From Chicago in Illinois I travelled through Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin - then back to Illinois and Chicago for my flight home to Ireland three weeks later.
Although the scenery was amazing, the people I met along the way is what made my holiday memorable. From my wild and wonderful cousins in Montana, to the many truckers I met along the way in cafés and gas stations, or just parked at pull-off rest areas along the road; and the traffic cop who pulled me over in Minnesota for travelling 2 - yes 2 - mph over the limit. When he heard my Irish accent he kept me for at least 30 minutes chatting about his grandmother who came from Co Kerry, all the time assuring me he wasn't giving me a ticket.
Most of all though, was the unbelievable welcome I received in South Dakota when I visited the Pine Ridge Reservation. But there is a tale behind this story that needs telling:
In January 1985 a delegation from the American Indian Movement (AIM) visited Ireland to attend the Bloody Sunday commemoration in Derry, and to witness at first hand the ongoing War of Independence in the North of Ireland.
While in Ireland, they showed a particular interest in efforts to revive our native language through an all-Irish education system, similar to their own efforts to revive the language of the Oglala Lakota. We brought them to visit Gael Scoil Santain in Tallaght, where they performed their traditional dances and music, to the delight of children and teachers.
They also showed an interest in the ongoing struggle of the Travelling community in Ireland for civil rights. The Travelling community is a nomadic ethnic group in Ireland which has suffered continuous discrimination and marginalisation over many years. The AIM delegation visited Traveller encampments and met with their leaders, including Nan Joyce, a well-known spokesperson for Travellers who had stood for election, easily out-polling the combined votes of her three opponents who stood as anti-Traveller candidates against her.
Without the benefit of Social Media or internet though, over the years I lost contact with our friends from AIM. But now, in Pine Ridge, I determined to try again to make contact. I knew that one of the delegation leaders, Floyd (Red Crow) Westerman had sadly passed away in 2007, but other than this I could not remember any of the other names. All my inquiries in Pine Ridge proved fruitless though, and I began to give up hope, planning to continue on with my journey.
On the final day of my visit to Pine Ridge, I was told of a Pow-wow taking place in the nearby village of Porcupine. A Pow-wow is a gathering of communities throughout the Reservation where music and dance competitions take place in traditional costume, along with more formal ceremonies and activities. But although the occasion is not designed for tourists, I was assured I would be welcome and decided to spend my last day there enjoying the spectacle.
On my arrival, I decided to make one final attempt to make contact with my AIM friends. I approached the Master of Ceremonies to introduce myself, and asked if he knew of anybody who might be a member of AIM. He looked at me with disdain, and said proudly: "Everyone here is a member of AIM!"
But when I explained my mission, his eyes softened and he informed me that he, as a young warrior, was a member of that delegation who came to Ireland so many years ago.
I showed him photographs from 1985 and he introduced me to the gathered assembly as a special Guest of Honour from Ireland and allowed me free reign to take photos of the ceremonies - a great honour for a stranger.
Photos include: Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Arches NP, Yellowstone NP, Glacier NP, Crazy Horse Memorial Mountain, Badlands, and Pine Ridge.
Chicago (Day 1)
Chicago (donut)
Refreshing shower in Chicago
Route 66, Chicago
Red Cardinal
Hummingbird
Arches NP
Grand Canyon (North Rim)
California Condor
Golden mantled ground squirrel
Looks like the Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis), but can't be certain.
Helena & Lincoln, Montana (Hartnetts)
Helena, Montana - Cousins
White Tails abound
six-point elk seeing off the opposition
Turkey Vulture
Glacier Falls National Park, Montana
Chipmunk
Golden-mantled Ground squirrel
Columbian Ground Squirrel
White Tailed Ptarmigan, Lagopus leucurus
Mountain Goat - Oreamnos americanus
Wildlife overpass
Old Faithful geyser
The Milky Way
American Bison - Bison bison
Osprey - Pandion haliaetus
Where two warriors fell at the battle of the Little Bighorn
A stone to commemorate the horses that died.
The narrow depression where Reno's force was decimated by warriors
The white stone markers indicate where soldiers of the 7th Cavalry fell.
While officers' names are engraved on the stones where they fell (although there is
dispute over where Custer's body was actually found), ordinary soldiers' names
were not marked, other than on the main monument.
This beautiful monument commemorates the warriors who
fought for their freedom at Little Bighorn.
Below: the spot where Kankuhanska Long Road, a Sans Arc Sioux warrior fell.
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota
Burial place of Red Cloud who founded a school in Pine Ridge.
Oglala Lakota Sioux, Pow-wow at Porcupine, Pine Ridge Reservation
My friend, Melvin Young Bear, who visited Ireland in 1984 as part of an
American Indian Movement (AIM) delegation, in solidarity with the Provisional IRA
during the War of Independence in the North-east of Ireland.
Badlands National Park, South Dakota
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| The home of Butch Cassidy |
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| The town of Provo!! |
Our Lady of the Rockies, Butte, Montana
The Crazy Horse Memorial in the Sacred Black Hills of Dakota
The giant Crazy Horse carving dwarfs the National Memorial at Mount Rushmore. One of the bravest
and most feared of warriors, it is said that as a young Lakota Sioux warrior, Crazy Horse
galloped between the opposing forces at the Little Bighorn to rally his comrades and lead
them to a resounding victory against Custer's 7th Cavalry.
The monument shows Crazy Horse on horseback with his arm outstretched pointing.
It is said that when he was in captivity, a soldier asked him derisively, "Where are your lands now?"
To which Crazy Horse replied, pointing "My lands are where my dead lie buried."
Crazy Horse was murdered while in captivity.
The arm of Crazy Horse will be 80mtrs long and the head 27mtrs high. By comparison,
the heads of the four US presidents at Mount Rushmore are each only 18 mtrs high.
Sunset at Pine Ridge (Sharps Road/Big Foot Trail)
