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05 Wolakota Project Video Transcripts and URLs.docx · WP-0135. Imported source record; individual Elder status and tribal affiliation are not inferred.
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Interview transcript
Just the hundreds and hundreds of teachings and the beauty of it is that they're all simple. The beauty of it is that you all can learn those in your way and I respect you for learning them in your way. If you try to articulate this to a lot of our non-Indian friends, whether they be my counterparts in state or federal government, it's always a challenge. And over the years meeting with these officials, the number one comment, the number one question that comes out once we start sharing why we need things, not want things, but why we need things and share the dynamics of that, whatever it may be, the number one comment is, I didn't know that. I didn't know that, which is fair because they wouldn't know it because they don't live with us as Lakota, you know, and we respect that, we understand it. So, by the time they start knowing about it, then comes another election and you've got another set of relatives and counterparts to re-educate. Just as long as they don't use that as the excuse not to work together as partners, as treaty partners, with whatever the case may be, just as long as that's not used as an excuse because we're ready to educate, we're ready to do those things, always have been. So, that's something that's very interesting and I share that with a lot of young people. Know who you are, know what you are and be able to share that with whomever, not just what's worth your actions because you're going to get that return statement, I didn't know that. That's all right, that's fine, that's okay because remember we live in two worlds.