The clinic, located at 1714 Abbey Road, provides health care for American Indians and the economically disadvantaged or medically underserved in the urban areas of South Dakota.
Wakiyan Peta who blessed the new addition and led the drum group Wakinyan Maza, said it is important to have a health care center in town for people who would otherwise need to drive to a reservation for medical treatment.
 Rebecca Bentz | Capital Journal Delwin Bowker (front) sets up a drum before a prayer and blessing ceremony for the South Dakota Urban Indian Health clinic’s new wing Friday. Bowker and James Meeter (right) are members of the drum group Wakiyan Maza and Joe Dudley (left) is a SDUIH board member. Advertisement |
There are job opportunities on the reservation, Wakiyan Peta said. But for every opening there can be up to 50 people applying for it. That is why many tribal members move to Pierre and other cities. Which can sometimes lead to another problem for many American Indian individuals.
“They get homesick,” Wakiyan Peta explained. “We’re a very family-oriented culture.”
But SDUIH creates a link to American Indian culture that tribal members might be missing in Pierre.
“Meeting at the clinic creates ties to each tribe,” Wakiyan Peta said. “It’s good to see this provided.”
Wakiyan Peta presented the center with its Lakota name: Cokata Wicozani Oti. There is no exact English translation of the name, but it’s rough meaning is healing circle house, dwelling or center.”
The open house for the new addition kicked off with lunch, consisting of Indian Tacos. Afterward, Wakiyan Peta greeted clinic employees, patients, SDUIH board members, community members and other attendees and started with a prayer.
Wakinyan Maza then presented the clinic with a drum made from the hide of a buffalo who had wandered from Yellowstone National Park. In addition to the hide, all other parts of the drum, including the painted symbol of the clinic on its top, was made from natural things.
Because the drum symbolizes so much, it needs to be respected by the clinic, just as clinic patients need to respect themselves and their culture, Wakiyan Peta said.
Before becoming a member of Wakinyan Maza, Wikiyan Peta had lived a violent life and had an addiciton to alcohol. But when his grandfather asked him to carry the drum and take up his Lakota name, he had to leave that life behind.
“I know it’s scary to be Lakota,” he said, acknowledging that the change was tough. “But you need to know where you come from.”
The new wing of SDUIH contains a fitness center and teaching kitchen funded by a grant through the Keya Program which is focused on the healthy management and prevention of diabetes in American Indians. There is also an additional four exam rooms and a mental health counseling room. The room allows for addiction counseling and a safe area to speak about family issues.
The Pierre SDUIH clinic is one of three. The other clinics are located in Sioux Falls and Aberdeen.
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1 comment(s)patient wrote on Jun 4, 2008 10:32 AM: