The Master’s Hands Christian Ministries, Pine Ridge, SD

According to the Oglala Lakota Sioux tribal government, well over 90 churches work on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Lane, a young Lakota friend, was telling me about the religious groups that come to Pine Ridge. Some do good social service work while respecting tribal and indigenous cultural ways. Others act on their desire to save souls by proselytizing the Lakota people.

When he was a child, Lane said, The Master’s Hands Christian Ministry church group came to Oglala, the community where he lived. They offered a free day camp for children with opportunities for swimming, games, and good food. Lane’s mother, who was spiritually very traditional, agreed to let him attend. The first time he went swimming, the Christians hosting the camp baptized him without telling him what they were going to do or asking his family’s permission. Some people now wonder why Lane’s family works to limit the freedom that church groups have to set up operations on the reservation.