How many of us can remember going on the trips to Wounded Knee on the Tiyospaye bus or van? If you've gone, then you can rrecall how Muriel used to sigh with frustration when she had to make arrangements with a local area church serve as a drop-off point as well as a needing to reserve it to use as the community site for her annual Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Easter dinner. She would speak longingly of the Community Center that the volunteers of Tiyospaye had talked about building 10 - 12 years prior, but somehow, the dream never took off. It is seen, after all, as a high energy project, one that would require more time then Muriel or any of the volunteers had to devote to it.
Oh it was an ambitious project no doubt. It would include a senior center and a child care center so that the youngest generation and the elders could be in close proximity to each other. There would be classrooms where the students could be tutored in subjects that they are floundering in, perhaps even have a computer room so everyone could be brought up to speed on the latest technological advances which would serve to assist them in a job search. There would also be a gallery area where the local artisans could display and sell their work without having to go through a middleman. She saw basketball court for all the young and old to go to burn off their competitive energies as well as a swimming pool for those sizzling hot summer days when the air is so thick you need to cut it with a knife before you can inhale it.
But mostly, it would be the Peoples' community Center built by them, for them, with just a little help from their friends. This center would not only serve as the drop-off place for any deliveries for the Wounded Knee Community, it would be the center for all activities and perclude the necessity to use someone elses' facilities within their time frame.
She also envisioned the people coming together to build and operate the communty center and so, in her way, become a part of helping to mend the Sacred Hoop. The village of Wounded Knee has a rich historical background given the memorial site of the mass grave of those who were slaughtered in the Massacre of Demember 29th, 1890 and the more recent event of the stand off between members of the American Indian Movement and the FBI. There is a constant flow of tourists who are attracted to the area and an information center would also prove to be beneficial to the residents of the area. |
