A tub of Indian soup simmering on the fire, cold drinks, and good friends. The word is circulating that another Lakota, known by all, was found yesterday floating face-down in Rapid Creek, a mile from Rapid City. More stories circulate in whispers. Yet another Lakota man was found yesterday beaten to death and stuffed into a garbage can in Mobridge, a small town of Northern South Dakota. Apparently, four rich white kids were apprehended in the murder.
Suspicions run high.
The numbers pile up. It never ends out here. Through the buffalo grass you can see the spot where the bodies of Black Elk and Hard Heart were found. A small triangular fence enshrouds the site, tied with red prayer cloths and piled with sage and food offerings so the departed spirits will have full stomachs on their journey into the next world. Tipis and human gatherings are not foreign to this shaded knoll.