Hello! My name is Eleanor and I am journal girl for the day. Our day started with an early morning breakfast that would prepare us for our first day of work at Tiriji eco enter. Our goal by the end of the trip is to create a gazebo for IPI to use for gatherings and...
We began the afternoon by collecting bundles of wild sage, which was later used in a cleansing ceremony for Lakota youth who had suffered from trauma. After the children were cleansed, and the older men finished their inipi (the rite of purification), we entered the inipi for our own experience. The Unci (elder grandmother) opened...
One of the 10 essential principles of a shoulder-to-shoulder experience is “whenever possible, we work shoulder-to-shoulder with locals…because the relationships we develop and the learning that occurs through them are as important as the project itself.” This is the principle that resonates the most with me. Relationships are truly an important aspect of both our...