My trip to Rapid City South Dakota on March 30/31 was an eye opener for me. I had read about Native Americans in several novels but have never engaged them in conversation before. The closest I have come to meeting one has been my friend Ruth Yellow Hawk who is related to the Lakota’s. I was therefore excited about sitting in meeting with Lakota youth and elders.

The youth met a day earlier to reflect and respond to radio documentaries featuring Lakota elders. It was my first experience with the Talking Stone. The talking stone is Participants sat in a circle and the stone was passed from one person to the other, when the stone go to you, you were encouraged to speak to the issue at hand.