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WoLakota Project & Teachings of Our Elders

The Role of Societies with Dusty Olson

Explore The Role of Societies with Dusty Olson with available transcripts, learning questions and source alignments in the South Dakota and North Dakota Elder archive.

Interview · North Dakota · Dusty Olson · NDNAEU 6

Themes: Identity & belonging, Education & learning, Values & generosity, Culture & continuity, Community & responsibility, Children & young people, Humor & play

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Learn About questions

What is the role of a society in the MHA nation? How are societies different as you grow up? What opportunities are available at different ages to join societies?

Learn From questions

How have I learned about my culture and heritage? Who has taught me about my culture and heritage? Do I see value in knowing about where and who I come from?  Why or why not?

Transcripts

08 Dusty Olson The Role of Societies

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Yeah this I’ve me and a couple of my society members had a good discussion one time we’re waiting on an event and I think a lot of those older societies need to be brought back into the schools and taught of Holloway things were I think a lot of it was more discipline I think a lot of it was more education in a sense where it was more of a more knowledge to that child or because back then you know even children had societies a belong to a GU society and it belonged to stone hammer Society they belong to Jesus I half shaved half shaved heads there today I mean there’s there’s all kinds aasaiya teas after hit oz his head and spoke before the kids you know and for the little girls you know they all had parts of them they all had to partake you know once the bell once the bell they rung the bell to go out then it move into the into the gates to go out to the garden stadium everybody did their part and I think that means Stahl needs to be brought back I think we as people we disregard our own our own world that we used to live in you know because the modern society which they took over we also disregard our own fact that you know we used to live in a world where we just you know it was just us and I think about that every once in a while once I see all you know I’m driving around I Drive around at night and I Drive around to about 3:00 4:00 in the morning sometimes wooden stuff’s going on I don’t go to sleep you know and I’m I get dressed in a novel where critics damn the whole thing about is that societies are were a big thing back in the days and if you were and you know it was I think it was a respect issue and was that somebody’s stomach but uh but a lot of people you know they just you know they don’t think about that you know in the long run we’ve all I think we’ve all should belong to one at least but they always say about everyone can be in one but that’s when mural and identity comes in and your own self-worth of what kind of person you are when you look at a mirror you know it’s it’s basically you’re you’re challenging yourself to who you really are we should be comin with our society with the black mouths there’s 28 of us right week he can come and like if Charlie want to come in and day Nolan say hey I want to be inducted and takes one person I say no we could take all his gifts and send them on his way but that’s just the way you know it takes one person well we discuss one person’s no better than the other so we all have to equal say so we a lot of them we do discuss of who we’re gonna pick next we who were looking at you know because we do look out a community cuz I’m not gonna be a black mountain you know my whole life which I will be but I just you know at the moment in this society itself and I do look at people and say well this would be a good person that would fit the qualities I guess and which I am looking right now I have a couple people mine but it’s just that it’s really it’s kind of hard so it’s card kind of hard cuz you have to be a kind of rounded person with a little good temperament so that’s what I look for in kind of a not lazy guy [Laughter]

Source materials

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