved in the gangs.
  • Florence Lone Elk, 23, sleeps in the living room of their house on Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, on Wednesday, October 21, 2009.  Six people reside in the house on a regular basis, which does not have running water or plumbing.
  • Rich {quote}Junior{quote} Lame sands at the grave of his siter at their family grave site on Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota on Wednesday, October 21, 2009.  Many of their family members have committed suicide, overdosed, and succumbed to health problems and are buried there.
  • Leston Moran, 24, displays the scars of attempted suicide on Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota on Thursday, October 22, 2009.  Moran, recently released from prison for armed robbery, tried to kill himself in prison when his grandmother passed away and he wasn't able to attend the services.
  • pineridge34
  • pineridge44
  • Richard {quote}Junior{quote} Lame smokes a joint on a summer night in Pine Ridge, South Dakota.  Many young people turn to drugs, alcohol, and gang violence at an early age.
  • Cody Brown, 18, right, a member of the Black Wallstreet Gang, smokes a cigarette outside a house in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, on Thursday, October 22, 2009.
  • pineridge45
  • pineridge36
  • pineridge52
  • pineridge37
  • pineridge61
  • pineridge58
  • pineridge67
  • pineridge43
  • pineridge56
  • Rich Lone Elk, 24, a member of the North Side Tre Tre Gangsta' Crips, stands outside of his house, in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, on Wednesday, October 21, 2009.  Rich and the rest of his family live without running water or plumbing.
  • pineridge47
  • pineridge48
  • pineridge49
  • Richard {quote}June{quote} Wilson stands outside their house in Pine Ridge.
  • pineridge54
  • Rich {quote}Junior{quote} Lame, meets up with friends in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, on Thursday, October 22, 2009.  {quote}Junior{quote} who doesn't claim just one gang, says all of his friends are in gangs and he relates to the lifestyle and urban influences found throughout the gangs on the reservation.
  • Home
  • Essays
    • The Alaska Marine Highway
    • A Beautiful Dream - Pine Ridge, South Dakota
    • Politics
    • Farm to Table - Small Farms in Washington
    • The Poverty Gap: Rio de Janeiro
    • Hope for the Hopeless: A Story of AIDS in Thailand
    • In the Sand - Fort McMurray
  • Commisioned Work
    • The New York Times
    • OutdoorProject.com
    • The FADER
    • Solerno
    • Chronicle of Higher Education
    • University of New England
    • Seattle Business
    • Glenfiddich
  • Travel
  • Portraits
  • Tearsheets
  • Client Galleries
  • Information
    • About Me
    • Client List
    • Contact

Images ©Matthew Williams 2008. Site design © 2010-2023 Neon Sky Creative Media