Rachel Hunter: We Are Still Here

Tanka Fund Business Manager Rachel Hunter recently attended the Batesland Pow Wow on the Pine Ridge Reservation, now in its third year. The pow wow opens each year with a memorial ride organized by the Jumping Eagle Family, honoring Mel Lone Hill — a mentor who taught the young riders about culture, horsemanship, and history.

For Rachel, this year's pow wow became something bigger: a chance to reflect on what the last 250 years of this nation have meant for her family and her community. Before grand entry, she and her family honored her grandmother, Sally Broken Rope, who recently passed away, by preparing a meal in her memory.

"What the last 250 years mean to me is being able to have my family, give back to the community, listen to our elders tell their stories," she said. "My family pulled together and fed about 120 people and provided a giveaway in the name of my grandma."

We are still here.

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