Day 3: Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota

 

Located in the southwestern region of South Dakota, the Pine Ridge reservation is the second largest land-based reservation in the United States. Established by an 1889 Act of Congress, the reservation lies on the well-known Badlands National Park and is inhabited by the Oglala Sioux of the Lakotas. Residing in the poorest county in the country, the reservation's inhabitants suffer from bad health as well as high drop-out rates and unemployment. In 1990, only one industry, a uniform factory in Pine Ridge Village, employed more than a few Oglala. Since then, the tribe has seen an increase in small Indian-owned businesses including cafes, video stores, gas stations and bookstores.

 

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