Building a Bridge of Hope
by Pamela Gregg
Ginny Cotcamp knows that her mother’s mother was half American Indian, most likely Cherokee or Sioux — but she’ll never be certain of the lineage.
“In my grandmother’s day, being Indian was something to hide. You just didn’t talk about it.”
For Ginny, a contracts specialist at the Research Institute, pride in her Native American heritage is part of what called her to visit the Standing Rock Reservation in South Dakota this winter. Ginny joined a group of 34 adults and students from UD, the Miami Valley Council for Native Americans and other universities on a weeklong mission “to build a bridge between the Native American community and the universities.”
The group departed March 17 for Standing Rock and camped in a gymnasium — one of the few non-residential buildings on the reservation.
Each morning, students would rise early and prepare breakfast for the entire group. Soon after, youth from the reservation would begin arriving at the gym for a day of activities with the campers.
“We played games and music and sang songs, and the kids worked on murals,” Ginny said. “We also came together in ‘talking circles,’ where the kids would share their feelings about various things.”
The children stole her heart, Ginny added. “They were so sweet and adorable — and they loved having our attention. They couldn’t get enough love and hugs.”
The teenagers from the reservation were a little more cautious at first, Ginny said. “We weren’t sure how they felt about us being there at first. In time, as it became clear to them that we were there to help and weren’t just curious tourists, they opened up more.”
In the evenings, adults from the reservation brought in supper to share and to join in talking sessions.
As she reflected on the trip, Ginny said it was the sense of isolation felt by the residents of Standing Rock that affected her most. “I’d been to the Dakotas before, and it’s beautiful there. It’s an ideal place for me to visit because I love to get away from the city. But for the people who live there, it can be torture. There’s nothing there — you have to drive 10 miles for a loaf of bread or some gas, and you have to drive 30 miles to do any real shopping. There’s no entertainment and virtually nothing to do.”
Through the talking sessions, Standing Rock residents shared hopes and concerns. “Some wanted to know how they could bring a store to the reservation. Some of the teenagers talked about wanting to go to college. A couple of them wanted to be teachers, and others wanted to be nurses.”
To encourage their young hosts in pursuit of their dreams, the visitors “sponsored” the youth in pledges of living a healthy lifestyle. “I sponsored two girls who pledged to remain alcohol-free,” Ginny said. “Out of respect for what they were doing, I pledged to remain alcohol-free for one year myself. It’s a promise I have kept and will continue to keep.”
Ginny wears a bracelet bearing the name and in honor of Lakota Rose Madison, a young teen who was killed on the reservation several years ago. Rose had visited UD, and had hoped to return as a student.
“What’s interesting is that so many of us who went on that trip didn’t really know why we went; it was as if something was ‘pulling us’ to the reservation,” Ginny said. “We returned home with new-found friends and a respect for a nation of people who have fought and continue to fight to maintain their heritage with dignity and pride.”
“I’d go back in a heartbeat, and there are future trips planned,” she added. “If we continue to communicate and extend the ‘bridge,’ there is hope for a better future for the people of Standing Rock.”
May 2005
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