'We Live to Survive': One Week with Lakota (part 1)

Part 2 http://on.rt.com/vswcw8

"We live to survive." That is what many of them say. In the 19th century, the Lakota people were among the most successful fighters for freedom in the USA. But their land was eventually stolen, their language for years was forbidden to be taught in schools, and their freedom existed only on paper. This story was filmed during the first week of August in 2011 on the territory of Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota. This is official land of the Oglala Lakota Nation nowadays.

Every year in August, Lakota people come to Pine Ridge from all over the world to celebrate their culture and traditions at the annual powwow. On the contrary of joy and happiness even during holiday there is a place for grief and misery. Many people have alcohol problems, there are no jobs or good housing. Lakota people are still fighting for their rights. But that gets harder to do every year.

Watch more on RT's documentary channel http://rtd.rt.com

Subscribe to RT! http://www.youtube.com/subscription_c...

Like us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/RTnews
Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/RT_com
Follow us on Google+ http://plus.google.com/b/102728491539...

• Category

  News & Politics

[ITSbigwillystyle]

Stupid fucking missionaries, get out of there. They're already suffering enough.

[89cz3ko]

How is it not. its a slow extermination of a people, that has gone on long before 1939.

[1athletics]

Im sorry if i offended people, i just got done reading books Last Stand plus Custer and sitting bull made me a bit upset. All do respect Sarah Horsman you are a beatiful squaw i would totally date you!!

[Sarah Horsman]

If you think they lived like cavemen then you know absolutely nothing about them. You are either completely and utterly stupid or you are just a trol deliberately trying to upset people. Either way you need to get a life.

[1athletics]

Indians slaughtered plenty of inncoent white people " sioux uprising 1862" The land now belongs to us the American People, You can give your house land that you own back to what ever tribe that lived on your current land 200 yrs ago. Stop having so much sympathy to a people that lived like cavemen savages, harsh but grim reality of the indians

[1athletics]

Lazy dum indians blaming the white man for the current misfortune!! Get a job go to college join the army and better yourself!! Your living like the whiteman and not like your savage ancestors

[ACMDevils]

it's the US but it looks like a town nowhere in Guatemala ( dirty kids sitting on the streets )

the us gives the laws, wants taxes but allows this ?

[Boulevardwheels]

These people who live on reservations cannot survive in the real world. They cry and whine about what happend to them in the past; however they use this as a crutch and that is why they do not succeed. These people need to learn to adapt and become productive citizens and not become another welfare statistic. This is a prime example of a dependency clause theory in action. Get off your drunken asses and start taking care of your families and communities. Get rid of the feeling of entitlement.

[FoxifiedNutjob]

First the white man steals your land, then they come in and steal your children's intellect with all this christian bullshit.

What else do you have that they can rob? But don't worry, you always will have your booze and gambling...

[mewabe4]

This may be a minor issue...but why did some Native Americans enlist to fight in Iraq and shoot other brown people and destroy another nation that by the way never attacked the US?

I thought they had learnt that the US government couldn't be trusted...why fight for something that can't be trusted?

Kind of like if Jewish people had enlisted to be Nazis and fight for Germany. I don't see the logic...

[Sarah Horsman]

Humanity sickens me... WHY take their land away... WHY slaughter an entire culture for greed...I really want to keep my hopes up for them...hope that some day they will be given back everything that was taken for them...but humanity will never let go of its greed...always about consuming and destroying...we are a virus