A Hidden America. Children of the Plains

Description

South Dakota's Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is home to an estimated 35,000 people, most of whom identify as Oglala Lakota Sioux. Unfortunately, 47% of people on Pine Ridge live below the federal poverty level. Most adults are unemployed, and rampant alcoholism combined with underfunded schools make it a tough place to grow up. In this ABC News program, Diane Sawyer visits Pine Ridge to report on the reservation's problem with poverty and to meet with some remarkable children who are striving to break through its culture of despair. Tashina Iron Horse, a vivacious kindergartener living in a three-bedroom house with 19 relatives, wants to be a cop when she grows up. Louise, at only 12 years old, has already attempted suicide, but teachers are rallying around this girl who loves reading, math, and her Lakota heritage. And 12-year-old Robert Looks Twice, prize-winning powwow dancer who helps support his family with his winnings, aims to become the country's first Native American president.

Runtime

41 min

Subjects

Geography

Genre

Date of Publication

[2013], c2011

Database

Films on Demand

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