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Native American Discovery Tour With Matthew Greenwood And Juliana Clark
Enjoy a once in a life time experience with a Native American tribe, the Lakota people. Experience traditional ceremonies and walk through tribal lands whilst learning about their ancestors that roamed these sacred lands.
Gallery View map
Gallery View map
Tour Highlights
- Rosebud Pow Wow and Fair
- Crazy Horse Monument
- Wounded Knee Memorial
- Mount Rushmore National Monument
- Experience the Old Wild West in Western towns
- Badlands National Park
- Native American crafts
- Sleeping in traditional Tipis
- Ceremonies with Lakota Elders
- Walking through tribal lands with a local guide
- Generosity and open hearts of the Lakota People
Inclusions
- Return economy international and
- domestic airfares
- Airport pick up and drop off
- All transport as required for the itinerary
- 15 nights accommodation including
- hotels, Bed and Breakfasts and Tipi camping
- All breakfasts, 5 lunches and 9 evening meals
- All entry to parks, wildlife reserves and museums
- Sightseeing and tour fees as per the
- itinerary
- All local guides, talks and ceremonies
Native American Discovery Tour With Matthew Greenwood And Juliana Clark
Day 1: 18 August 2012After arriving in Rapid City Airport you will be picked up and taken to your hotel to rest and prepare for the journey the next day. No meals are included on this day as individual needs will be varied.
Day 2: 19 August 2012
Meet for breakfast at our hotel and discuss our itinerary. Lunch and Dinner can be purchased (not included) at any of the restaurants, cafes and hotels that we stop at during the day.
Drive into WYOMING to see “DEVIL’S TOWER” – Devil’s Tower is a solitary stump shaped granite formation looming high above the forest line in the Black Hills National Forest of Wyoming. It is a strong part of Native American Legend and also of Hollywood fame as it was featured in the movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”. The rock tower is quite a sight and has a special energy about it.
On the way back to Rapid City, we will visit the Old Wild West Towns of LEAD and DEADWOOD where we will see and feel how the early settlers lived.
We will also visit the DAYS OF 76 MUSEUM. The museum features Pioneer and Native American artefacts and over 60 historic horse drawn carriages including the original Deadwood Stage Coach.
Drive back to our hotel in Rapid City.
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 3: 20 August 2012
After having breakfast in the hotel we spend the day in downtown Rapid City which has much to see in Native American crafts, shopping of all kinds and is rich in culture and history. Lunch and Dinner (not included) can be purchased at cafes and restaurants around Rapid City.
Visit the JOURNEY MUSEUM – A natural history and cultural museum which tells the story of the formation of the sacred BLACK HILLS, the life of the Dinosaurs and Mammoths that roamed Western South Dakota and the early Paleo-Indians.
Visit the DAKOTA DRUM COMPANY – Artist and co-owner Sonja Holy Eagle. See high quality traditional Native American art, beadwork, quillwork, silver jewellery, drums, hide paintings and buffalo robes.
Visit “PRAIRIE EDGE” exquisite craft outlet – See original art of the Lakota People including dolls, drums, pottery, jewellery, fine art, buffalo robes, buffalo skulls, weaponry and clothing. Also books, music and DVDs available for sale, including a complete assortment of craft supplies such as beads, leather, teeth, claws, pipe stone, etc.
There is so much to see - A HUGE WOW KIND OF DAY!
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 4: 21 August 2012
Have breakfast in our hotel before embarking on a day driving to see animals, sights around the Black Hills and more amazing craftwork as well as meeting some of the artisans as they work.
Head off to BEAR COUNTRY USA – An animal reserve where we will see Wolves, Mountain Goats, Mountain Lions, Deer, Elk, Buffalo and Black Bears. See these animals close up as we drive in amongst them and walk around the baby animal enclosure. And of course there is tourist shopping as well.
Explore MOUNT RUSHMORE to see one of America’s National Monuments – the Four Presidents carved into the Black Hills. This is one of the classic and iconic symbols of America.
And now – CRAZY HORSE MONUMENT! As a comparison to Mount Rushmore, here we see the work in progress of what will be the largest man-made sculpture in the world! The sculpture is of the great warrior and spiritual leader Crazy Horse. We will go on a tour of the work in progress and spend time in the enormous visitor’s centre that shows the process of the sculpture, the museum and craftwork for sale being made by traditional craftspeople on site.
Lunch can be purchased at the restaurant in the visitor’s centre which serves up many local specialties.
The sculpture of Crazy Horse was commissioned to Korczak Ziolkowski by Native American Elders. The criteria for the commission of the job was – no funding or control for this project should be given by the American Government, so that there was total ownership by the Native American People. Crazy Horse Monument will be Mankind’s largest art project and is approximately 6 times the size of Mount Rushmore.
This is truly a sight to behold!
Then back to our hotel and dinner can be purchased.
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 5: 22 August 2012
Drive to PINE RIDGE INDIAN RESERVATION and the BADLANDS
After breakfast at our hotel, we pack up our gear and drive to the town of WALL, a tourist shopping extravaganza. See many and varied cowboy and Native American crafts, gifts, clothing and more! Quite an experience!
Then off to the BADLANDS – The Badlands is an amazing countryside made spectacular by its geology and is a place of extremes. Your travels here may produce conflicting responses. You may only notice the extreme desolation until you begin to see the abundance of Life on such a far more subtle level. You will feel the quiet and peacefulness, the geology, fossils, rocks, plants and wildflowers, animals and birds including Buffalo and Eagles. A place like no other on the planet. What people see is the undescribable sense of mystery everywhere.
Lunch can be purchased at the Café at the Badlands visitor’s centre which also serves up some classic and local specialties. We will then drive through the Badlands National Park, stopping at scenic viewpoints and taking short walks in amongst this strange and breathtaking country.
This is a very full day. We then drive to our Bed and Breakfast on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, stopping for dinner along the way (At own expense).
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 6: 23 August 2012
We start the day with breakfast at the Bed and Breakfast and then head off to explore Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Lunch and Dinner can be purchased while we are out.
We will go to the RED CLOUD INDIAN SCHOOL where we will see the Heritage Centre renowned for its collection of Native American Art, Gift shop and Grave of the famous war chief Red Cloud. Plus there is a permanent collection of Lakota Artefacts and Beadwork gathered between 1885 and today.
We will then have the opportunity to meet some of the local artisans and see the craft work which they have for sale.
Then we visit WOUNDED KNEE MEMORIAL SITE. Called the “Battle of Wounded Knee” by the U.S. Government officials, this is the unforgettable story of the massacre at Wounded Knee where U.S. Cavalry opened fire and murdered over 300 men, women and children on a cold snow swept December landscape in the winter of 1890.
Truly a story that will touch your heart and your emotions.
We will then go back to the Bed and Breakfast for an easy afternoon and prepare ourselves for the journey to Rosebud Indian Reservation the following day.
Meals included: Breakfast
Day 7: 24 August 2012
Now off to ROSEBUD INDIAN RESERVATION where we will settle into our time living in Tipis set up in a traditional manner with traditional decorations.
Peter Gibbs will be one of our hosts while on the Reservation. He is a professor of Native American Studies and he has been a curator in London museums, his specialty being Native American Culture. He has been studying, researching and living with the traditional Native American people for over 30 years. Peter will talk to us about the Tipis and this will be a wonderful time to throw all the questions that everyone has to Peter in regards to recorded history of Native American Culture in the 1700s through to now.
To finish off the day, we have been invited to a huge celebration – the yearly High School Graduation at
“Sinte Gleska College”. The whole community comes along to this event to honour the class of 2012. Dinner will be provided at the celebration.
Meals included: Breakfast and Dinner
Days 8 and 9: 25 and 26 August 2012
THE GREAT ROSEBUD FAIR AND POW WOW
See a real POW WOW – This is a very special and unforgettable event. There is a multitude of colour, sounds and energy. Teams of Drummers, Singers and Dancers come together from around the country to compete with each other and strut their stuff! And they do so with great passion!
There is also a The Rosebud Fair, which is a great old fashioned country fair with Ferris wheel, rides and carnival atmosphere.
And there’s more – a RODEO, Indian style!
All this to take in over 2 days – Wow!
Breakfast and dinner will be included and lunch can be purchased at your own expense at the Pow Wow or Fair where there are usually many traditional foods to try such as the popular Indian Taco and Indian Fried Bread.
Meals included: Breakfast and Dinner daily
Days 10 to 14: 27 to 31 August 2012
THE REST OF THE WEEK AT ROSEBUD RESERVATION
Here we will spend time talking to Elders, taking part in Sweat Lodge and other traditional ceremonies, listen to locals talking about their way of life and their particular specialties such as dancing, drumming, singing and any other opportunities that may come up.
We will visit the local Buffalo Breeding project at the Sinte Gleska University at Rosebud where, conditions permitting, we can drive in amongst the herd of Buffalo with a guide.
We will be taken on a walk through the tribal lands with local resident Gary Hacker where he can show us animal tracks and native plants used for medicine and food in amongst beautiful scenery.
There may be an opportunity to make a traditional drum with an expert depending on availability and the group’s interest.
We can listen to speakers on Archery, the star system and constellations and local and traditional legends.
For those that are interested, there will be time for meditations, group discussions or just sitting and taking it all in.
We will have a chance to meet local Rosebud artisans. Some of the crafts we are likely to see are beadwork, leatherwork, silver jewellery, clothing and so much more.
On the reservation we will cook our own meals as a group for breakfast, lunch and for the evening meal (all included whilst on Rosebud Reservation), which makes for adventure in itself in shopping for the food in local supermarkets and fostering the feeling of community in our camp. A Lakota Elder once said “What does Lakota mean? Lakota means sharing and helping one another.”
Many connections will be made that will open your hearts and minds to a more profound way of being.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner daily
Day 15: 1 September 2012
Breakfast is included on our last morning on Rosebud Reservation and lunch can be purchased on route (at own expense) as we head back to Rapid City for one overnight stay in preparation for travel home or ongoing travel.
On the way we stop at WIND CAVE. Out of the many extensive cave systems throughout the Black Hills, Wind Cave has a special connection to the Lakota People of South Dakota. It is said to be where their people stepped out from to inhabit the Earth and is where the Earth breaths from. There is an air hole where air rushes in and out at certain parts of the day at speeds of up to 70mph. It also contains a rare formation within the caves. It is a very unique place.
Our route takes us through Custer State Park where we may see wild Buffalo, Antelope, Elk, Bighorn sheep, Prairie dogs and other animals roaming free over the 71,000 acres.
Back in Rapid City we get together for a final celebratory meal (included) at one of the local hangouts “The Fire House” before we spend our last night in the hotel.
Meals included: Breakfast and Dinner
Day 16: 2 September 2012
After breakfast our tour finishes
Meals included: Breakfast
IN A NUTSHELL
16 Days
$9,950Please call
Aug 18, 2012
Cultural
