The Fight for Survival in South Dakota
In a Place Hard Hit by the Pandemic, A Native Woman Fights for Her People’s Survival and Her Own
Her name is Cankudutawin, Scarlet Way. Her English name is Ruth. She lives with her family on Dakota Treaty lands on the Lake Traverse Reservation in northeastern South Dakota, a state that never issued a shelter in place order. Her Tribe, however, issued a mask mandate, social distancing measures, and travel restrictions. Ruth only travels for essential reasons.
Like Native People across the country, Ruth’s have been especially hard hit by the pandemic. Although her life is full from sunrise to sunset, Ruth graciously shared her time and thoughts on pandemic living.
Routine and Discipline
I wake up with the sun and tend to my plants. I keep a garden in the spring and summer. It’s fall now, but I still have tomatoes growing indoors as well as a Devil’s Ivy and a Peace Lily. I do my morning stretches, yoga, squats and jumping jacks, brush my teeth and hair, wash up, get dressed and smudge. I make coffee and make sure everyone takes their medicine, vitamins and supplements, help them get up and dressed, braid my husband’s hair, make beds, and refill humidifiers. I check everyone’s schedules to make sure appointments and deadlines are going to be…
