Lakota Waldorf School: Background
The Pine Ridge Reservation is situated in the southwestern corner of South Dakota amidst a wild and dry Prairie landscape of gently rolling hills. In this, the second largest Indian Reservation in the USA, approximately 42,000 tribal members are registered, 30,000 of which reside on the reservation itself.
The Pine Ridge Reservation is one of the poorest areas in the USA.
- The unemployment rate is estimated at 85%
- Average yearly income is around $3,400
- Infant mortality and suicide rates among adolescents is two to three times higher than USA national averages
- Life expectancy for men is 48 years, and for women 52 years.
Despite abject poverty and centuries long oppression, the Lakota have survived. Their culture and self-confidence is experiencing a rejuvenation based on a realization that the Lakota themselves, in the great strength of their own culture and heritage offer the only path out of a cycle of dependence and poverty.
Yet this path is long and fraught with difficulty. High school drop out rates hover around 50%, meaning that every second child leaves school early. Without career opportunities or constructive leisure activities, this path for today’s youth often leads to resignation, expressed in alcohol and drug abuse.
The Path to the Lakota Waldorf School
A group of concerned Lakota parents began an initiative in 1992 in an attempt to improve future perspectives for adolescents on the reservation. Regular meetings quickly led to the decision to found a Lakota school.
The basis of Lakota culture can be found in four virtues: generosity, courage, respect and wisdom. These then should clearly form the foundations of any new Lakota school. After considering several models, the Lakota came upon Waldorf pedagogy. Here they found parallels to their own culture, like a view of man in his entirety, an emphasis on the unity of nature and man, as well as a recognition of the importance of story telling.
In 1993 the Wolakota Waldorf Society was founded and officially recognized as a non-profit organization. To insure that the school maintains its focus on Lakota culture and values, the institution has had to remain independent of public financing, only receiving support from private sponsors and donations. Very few Lakota parents can afford tuition, and so even early emphasis was placed on locating sources of finance. Fundraising tours were started and in 1994 a plot of land was purchased on which a kindergarten and small house for the first grade could be erected. The kindergarten opened its doors in 1994, and in the autumn of 2000 the first grade was launched. However, in 2003 the school’s board of directors had to close both the school and kindergarten for financial reasons. The kindergarten could be reopened in September 2007.
After traveling in 1989 through the Pine Ridge reservation, Isabel decided to remain. She married a Lakota, Bob Stadnick. In their following eight years together, and until Bob’s death, Isabel and her husband worked toward securing better educational opportunities for Lakota children in a cooperative effort with other Lakota parents to found and expand the Lakota Waldorf School.
In 1997 Isabel returned to Switzerland with her three children, where she continued to work tirelessly for the school movement. In 2007, the idea arose to create a foundation, which could professionally and more effectively raise much needed financial resources. A highly motivated team has thereby come together for the sole purpose of improving the future perspectives of Lakota children.
