Self post on music.

Well lets just start off as, I have variations of my taste in music. I have a favorite song in every genre. (I think) I know that people have "Wars" in the music industry. Where they pick whos awesome and who absolutly sucks. Sometimes it ends friendships, and sometimes it makes them. Hey I have friends who are the closest to me because of my taste in music.
Here just to prove I like some songs in different genres heres some:
Pop:Rollin in the Deep by Adele
Dance:Kiss and Tell by Ke$ah
Rock:Teenagers by My Chemical Romance
Metal:The Gunsling by Black Veil Brides
Country:Why don't you stay Rebah
Alternative:Flightless Bird American Mouth by Iron and Wine
R&B:Halo by Beyonce
Soul:Take a Bow by Rihanna
Rap:How to Love by Lil' Wayne

I kind of have a favorite genre as of right now....it's Metal. But many people have favorites but when they start fighting about whos better than who. I mean thier a Band/Artist they probably worked hard for the passion they love. The music industry isn't a nice friend. So cut what ever you think is bad horrible or good cause people obviously love them (If thier huge or mildly huge stars) And I think the videos that people make "Anti-Whatever" Obviously thier minds haven't grown past elementry. Those videos are useless who cares if you don't like them, sorry no ones made for everyone and the vidoes are just pathetic. And there has to be one song thats slightly ok to listen to from the band you hate. (Except if its all auto-tunned technically it's not music. And it ruins the art of the singers voice.) Whats not to like?

responce to we shall remain

This video was defiantly not the history book lesson as told by the immigrants, but truly what happened through native american eyes like unfair trade and being sent to England as slaves. Do you think that is fair? Well I certainly don't. Taking people away from their families and killing Indians just because they were defending their land and their rights. They fought for what was rightfully theirs and through the years i have seen TV shows and movies were white people would yell Indian attack and a bunch of "Indians" would come out of the bushes for no reason and the white people would start killing them.  Never once have i seen the Indians win after everything was said and done and the immigrants would wonder why they were attacked. Mabey it because you stole their land and killed more buffalo than you needed. If we all lived like the old natives did, using every part of the buffalo and not taking resources you didn't need, maybe the world would be a cleaner place. well anyway i kind of drifted, my point is is that every story has two sides...the pilgrims version (the only one yo will ever find in any history book) and the Indian version.

"We Shall Remain" Response

You know, the video was interesting. But it all kind of goes back to my post before. The story book version of Thanksgiving is great and all, but what about the rest? I mean, we all heard the epic tale of how the settlers and Natives were friends, but the sun came up and reality set in. I just don't understand what was going through the settlers' heads. I mean the Natives could've destroyed them at the start of it all. But they didn't. The were kind they taught them their ways and were nothing but kind. And how did the settlers thank them? Well, lets start with they took their land, cut their hair, made them worship a god they didn’t believe in, and killed them. I really don't remember reading that I my story book, did you? And again I understand little kids shouldn’t know all of the murder and the things that can make a little mind go sour. But they can at least read about how not everything was a fairytale.
There isn’t always a happy ending, this one just happened to be one of the bad. I'm still not totally sure how this happened. I mean who honestly can take that many people, see the looks on their faces, and take their lives? Take their home, their food, and the way they live? The Natives may not have been living the "perfect" white man life. But they were happy and living their own life, in their own way. It just goes to show, you can't trust everyone. No matter how loyal or nice they seem. You have to watch your back.

Blog Possties

Well I need another grade so I'll talk about growing up here. Well i grew up in a rough neigborhood for part of it. The other part I lived out in the country on a dirt road with only my brothers and parents. I have gone to 3 different schools in my whole life. I have lived in 5 different Cities/ Towns. But so far I've noticed that in every town i go to theirs always diferent people, attitudes, and opportunities.
Well I grew up in Mission. I think my attitudes based on my elementary teachers. I always looked up to them, and my favorite memories are from that age. So if you want to impact alot of childrens lives, be a teacher. :) Any way I used to go to work with my step-dad alot that taught me how to keep working and dont stop till the job is done. Cause then you'll get the money. Or so my dad said.
I've lived in Mission my whole life. Well until I moved in 6th grade to Winner. Now this is where i got bullied, a lot. I used to get picked on by girls younger than me, they used to make fun of my skin color or how I dressed. I never understood why they had to pick on me. They were also Native Americans too, so why make fun of me? These were dark, lonesome days. But this is when I really got into music. I think music is the most beautiful thing on this planet. Also when i got into dark poetry. My friends there were pretty dark themselves, but i still love them like crazy :)
But eventualy my mom didnt like that so we moved to Norris. Norris is where all my loved ones are at. Also where it's the most isolated place to be :\ But I went to White River Middle School to kill off my 8th grade year. I have been here for 2 years and I just love my friends. I have some crazy memories and this place helped me be myself again. I know this sounds corny but, do I have to care, I think this place is going to be permanent. (hopefully)
This summer me and my parents tried out the city life. It's fun for living your life, all these things to do, places to go, people you meet. But finacialy, its expensive. My parents couldn't make it work so we just took a step back. And now I'm back where White River's craziness keeps me going. :)
So there iss me growing up. Lessons learned. After Winner however, I never judge a person for how they: look, smell, talk, dress, or what kind of music they listen to. Anythings loveable in this world. People just need to look past the obvious and find the unordinary. My saying is if a person don't like me, then simply don't talk to me. I don't know whats not to like, but I don't want to start any conflict.

my day

I wake up at 6:30 and get ready for school.  I have to come at 7:30 because i am in a middle school high school choir (Mondays and Tuesdays) and also a jazz band (Wednesday and Thursday). First quarter I came early every day for all state choir practice. All state is something every school in the state of south dakota join. Every school has to bring a soprano (me) alto tenor and  a bass. We had alot of fun and im hoping to make it again next year. anyway after that i go to journalism which is were i am now.  Aside from the blog, we do the year book and student spotlight. Next is PE.  I love it  because i am an athlete and it is nice to get up and move for a while. then it is science we do alot of labs lately about atoms. after that is band where i play the trumpet. then chorus.  Our choir is only about 15 people. Then lunch...nothing too exciting, but there was a fight down there the other day. then i go to grammar and writing.  Now this class is well interesting for reasons u have to be there to understand. then study hall where me and my friend are usually doing projects or sleeping. then last is algebra 1 where i am in it with my friend who i guess is more like a brother and epic moo pekachu so as u can imagine we have alot of fun.

The Reservation...

There ain't much here on the rez, but its home to me. This is where i lived all my life. I don't know if i would want to live here forever, but its always going to be the place i feel most comfortable living. The land is beautiful here, there are so many hills and trees. At night when you look up in the sky, u can see everything so clearly. The thing i love the most is in the summer, when me and my dad ride horses through the hills all day long. When we get home, my mom has dinner ready for us. I love spending time wit my family and keeping busy because it keeps me out of trouble.
It would take me a while to get used to living the city life because there is people everywhere and its always loud, the houses are too close together. When you look up at the sky at night in a city, u cant see the moon or all the stars! && thats what sucks the most.

Why I Would Come Back.

Leaving WR is great and all, but I really don't think I can see myself living anywhere else. Yeah, after highschool I'll have to move to go to college. But I will always come home. Family, friends, and my life is basicaly IN WR. I think it is safe to say that even when I grow up, as much as I plan to leave and not come back, I will come home, You can't just up and leave someplace you spent your entire life. I think it's just the feeling of knowing there is a whole other world out there you can always go out and explore. I mean the world is a big place, but WR will always be there for me to go back to. It's not a place I want to live my ENTIRE life, but it's a nice place to grow up. I mean the weather is nice, the people aren't perfect but it's close enough I guess.
Leaving is a nice thought though. Change, something new, new people, something other then what i'm used to. I mean it's the constant always being the same routine in WR that gets old. I mean it's the same, just a new day. I would like t go somewhere where it changes al the time, there isn't day after day routines that never change. But here's the twist, if I don't like it, there is home where you can control some of those things in your life. To me that's worth going back for. I don't think a lot of people can just leave WR and never want to come back. It's the people that make you wan't to stay. The scenery, it's perfect.
So coming back, may not be as bad as people make it out to be.

Response to The Canary Effect

You know, I learned a lot. I also want to point out, remember (back in 1-5 grade?) when they talked about the pilgrims, Columbus, and the Native Americans all being friends and accepting each other? Well, I guess we missed the ending. And this one wasn't happy. I get that kids shouldn't hear about scalping and murders, but if you think about it... aren't the stories a bit of a lie? Sure they might have been cool with each other to begin with, that's the truth and all, but what about when they turned on the Natives? Columbus "discovered" this great land? I really liked the part when the speaker said "It's like me walking into your living-room and claiming it because I have never been there. So, I discovered, and it's mine now." Because that is exactly what happened.
I mean don't get me wrong, it was all fine and dandy learning about all the happy times Columbus had, but when did the teacher plan to tell us the end? That this is how the Native Americans were treated? The sad part is, even today, Native Americans don't always get treated right. And it all falls back on this "Great Country" of ours. I don't mean to sound out of place or anything, I am grateful for what I have and where live. But the things that happen often go untold. It is just a bit sad to see, you know?

Response to The Canary Effect...

I liked this video. Everything they said about how this is a third world country, is so true. It is every hard for my people to get good jobs, just for the simple fact that we are Native American. We get judged a lot, by the people who don't know about us, and some don't care enough to ask and listen. If people would take the chance to listen to what we have to say then they could learn a lot.

Some people think we have it easy on the reservation, which is not true at all! I bet the people who think that, wouldn't be able to live here. Life is hard on the rez. Nobody would understand unless they lived here to witness things that we all had witnessed.

I would like to get off the reservation for a while and go to college and try to get a good job. Even though we don't have much here, the reservation is always going to be the place I call home.

The canary effect

I learned a lot from this video. It’s amazing what peoples heads are still filled with like Columbus should be celebrated and that things were fair between the explorers and the Indians.

The explorers were more like intruders if u ask me. They came in bearing gifts and promises. Promises of which, for the most part, never came true. The Indians were using only what they needed and nothing more and preserving what they had. Then came the travelers in search of a new world and discovered what was already occupied. Columbus stated in one of his journal entries "They should be good servants.... I, our Lord being pleased, will take hence, at the time of my departure, six natives for your Highnesses." Why? They are people too and I don’t see the reason for taking them as slaves. They are smart with the land and a lot could be learned from them. That would make more sense to me.

The Indians were not in search of trouble, or causing any harm as much as getting pulled into what would soon become a never-ending war.

Response to The Canary Effect

Ok first off whoever made this video is a freaking genius! It has almost all our broken treaties our public embarrassment. And the laughs from our so-called trusted political authority. They only show you what they want you to see from reservations. It's a third world country like the guy explains in the video. My third world country. There's times I felt like crying cause most of the bad stuff is gracing its fingers in the path of my life. I, just like many others here, just wants to be successful in my life like the other non-rez kids do.

Its hard to know that a big political figure could say we're mooching off them! We don't even have as many casinos compared to other races. I mean I have nothing against anybody. Its just if your going to slowly destroy a race... you might as well be short, grow a funny-looking mustache and call yourself Hitler. Its a mini holocaust down here now that I think of it. malnourished kids, over worked and barely paid parents, depressed humans everywhere. I can't compare us that close to the holocaust because the holocaust was way more awful.

Anyway back to the point. Our gaming system, or whatever, pshh like we see any of that money! If we did however I wouldn't be on this blog telling you about our money shortage, food prices, schooling, and our horrible history. If we could just get the young folks attention about our struggle and how badly we're treated as individuals. Then maybe we can have help in the future.

Please listen any try to help. I gotta wrap this up now. There's my post.

Canary Effect

We watched this documentary in class on Monday and that is what the students are responding to:

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=the+canary+effect&view=detail&mid=1F0575EE082CA530624F1F0575EE082CA530624F&first=0&FORM=LKVR1

Hmm... Well today I need to post. So I'll just write about how my epic days go. First off I have to wake up at 6:00 A.M. I have 45mins to get ready before I get on the 1hr bus ride from Norris to White River. And the too small bus is always packed with kids. Literally, there's always like 3 to 4 kids sitting in the aisle. I’m one of the lucky ones who get on the bus pretty early so I get a seat of my choice. But most of the high school kids are gone. (All whom suspended for reasons of which I cannot talk about) Me the way suffice this is why I have my trusty mp3 player :)

But by the time we get to school it 7:40? Some go eat breakfast. Me, myself I don’t eat in the mornings I’m not sure why, but I sit with my friends and pretty much goof around. (Today I got dragged in the hallway :) But by the time we start to get out of hand the bell rings. And it’s off to the class I’m in right now. (Just to be in the matter of fact tone) JOURNALIZM!!! This is only a class of 4: EPIC (me), JOJO, LENE, EMMA, and MR.CLARK. That’s the posse: P

Then I have my other classes. I really like science class, grammar and writing 1, and algebra1. No I’m not a nerd (I wish) but I only like these classes because the people in them and the things I say or do. I wouldn’t know if you’d want to be in a class room with me after lunch XD.

Oh yeah lunch!! Well for lunch they let us go to town, home or the schools cafeteria. Edda (my friend) and I go to town:)! We usually buy monsters or sweet stuff (

Epic loves you

Foster Families

Here we have a lot of kids in foster care;one of my old friends is and she moves from home to home never wants to stay there. I know one family who has 5 kids ranging from 3-7 years old. I love them they are so nice, however none of the kids are related. All were taken away from their family, their brothers and sisters for all they know they may never see them again. Why? I don’t know but they are all native living with a white couple. I never thought about it. Now they have a good life with this family, however I do believe they would rather stay with family. I know I would.

It seems like for the most part all my native classmates are related so why cant the ones in need of a new home find one within their family?

Resonse to The Foster Care

I never knew anyone that went to foster care, but i know kids that don't have good homes to live in. The environment ain't good, there parents just neglect them. I think its wrong how some people can bring a child into this world, then not care for them.
I have amazing parents, they are so loving and they are always there for me. they mean the world to me! i wish all the kids that don't have good lives when they were younger, grow up to be wonderful parents. They should all want to give their children the life that they never had. Every child should know that they are always have there parents to be there for them and love them. -lene.w.w

Response to The Foster Care assignment

I had a friend who was in foster care, I met her while playing behind my mom's house when I was staying with her for a weekend. There were two little girls. We were best friends, I spent every weekend with them. It was hard to get us apart. I went to my mom's one weekend and asked to play with them. She sat me down and said I couldn't. She was put in foster care. That ended our days of play and I didnt really have friends where my mom lived. It was hard, I haven't had contact with that freind since I was told she left.
It makes me wonder how many kids go through that. Coming home and a friend or even a family member is just gone. It may seem like a good thing to other people, but it's sad. Think about being taken from every one and everything you know. I don't know many kids in foster care, so it's hard for me to understand what they go through.
And most of them aren't put with their families. They go to strangers, and they get shipped around all the time. They say foster care is for the best, but I'm pretty sure moving from family to family isn't exactly a 'Stable Living Enviroment.' I may just be a kid, but I know well enough some things just don't change. People get taken "For the better" but it's not always for the better. It's personal feelings.
I'm just sad I never got my goodbye. But that's life, huh? you get whats thrown at you in all hopes you can deal with it. "You can't change your situation, you can only change how you choose to deal with it."

Realities of Foster Care

Most of my friends growing up were in foster care. All the fostered children I’ve met aren’t bad, nothing like that. When they're around the foster parents they seem hesitant about every thing they do.

I had a close friend (she was Native American like me) in 6^th grade that moved to our school because her foster parents moved out of state. She had to stay at a church with her older brother until they had a foster family to keep them.

Fostered children are very common here. (Now that I think of it, most of the bad things are common as well). It’s a daily basis you hear of/ meet foster children. But they never stay with relatives (The ones I met anyway) and no one understands why. I’m very sure the government does though. :/

I have however faced the reality of being in a foster home, but only cause a very obnoxious woman didn’t like my family. I nor my family never really understand why she’s like that. But no one but god (or whatever is out there) knows the answers to these questions.

But anyway back to the point. My friend eventually found a white foster parent to take care of her. (Way on the other side of the state!) We bid our goodbyes with tears in our eyes. I and other friends spent every minute with her that whole day. That is until that car, which seemed extraterrestrial, drove away and left nothing. Not even a shadow behind.

To me the thing about foster kids are… you never really know if that’s the last time you ever get to see them alive. I realize it’s hard for them to keep contact if their always moving, always having to change to adjust. That was the last time I have ever heard of or seen her.

Most of the time, I can understand the misunderstood. So if you ever see a foster child, be a friend and make life a bit easier to move along with. And to you foster kids out there, remember where you came from, the good and best parts from there. And like Black Veil Brides say, “Listen closely. Just keep working. No one can tell you who you are.”