March 2005

The Circle — A Story from the Heart of Red Lake

Dear Friends,

This is a rare and strange opportunity for me to do something of value in a time of crisis. As most of you know, Red Lake is the reservation where I have spent my time. That school was where I worked with my students. The teacher who is being quoted about getting her children on the floor took my old job. That might be my old classroom. This tragedy strikes right to my heart.

I am very concerned about how it will be put forth in the media –“reservation poverty breeds culture of despair,” “Alienated goth student runs amok,” “tragedy in the heartland,” and so forth. The journalists can’t be faulted; they aren’t close enough to the event in time and culture to do any more. But maybe I can, because I know the people and the place.

So what I am offering you is something that I wrote several years ago when one of my students died. It will bring you closer to that reservation — both its poverty and its spirituality — than anything else you are likely to read. I have always wondered how it would see the light of day. Perhaps it was written just for this moment.

I don’t usually ask people to do this. But in this instance I’d like you to pass this on to others. For this brief moment people are looking at Indian reality. This entry will allow them the glimpse they need to see.

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