(upbeat music) - [Announcer] This is a production of South Dakota Public Broadcasting.

(upbeat music) - The town of Eagle Butte is named for the most significant geological feature in the area.

It's just south of town, Wanbli Paha or Eagle Butte.

Historically, it was where indigenous peoples were known to trap eagles for use in ceremony.

They would dig a hole or build a stone pit and then cover the opening with a lattice of leaves or grass then bait the trap with small game and lay and wait.

Patience was a prerequisite.

The Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation was founded in 1891.

It was the result of the Sioux Act that carved the great Sioux Reservation into six distinct parts.

Reservation headquarters was originally at Cheyenne River Agency.

Now that was a small community on the western bank of the Missouri River.

In the early 20th century, unallotted land was sold and developed in a towns sites, like Parade, Dupree and Eagle Butte.

Then in the 1950s, as work began on the Pick-Sloan plan for damning the upper Missouri River, it wouldn't be long before the old Cheyenne River Agency was inundated under Lake Oahe.

So in advance, Eagle Butte, a majority white town at the time lobbied the tribe to move their headquarters.

Siting the central location along highway 212, the tribal council approved the plan and moved the agency, as well as the families displaced by the dam all to the new capital, right around 1955.

Eagle Butte received an economic boost from the agency relocation, though many tribal members felt more was lost than gained as a result of the Pick-Sloan Missouri dams and lakes.

From the start though, there have been local efforts to turn those losses into gains, to transform this town beneath Wanbli Paha into a hub for homegrown indigenous innovation.

And that's part of our story that you're going to see.

And welcome to "Dakota Life," and "Greetings from Eagle Butte."

(upbeat music) - [Announcer] This program was made possible with support from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Telephone Authority, keeping people connected for over 60 years, and by the Four Bands Community Fund, helping people in the Eagle Butte area build strong and sustainable businesses and giving back to the Cheyenne River area.

- As the people in and around Eagle Butte told us of their community, time and again, the stories were of individuals overcoming adversity, rising in their field and becoming a leader, but directing their accomplishment towards the betterment of their family, back to the community or the tribe.

And what better example than one of Eagle Buttes' and Cheyenne River's most revered elders, the late and extraordinary Marcella LeBeau.

Born in 1919, she was the great-granddaughter of legendary Fool Soldier, Joseph Four Bear.

Miss LeBeau faced her share of adversity too, attending a boarding school where her language and expressions of her culture were forbidden.

Still, she answered the call to serve her country during World War II in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps.

She saved the lives of troops wounded, storming the beaches at Normandy on D-Day and many other crucial battles.

LeBeau received many honors over the years, including French's highest civilian award, the Legion of Honor.

Her life as a native American service woman inspired people around the world.

But that's only the beginning.

After the war, she treated patients on the Cheyenne River Reservation, rising through the ranks to Director of Nursing at Eagle Butte Indian Health Service.

She served on the tribal council, helped organize the Oahe Landowners Association, fought for fair compensation for tribal members who lost land to the impoundment of Lake Oahe.

She spoke before Congress in support of a bill, rescinding the medals of honor awarded to participants in the Wounded Knee Massacre.

LeBeau was a recipient of the Women in History Award, given by the Spirit of the Prairie Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

And she was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame.

At the age of 102, Marcella LeBeau, in the words of her family, passed on to journey to the next world.

Her memory is part of the fabric of Eagle Butte, as it is at home and abroad to anyone whoever had the privilege to meet her.

Today, younger voices are speaking up and some of them have a local platform on the airwaves in a 120 mile radius around Eagle Butte.

They're part of KIPI Radio and they keep the Cheyenne River Oyate informed and entertained with a mix of music and talk, customized to their unique audience.

- Good morning.

What we put out is base, affects everybody.

If they're listening, it's going to either help them, or that's what they're gonna be thinking about during the day.

So how do we take this and we positively impact the community?

You're tuned in to KIPI on 93.5 with MC Cloud - It really means a lot to me because we're the first commercial radio station in Indian Country.

And a lot of people really don't understand that difference but it's a lot harder, let me tell you that.

(laughs) - And I hopefully everybody out there is taking care of each other, and everybody's having a good morning.

- So we get a lot of people calling in, "Why can't you play this?

Why can't you play that?

I wanna to hear our Lakota Olaones, our indigenous songs a lot more."

But we have to incorporate it into the programming in a way where we can generate revenue from all sources of South Dakota and the United States.

Because we have listeners all over the United States and across the oceans as well.

- This is my... More music.

The general KIPI.

- Well, the people that I know are involved with the start of the business or of the radio station primarily was Thomas Eagle Staff.

He was the previous station manager, he's now retired.

But it was kind of his goal and vision to bring radio station, and among other people.

Our executive producer, Seth Picotte, his father Bill Picotte was involved.

Dana Dupree, which is a huge cultural, and spiritual person for our people was involved and they all worked in radio before.

- KIPI, 93.5 FM HT.

- The whole beginning of the radio station was fun, it was imaginative.

You could basically do anything, almost like what you wanted to.

You got to play what music you wanted to, you got to cover what subjects you wanted to.

So at that time, I realized that I had a way to positively impact the community.

Hey, you're tuned into KIPI 93.5 FM in hd radio.

This MC Cloud, rolling with the thunder, hit you with the lightning.

Next song that's coming up.

Hey man, it's a cold world out there.

Here's a little bit of maniac, Oh God.

So I like to showcase native American artists but I don't put them in one group, I put them with today's top chart numbers.

Because there's native American art and then is the rest of pop art and culture.

It's a goal that we play a native American artist every hour whether that's RnB, country, rock and roll, et cetera, just so that these native Americans have a platform to stand on.

♪ Negativity, just negativity ♪ ♪ I hope you ♪ - [Amber] It allows us to include everyone, which really connects with our Lakota value system, which is we include everyone and we make space for everyone.

So everyone's comfortable and happy.

Whereas we are doing those same things within the radio station and then it's huge.

And I don't know if anybody else is doing it, and we are, and we're getting good positive feedback about it.

So hopefully we're going down the right direction, 'cause we are actually going to be getting ready to incorporate a community station in our offerings as well.

So a lot of the people that wanna hear our Lakota Ola ones, our traditional songs, they wanna hear our council sessions, they wanna hear grandma Unci Debbie day over in Bridger is holding this event.

We can go there and play all of the content for the people.

So that's gonna be a huge exciting thing.

So we're covering everyone.

- KIPI Radio.

com - [Amber] I see us as the top indigenous radio station in the world.

(laughing) And it is to showcase not only our people, but all people.

So, super excited.

- And you what?

Up next we have some Nick Jonas here.

So don't go anywhere, keep listening.

I'll catch you guys in like 20 minutes or so.

Later tuners.

- When you're in the area, you can find KIPI at 93.5 FM.

If you're out of range, you'll find SDPB radio available from our tallest tower in the network.

It's located between Eagle Butte and Faith.

Visiting Eagle Butte, one of the first things you'll notice are the large colorful murals on the walls of businesses and apartment blocks.

Many are products of Red Can, it's an annual invitational graffiti jam, sponsored by the Cheyenne River Youth Project.

Red Can brings in renowned street artists to collaborate with young people on art projects in their communities.

The event is internationally known and features music, dance and art workshops in a variety of mediums.

Art and history combined at the Indian Health Service hospital in Eagle Butte.

There are over 400 photos of native Americans on display.

And in the entrance, it was hand painted by Jim Yellowhawk.

Plus, there's a traditional doll by Rhonda Holy Bear.

A couple of blocks from the IHS hospital, there's a large mural on otherwise nondescript former firehouse.

This is the latest home of the Wolves Den Boxing Club, which Joe Brings Plenty used to run in his basement.

Brings Plenty and his assistant coaches run a holistic program that tends to the mental, physical, and the spiritual health of local youth and adults, training them to build the strength to overcome the challenges of reservation life.

Meet Joe, his daughter, Belle Brings Plenty, assistant coach, Austin Sanchez, and a group of young pugilist in training.

(footsteps clanking) ♪ Like I do ♪ ♪ I get to bussin', no discusin', gotta deal with it ♪ ♪ Team us, we ain't worried about you ♪ (people chattering) (metal clanking) - I've read that, boxing was the clock coach of sports, because people keep trying to kill it and it keeps coming back.

And we were kind of like that too, 'cause we went from different areas, from my home, my basement.

I coached better than 15 kids out of my basement.

- All my brothers are boxers, my dad, even my mom boxed a little bit.

I know for sure my grandpas were, some of my grandmas.

It's just kind of in the bloodline, I guess.

- Going back and looking at the area that we had compared to what we have now, I don't know how I did that.

I guess it's just something that I wanted to be able to provide, or give as something that was an option to some of the kids in the area here for the community here.

I wanna be able to provide that balance because, medication can only go so far, counseling can only go so far.

Even the spirituality can go so far.

And the physical fitness is a part of it too.

It's like with the Zuya Wichakage, it's a program, a diversion program that we created that's a part of our club too, to be able to help troubled youth, to keep him outta prison.

'Cause the fact is, is that there's a lot of youth here that get caught up in the court system.

- I was awarded the state when I was younger.

When I was a young kid, I was very angry.

I got in trouble a lot.

That led to going to jail often.

I ended up going to another group home, and this time my social worker was like, you don't figure your shit out now, I'll keep you in you until you're 18.

I'll send you to a bootcamp till you 18.

I don't care.

I'll send you to juvenile prison till you're 18.

Till you figure it out, 'cause this is serious.

So I was like, I didn't want that.

So you know what, man?

I got it together.

My social worker was satisfied.

I moved back here to Eagle Butte and that's how I met Joe.

I met Joe when I was 15 years old and that was it man.

He took me under his wing and he became a big part of my life growing up.

- For me at a young age, I learned that it could be used to be able to balance myself.

And from any anger or issues that I was dealing with and stuff, I can get myself...

I can lose myself in maybe a run, or bags, or boxing.

(group chattering) - There you go.

(Austin speaking in foreign language) - And these are the three things that we practice here in our cultural club and what we do at the club.

And this means mind, body, and spirit.

So we truly practice that every day in our life.

This is part of that, this where we get our body strong.

And then outside of here, we have a sweat lodge and ceremony that we perform.

And that's what strengthens our spirit, every week, you know what I mean?

We have a lodge, just to cleanse the mind and the body and get ready for next week.

- It's fascinating 'cause a lot of them, what you teach them, they learn, they take on with them in their life, and they kind of use these skills in life and in boxing.

It's just a mixture of like good things and just to be part of their journey in life.

It's pretty cool.

- You guys gotta watch out for each other.

(beep) - There's even more about the Wolves Den Boxing Club at sdpb.org/dakotalife.

While the Cheyenne River tribe was moving its headquarters and relocating residents displaced by Lake Oahe, they did something very simple, yet visionary.

The tribe purchased the local telephone service and created the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Telephone Authority.

It was the first tribally owned telephone utility in America.

Service was limited in the early years, operating on party lines, where several households actually shared a single circuit.

Modernization began in the 70s.

They started with the new headquarters here in Eagle Butte.

And since then, tribes all around the country have followed Cheyenne Rivers' lead and established their own utilities.

Meanwhile, CRSTTA has become a rural leader in providing high speed internet service.

But communications is just one arena in which Eagle Butte is a business innovator.

Cheyenne River is a place where initiative thrives.

And for the past 20 years, the Four Bands Community Fund has been at the forefront of creating out opportunity in Eagle Butte, and in fact, all around the state.

Whether you dream of owning your own business, wanna learn how to manage your money, or simply improve your credit score, Four Bands can help.

- [Kelsie] I don't remember my parents taking us for Starbucks or anything fancy like that.

I think I just got it on my own.

Just liked ice coffee.

- And if you were Kelsie Kay Haskell, you couldn't find that in Eagle Butte.

- Growing up, there was none in town.

There was no place to get an ice coffee, no place to get any fancy drinks.

So, when I was a freshman, my aunt Kay bought me an Espresso machine.

So I used until it broke.

- That was 12 years between friends visiting her house to have a fancy coffee and opening Kelsey Kay's Coffee Depot.

Kelsey had a lot to learn about her personal finances, let alone starting a business.

But that's when she met Lakota Vogel and the staff at Four Bands Community Fund.

- I have a masters in social work and everybody said, "Well, when are you gonna do that?"

I'm like, "This social work."

It's macro level sort of systems change, ensuring that our communities are built right to support entrepreneurship, and that we can all pretty much age well in our communities, rural communities specifically.

- [Larry] Lakota is part of a second generation of leadership at Four Bands, whose services continue to evolve to meet community needs.

- Started with small dollar loans to artists and still do that, and then expanded to small business lending.

From there you heard a lot of need for home renovations.

We need to renovate our homes.

So we created a product there in partnership with 1st Financial Bank in Dupree and then moved on to mortgage lending.

And that's where we sort of at in 2019.

- [Larry] Back to the dream of a coffee shop.

Kelsey took classes and accepted help from Four Bands on how to manage her money and improve her credit.

- I went through them for any kind of coaching, that I needed.

They offer coaching, they offer financial planning.

They do credit building loans for people who don't have credit.

- And when her personal house was in order, Four Bands helped her learn how to start and manage a business.

- She had this idea.

We said, why not test the market, and see if we do have a coffee culture here?

She was perfect.

She was ready at that point, had completed our create class, which is a six week business development course, and she wanted to do it.

She was ready to take the risk of seeing if the market would purchase her product.

And lo and behold, they did.

(laughs) - [Larry] Well, it was much more difficult than that.

First, there was no existing space in downtown Eagle Butte for a coffee shop.

- There was no place to buy.

I couldn't get my hands on anything.

And I've gone through a few different directors at Four Bands, from when I started out to now Lakota.

And I'm like, "Lakota, can you please just build something, so I can rent it?"

- [Larry] But at the same time, Four Bands was starting a business incubator, a place to try out that coffee shop idea.

Finally in 2019, Kelsey was underway, transitioning to available space, that was once a fabric store, then a funeral parlor, and now, Kelsey Kay's Coffee Depot, along with an entirely new learning curve.

- I'm a plumber.

I'm an electrician.

I am an IT person.

Yeah, I've learned a lot.

And people don't really realize how much you do behind.

It looks like it's smooth running, but man, there's some days that I don't even...

I just need a break, just a small break.

- [Larry] Mainly because the coffee shop is doing so well, filling a void in the market with personalized service.

The same goes for Four Bands.

They're planning for the future as is Kelsey.

- Very early retirement.

(laughs) I want to at least be here long enough to get this paid off.

That doesn't necessarily mean me running it forever, because I wanna be a rancher.

I am a rancher now, but I wanna be a full time at home rancher.

So if I could find someone to take over and be me, that would be great.

So I could go be with my cows.

I just come here for coffee.

- [Lakota] I work with entrepreneurs all day.

(laughs) Hope is the bottom line.

- From the Coffee Depot to the Hickory kitchen restaurant, to helping families expand their herds, buy a home or gain new business or personal money management skills, Four Bands has had a hand in success stories wherever you travel around in this area.

If you travel a few blocks from the KIPI Studios, you'll find a state of the art skate park, a local point of pride, a vibrant skating culture has taken root in native communities across America.

In addition to Eagle Butte, skate parks have sprung up in Pine Ridge and Standing Rock.

There are new basketball courts in town and the recently opened 7th Generation Cinemas have increased the range of entertainment available to families.

From its native American roots, there's a growing interest in archery culture, all around the country.

Ever since Cheyenne Eagle Butte schools adopted an archery program, student athletes have been on target and rapidly establishing a new South Dakota school sports dynasty.

- [Greg] Since 2012, students at Cheyenne Eagle Butte have been hitting the mark.

- It just looked really fun.

I was walking by the gym one day after school and I seen 'em practicing here and thought I'd join.

I did not know that I'd be doing it it for eight years, but it's been pretty fun.

- We were looking for, something to add to our physical education unit.

And we had a lot of kids that traditionally didn't play basketball and we wanted to get 'em involved in school activities.

So we come across this program, the archery schools program, and it was something that I picked up, went to some training and brought it back to my PE class and then kind of incorporated it there.

- [Greg] Some naturally picked up the sport.

- [Allen] Archery was always something that native Americans did.

And you can see that when kids put a bow in their hands, some of them are natural.

We did found out one thing in that early years that it wasn't always the boys that were good archers.

Some of the girls stepped up and I don't know how that came out, but we had some very good shooters in some girls.

- [Greg] While others needed a little bit more work.

- I was not very good when I first started.

I got a lot better though.

Started off, I didn't really hit the target a lot.

And then Mr. Benoist helped me, got me good, and then I started hitting the target a lot more, got better.

- [Greg] And with that hard work came success, like State Championships and trips around the country.

- Qualified a couple times for the nationals, maybe three times for nationals, two times.

So three of those were in Louisville, Kentucky.

The last one I attended was in Sandy, Utah.

And just previously, before we shut down for COVID, I know our team attended Utah.

It was back in Utah again for Western Nationals.

- [Greg] But those trips weren't cheap.

- Well, besides the community, they've always supported.

We've had a lot of different fundraisers.

A lot of this takes money to go someplace, trying to get gas money, food and stuff like that.

So we had a really good parent support group that put on a lot of different fundraisers and a lot of community members that came in and they participated or they come in and bought big goods.

Besides the community, it was always part of... Something the tribe always stepped up and helped us with too.

So there was a lot of support from this area.

- [Greg] Thanks to those trips to nationals, this program continues to grow.

And it is building to a bright future.

- [Brock] This means a lot.

And I'm happy that there's more kids that are joining and keeping it going.

- [Allen] Well, I think just seeing, when you come to practice and you see these kids all excited, you're knowing that you've done something that is contributing to something that they feel like they're a successful part of.

It's good to see that.

And then, when we have practices or when they have practices now, kids come in and they'll bring a friend or they'll bring somebody else one time or try to introduce somebody else.

So I think archery's gonna go along ways here.

- Eagle Butte lives on the border of Dewey and Ziebach counties.

It's named for a local landmark was transformed by the flooding of the former Cheyenne River Agency.

People of Eagle Butte aren't strangers to sudden or dramatic change, but have demonstrated how a rural native American community cannot only beat the odds, but lead the way and show other communities native and non, how to unlock their potential.

With local leaders like Marcella LeBeau, and Joe Brings Plenty, they've instilled their own toughness and metal resolve and stand as a role model for us all, but particularly for the next generations.

You don't have to strain your eyes to see it, it's on the archery range.

It's on the courts, it's in the ring, it's at the skate park, and in the murals, at the new businesses and even underground in the cables, connecting Eagle Butte to a bigger world of ideas, and the greater world to the innovation and the resolve here in Eagle Butte.

All the while, recognizing the commitment to generations.

For instance, the Lakota speakers updating in the NLD, that's the New Lakota Dictionary phone app, and how the new cinema recognizes the native 7th generation principle, based on the philosophy that the decisions we make today should result in a sustainable world, seven generations into the future.

There are visual signs of economic distress in Eagle Butte, but they're overshadowed by a quilt work of tradition and creative attainment, rising above that receding flood.

You can revisit our stories of Eagle Butte and the other communities we've stopped at this season at sdpb.org/dakotalife.

Thanks for coming along.

I'm Larry Rohrer.

For all of us at SDPB, thanks for watching.

(bright upbeat music)