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Created from
millions of years of the ruthless ravage of wind and water, the Badlands
of South Dakota is home to the Oglala Sioux Tribal Nation. During
the summer of 2005 the OKU-Omega Omega Scholarship Foundation
sponsored a week long externship for six New Jersey Dental School
students to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
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The purpose
of the externship was to give these students the opportunity to expand
their clinical education experience, professional competence, self-confidence
and muticultural experience while treating an underserved population
of Native Americans.
Approximately
120,000 acres of the 244,303 acres that make up the Badlands lie on
the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The deep gorges, jagged saw tooth
ridges, cliffs, spires, eerie rock formation and mixed prairie grasslands
that make up this harsh terrain are called "mako sika"
by the Sioux. "Mako sika" literally translated
means "land bad".
The Badlands
is a place of extremes. The summer brings oppressive heat and violent
thunderstorms, whereas the winter is chilled by cold and winds that
roar unhindered out of the north. Landscape that is both barren and
beautiful provided a bountiful learning experience for all.
The
saga begins with a flight out of Newark Liberty International Airport
on Sunday August 14. After a brief stop in the Twin Cities, we arrive
in Rapid City, South Dakota .
Loaded
aboard 2 mini vans, we head south on our 150 mile journey through
the Black Hills National Forest and Custer State Park to Pine Ridge.
A trip to South Dakota would not be complete without taking in the
breathtaking splendor and magnificence of Mt. Rushmore and
fortunately
Mt. Rushmore is on our way. Neither pictures nor words do justice
to this tribute to four of our more notable presidents. As our journey
continues through Custer State Park, we are all craning our necks
to be the first to spot "Tatanka", as bison roam free in
the
park. As we wind around a bend in the road we find cars stopped in
both directions. It seems a bison has found us! We disembark from
our trusty steeds to get some close up pictures of this behemoth beast
only to find we have a rather ornery animal headed our way. We scramble
quickly to the safe refuge of the vans.In addition to herds of buffalo,
Custer State Park is full of many other free roaming and equally beautiful
animals including the pronghorn, prairie dog,
mountain
lion, coyote and our favorite, the "begging" burro. As darkness
falls we stop for dinner at the Blue Bell Lodge and Resort to sample
the local fare. Included on the menu was buffalo ribs, steaks, stew
and meatloaf. We found dining on bison preferable than running from
it. Our day's journey ended at the Jefco Inn in Gordon, Nebraska,
approximately 35 miles south of Pine Ridge. The Jefco Inn is one of
the few motels in the area, as there are no motels or inns in Pine
Ridge.
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