OSEU Six: Sidney Byrd– Santee Christian Homesteading

Santee Christian Homesteading - Sidney Byrd - OSEU #6 The new reservation was established in Santee. The Christians were ostracized, ridiculed, and just made life miserable for the Christians. You embrace a white man's religion. God is not a white man. Our word for God is wakanshanka, great spirit. He's not a white man. But that's what they accused him. It just so happened that the ones that brought us the gospel were white men. But it's not their religion, it's God's religion. So finally they said, you take the land, we'll leave. So in March of 1879, the group left. They walked. They improvised packs. And they would And then they would walk. this and made it into a reservation but before that it is homestead land. They also became the first citizens and they've established themselves as the first Native American Christian colony. They built the church. They got John P. Williamson appealed to Washington said you've been forced trying to force the Indians to farm their own lands. Here's a group on their own volition doing exactly what you've been trying to force them to do but they need help. So he was able to get them oxen and other kind of and they used oxen to bring the lumber from Windham, Minnesota and built a church. It also became the first Native American Christian colony in the world. He sent out missionaries including my grandfather. Served over there in Pine Ridge 40 years. I was born. I'm a Santee but I speak a Lakota instead of Dakota. That was my first language because that's what they speak. So we have a remarkable history. Christian colonies sending out missionaries. Now the old church is still here. The original church. We have a new church built but hardly anybody comes in the church anymore.

Returning Home - Sidney Byrd - OSEU #6 After three long, lonely years, the disciplinarian called me to the office, a dreaded office. Going to the disciplinarian's office was never a happy experience. It only meant one thing, it meant punishment. He was a disciplinarian. Called me in. He said, Sid, how would you like to go home? It never occurred to me. Yes, sir. Go take a shower, change into your uniform, bring whatever you wanted to bring, take home with you. So I took my shower, changed into my Army uniform, and came in a little bag of a few things that I wanted to take home with me. He took me down to the railroad station, bought me a train ticket, gave me some money to buy my lunch, and I left. Long trip home, arrived at Gordon, Nebraska. I looked out the window and I saw my grandparents. I practically leaped from the train and I ran and I grabbed my grandmother. Tears were down my cheeks, tears were down. And that was the happiest day of my life, just to be with my grandmother. My grandfather said, Trakosha, you've made some improvements in your life. You look like you're going to go to war. And I had an Army uniform. And that was the beginning of my—however harsh it was, we were beaten for speaking our own language at the school. So I had a hard time, but at home, no one spoke English, so I was able to relearn my language. He said, oh, the old man tells you, the heart and soul of any culture is the language. Once the language is gone, you're no longer a people.