South Dakota

The travelers stay at a Lakota Indian Reservation and the neighboring South Dakota town of Rushville in the second episode of THE RIDE. Following the stories of their Lakota and white teenage Guides, the Travelers discover different sides of the same issues: poverty, frustration, hostility, and cultural identity. Stanley Littleboy, 17, and his 16-year-old sister Sheena live with their parents and sic brothers and sister in the small community of Porcupine located on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Their tiny, one-room house lacks some basic amenities (like running water), but it is filled with genuine affection. With no indoor plumbing, Stanley must walk to a cousin´s house to shower, while Sheena uses an outdoor pump and bucket to wash her hair. Yet their lives are much that of teens everywhere, as evidence by the typical conversation among Sheena´s friends at school. Although Sheena isn´t satisfied with her living conditions, she is determined to stay and raise a family on the reservation. Stanley, on the other hand, wants to leave the reservation and its poverty, although he doesn´t rule out coming back, because he identifies strongly with his Lakota culture. He would like to do what the Travelers are doing –“go out and meet other people” – and maybe even try his hand at filmmaking. Despite the hardships, however, the Littleboy´s enjoy as strong sense of family and Lakota ways, which they share with the Travelers. Jose and Alex are honored by being invited to join in a traditional “sweat” – entering a sauna-like structure wearing nothing but a towel to chant and pray- and are also adopted as “brothers” into the Littleboy family. Meanwhile, Paula is ill and never makes it to the reservation, agreeing to stay in Rushville (about an hour´s drive away on the border of Nebraska). When feeling better, Paula captures night life in Rushville´s mile-long main street on a Saturday night. Paula explores the prejudice and misconceptions held by the town´s young white residents about their Native American neighbors. Contending that Native alcoholism is prevalent, one teenager explains, “it´s the way they´re brought up.” Another believes “our government screwed them over.” Some resent that “poor Indians... get checks every month,” and yet, as Stanley informs the Travelers, his family receives only food stamps from the government.