Pine Ridge Agricultural Initiative

Dear Supporters,

I hope this finds you in good health and spirits. I am writing to share our experiences living and working on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

Our time living amongst the Lakota has been a powerful and humbling learning experience, filled with huge triumphs, heartfelt connections and devastating tragedies. We have made family and lost family in these two short years. Jim Cross, my brother, business partner and friend is a mover and shaker among his people. Sitting on the Tribal Counsel for the past 9 years he is familiar with the way things work in Indian Country.  Jim’s family is our family; they have taken us in and welcomed us as their relatives. 

We live as caretakers on Jim’s family’s land, a beautiful piece of paradise nestled amongst the Ash, Elm and Cottonwood trees in the lowlands created by the once much larger Bear-in-the-Lodge Creek just below the long stretches of open prairie and grasslands east of Allen, SD.  These life sustaining trees create precious shade from the otherwise scorching rays of the South Dakota summer sun, necessary for animals and humans alike.  Turkey, deer, coyote, rabbit, raccoon and owl also call this land home and are our closest neighbors, except of course for the rancher’s cattle, which are ever intent on eating and trampling the fruits of our labor, but between our fences and dogs, we have worked out a relatively harmonious co-existence. 

Life for us is simple and blessed. We awaken with the sun and move with the rhythms of Nature. Birds, children and coffee sing us awake, while coyote and owls sing us to sleep.  With no rent, mortgage or utility bills, no monthly cable, internet or credit card bills, no office rent or parking fees…and with us growing much of our own food, our overhead has become much less burdensome, greatly increasing the time our family is able to spend together, a value upon which I cannot place words.  Our kids and dogs have the freedom to run and play as they choose, enjoying themselves playing with other children, home-schooling and being in nature.  This year my family was honored when my seven year old daughter was gifted and wrapped in a hand-made star quilt by Jim’s brother, Elroy to honor her for her strength and endurance in sitting with us in sweat-lodge every week and praying so strongly for his family and people. We feel so blessed to have been adopted into such a beautiful family and are fortunate to spend much of our week working, living and praying among these wonderful people.

With most of my working hours spent around the sawmill, chainsaw, truck and fences the garden’s harvest from my vantage point seemed incredibly bountiful this year. I got to witness my wife harvesting melon, squash, greens, potatoes, tomatoes and herbs, and watched in awe as she filled jar upon jar with carrots, beets, pickles, beans, jellies, chutneys and sauces until she could hardly see straight. That having been said, from Leah’s perspective, after having been hit by two unseasonable frosts in late-June and early-September, it was a less abundant harvest than she had hoped. Next year we will plant our frost sensitive crops at higher elevation in hopes of avoiding these mid-season cold snaps. 

In 2017, we marked our first year hosting student groups on Pine Ridge.  Through a partnership with Amizade, a Fair Trade Global Service Learning organization, we were fortunate enough to host two wonderful groups from Penn State. They each joined us for a week to volunteer on community lead service projects, listen to stories about relevant historic and cultural issues from local community leaders, learn Lakota crafts from local artisans and partake in traditional Lakota ceremonies.  We have found this to be a wonderful framework in which to create a valuable and meaningful cultural exchange, while infusing direly needed resources into the local economy. Next year we have 6 student groups planned, both high-school and college students, and are excited at the potential of hosting more!

Our main project planned for 2018 is the construction of an Earthship and gardening space at “the Butte”, a gorgeous and fertile piece of land just west of Kyle, SD. An Earthship is a sustainable green building constructed with natural and recycled materials with energy conservation in mind. An Earthship is designed to produce water, electricity and food for its inhabitants and visitors.  This space will serve as a lodging and retreat center for hosting future groups, as well as a local artisans’ maker-space. We are partnering with Jim and his family to further develop this land into a farm, education, resource and retreat center to share skills and resources as well as Lakota culture and traditions with natives and non-natives, alike. In sharing skills like sustainable food production, food preservation, natural building and wood-working; resources such as tools, lumber and healthy food, as well as Lakota cultural traditions like beadwork, hide tanning, drum and flute making, archery, the Lakota language, sweat-lodge and other traditional Lakota ceremonies, we intend to create a model for sustainable living and to help insure the preservation of this rich cultural inheritance, living on the brink of extinction, through sharing it with all those interested, humble and excited to learn. 

If you (or members of your family) are potentially interested in visiting Pine Ridge in the coming years, connecting with local people and cultural activities and experiencing the exquisite natural landscape, please let us know so we may begin conversations about the possibilities!

If you feel called to support this vision, please consider making a donation to our fundraising site (gofundme.com/PineRidgeFund) and “liking” our facebook page (facebook.com/PineRidgeAgriculturalInitiative) to stay abreast of our progress.

To date your generous donations and volunteer hours have allowed us to:

-          Purchase a portable sawmill allowing us to generate lumber with minimal financial investment

-          Construct a shed to house this sawmill utilizing lumber it milled itself

-          Mill lumber, cut joints and erect the timber-frame for a 4 season greenhouse

-          Construct 6 outhouses for local residents and campers

-          Fence off, plow and annually expand the gardening space

-          Sow seeds, purchase starts, amend soil with organic compost, tend and water gardens

-          Weatherize and renovate a local artist space and residence

-          Construct a truck bridge to allow access to previously inaccessible timber supplies

-          Construct a foot bridge to allow camping access to previously inaccessible camping areas

-          Cut and split firewood for ceremony and for heating local residences during the intense South Dakota winter

-          Dig a well to provide irrigation and drinking water to gardens and local residents

-          Distribute 600+ lbs of locally grown organic produce to local residents

-          Prepare and serve more than 300 community meals

-          Distribute over 70 pumpkin pies to native families

-          Purchase a used 1993 Chevy Silverado pick-up truck to haul and deliver timber, fence posts, firewood, garden produce, community meals, etc…

-          Generate seasonal part-time employment for local residents

-          Provide resources necessary to obtain locally sourced buffalo skulls and hides for rawhide, hide tanning, drum-making, leatherwork and Lakota ceremonies

-          Widen the consumer market for local artisans to sell their wares

(By-the-way, please let us know if you are interested in purchasing any traditional handcrafted jewelry, moccasins, star quilts, drums or flutes for a loved one this holiday season!)

Thank you so dearly for your continued interest and support of our projects!

Many blessings to you and your family as we approach this holiday season,

Keller Allen

Assistant Director

Pine Ridge Agricultural Initiative