Comprehensive Study Notes on Pine Ridge Reservation and Rez Ball Culture

Location and Demographics: The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is situated in South Dakota. It is primarily home to the Lakota Sioux people.
Scale and Jurisdiction: The reservation covers an expansive area of $3,500$ square miles and spans across three different county lines.
Economic Standing: Statistically, Pine Ridge is identified as the poorest place in America.
Infrastructure and Amenities:
- The reservation is home to hundreds of trailer parks that lack basic utilities, such as electricity and running water.
- There is a notable absence of commercial and entertainment infrastructure; specifically, there are no banks and no movie theaters within the reservation boundaries.
- Despite these shortages, basketball courts are a prominent and ubiquitous feature of the landscape.

The Wounded Knee Massacre (1890): This site within the reservation is the location of a significant historical tragedy. In 1890, United States troops killed nearly $300$ men, women, and children belonging to the Lakota tribe.
Legacy of the Tribe: The Lakota people have historically occupied this land, maintaining their presence despite centuries of conflict and systemic challenges.

Definition of Rez Ball: Basketball on the reservation is referred to locally as "rez ball." It is a distinct Native style of the game that has been co-opted by Indian tribes for decades.
Gameplay Characteristics:
- The style is described as a "non-stop running gun game."
- It is characterized by high speed and frequency of shots. Although the standard shot clock allows for $35$ seconds, possessions in rez ball rarely last more than $5$ to $8$ seconds before a shot is taken.
- The pace is so intensive that it is noted to exhaust even the referees.
Cultural Significance: For the youth on the reservation, basketball is described as "hope." It serves as a focal point for the community, particularly during the summer at locations like "Oh Park," where games occur every night.

The Rivalry: The tradition of basketball on Pine Ridge is currently fueled by a intense rivalry between the only two high schools in town.
Red Cloud Crusaders:
- Despite their name, they wear blue jerseys.
- Their roster consists of seniors who have played together since childhood, specifically since about the sixth grade.
Pine Ridge Thorpes:
- Named after Jim Thorpe, who is historically regarded as one of the greatest athletes of all time.
- The team consists of younger, stiff competition for the Red Cloud seniors.
Community Impact: While all students belong to the same tribe, the rivalry effectively "splits the res in two" every year.

Environmental Hazards: Residents often perceive the reservation as being viewed by outsiders as "dangerous" or "hostile," though the local players describe it as friendly among themselves.
Mental Health and Loss: The reservation faces severe issues with suicide. One student-athlete shared the experience of losing his father to suicide three years prior.
- The Grieving Process: Upon finding out about the death, the student chose to play a game immediately to maintain focus, stating, "As soon as I go on that court it's like my main focus was to get the win."
- Cultural Observance: Following the game, the student went directly to his father’s wake and stayed for two days straight.
Aspirations for the Future: Students express a desire to "single themselves out" and be different to avoid the struggles they see in older generations or family members (e.g., uncles) who did not make the right choices.
Post-Graduation Plans:
- One student plans to attend college for two years to earn an Associate's degree, followed by enlistment in the military.
- A motivation for leaving is to start a family and find a path that allows them to eventually help those back on the reservation.

Etymology of Oglala: The local sub-tribe of the Lakota is the Oglala. In the traditional Lakota dialect, the name translates to "they who scattered their own."
Linguistic Crisis: The Lakota language is currently classified as endangered, though there is an active effort among the people to ensure it is not lost.
The "Seven Generations" Principle:
- Lakota elders state that it took seven generations for their culture to reach the brink of extinction.
- Conversely, the community focuses on the future, noting that it will take another seven generations of teaching and building on each others' backs to fully recover and restore the culture.
Sovereignty: The reservation is viewed as a "sovereign nation" by its people, placing a high value on sticking together and keeping traditions alive for younger generations.

Question regarding the perception of the reservation: People see the res as dangerous and hostile. How do you see it?
- Response: "Play we're just friendly."
Question on avoiding bad decisions: How do you avoid the opportunities to make a bad decision for a night?
- Response: "I mean just being together… it's cuz the res it's in bad shape there's a bunch of suicides."
Question on life after basketball at Red Cloud: How do you see life after basketball?
- Response: "I plan on going to college for two years get my associate and go into the military afterwards… it's pretty intense kind of scary to think about."
Question on seeing a peer leave for college: What's it gonna be like for you when he does get to go off and go to college?
- Response: "I hope he has to go… I want to be different like I want to single myself out and be different and help them at the same time."
Discussion on the meaning of local hoops: High school hoops means something because the kids playing are "the tip of the spear" for the fight to preserve their nation and culture.