The “Spirit Land” Is Bleeding
Are valuable minerals and pipelines, more precious, than the burial places of men, women, and children? I ask you this, as I cry for Wanagiyata (the Spirit Land). ~Emily Janis, 17, student at the Little Wound School, Kyle SD
Emily Rain Janis, 17, was a Runner-Up in Lakota Children’s Enrichment’s 2014 VOICES OF THE LAND Writing Challenge. Her poem, Wanagiyata (The Spirit Land), presents a moving commentary on the decades of destruction of sacred Lakota Sioux lands and burial cites. Some lands were used as bombing ranges, others were ripped apart for uranium mining, and now, some lands are designated for the path of what Emily calls the “snake,” the Keystone Pipeline.
Emily hears the spirit land weeping for the bones of her ancestors whom will be unearthed from sacred grounds in the name of progress. She says that her ancestors did not realize that “rest in peace” meant only for a little while.
Emily is a Co-Founding member of LCE’s Youth Advisory Board and a rising senior at the Little Wound School in Kyle, SD. She will attend a service learning semester in the Fall of 2014 at a prestigious private school in New York.
“Emily is one of the most thoughtful members of our Youth Board,” said LCE President Maggie Dunne. “Her quiet and intense reflections have the capacity to rock the world — she has a remarkable gift and I am proud to call her a friend.”
As we read Emily’s poem, we heard the cries from the spirit land… we hope that you are listening.
Wanagiyata (The Spirit Land)
My ancestors are left with no choice but to wait to be uncovered
The ones left to be uncovered, that is,
Uranium mining and bombs have already disturbed
Some of their sleeping bones
And we’re all breathing in the death-filled dust.
I’ve heard people say,
“Let’s make the world a better place.”
But I’ve seen only a million errors to this single trial.
And my ancestors,
They didn’t realize that “Rest In Peace,”
Meant only for a little while.
Wanagiyata is bleeding,
As so many trees fall,
to let stand a single building.
And now the snake named “Keystone” is on the hunt,
And he’s hungry for the bones of my people.
Are “valuable minerals” and pipelines, more precious,
than the burial places of men, women, and children?
I ask you this, as I cry for Wanagiyata.
This is part of the VOICES OF THE LAND Collection on Medium.
(c) 2014, originally published by Lakota Children’s Enrichment, Inc. in the Voices of the Land collection; (c) 2014, photography by Cindy and Maggie Photography, All Rights Reserved.
