Our middle school youth met Darell this week during their accompaniment experience at Lake Traverse Reservation in Sisseton, SD. Darell explained the Dakota history and culture. He teaches at the Tribal School. He taught our group many phrases in Dakota and explained their religious practices.
Women are not allowed to touch the drums as they are sacred and just for men. Women still worship with their voices and own songs. Darell shared they believed in the same God as we do. They just believe everything contains a spirit. But, because their worship practices didn’t look like the Europeans did the “whites” assumed they were worshiping false gods.
Until the 1950s, the Dakotas could be arrested just by having a drum. Darell shared that he was scared the first time he spoke with mission/service groups like ours years ago because a member of the church where he was speaking came in.
Unfortunately, Darell admits that racial issues are still a big problem today in the Sisseton area.
