Tribes // Current TV

From Snow to Sweat Lodges: Making "Rape on the Reservation"

Joanne Shen co-produced "Rape on the Reservation," premiering as part of Vanguard's fourth season on Wednesday, June 2, at 10/9c.
A few weeks before Christmas last year, my co-producer John Henion and I flew to South Dakota to begin researching the story that would become “Rape on the Reservation.” We landed in Rapid City and drove three hours east to two of the poorest reservations in America, Pine Ridge and Rosebud reservations, home to members of the Lakota (Sioux) nation. The point of the trip was to make contacts and figure out if it was even feasible to do a television documentary about the sexual assault on Indian reservations. We had been repeatedly warned over the phone that outsiders were regarded with suspicion and it would it would be especially difficult to get people talking about such a sensitive subject like rape.
First impression: in the dead of winter, rural South Dakota has got to be one of the coldest places in America. The poverty makes it feel all the more bleak. The impoverished conditions that many people on the reservation live under are among the worst I’ve ever seen in the U.S. A trailer home will be packed with more than a dozen adults and children living under one roof. Sub- zero temperatures are exacerbated by the fact that some residences still lack electricity or indoor plumbing.
I remember going with the Pine Ridge police department on a ride-along. We entered the home of an elderly man when neighbors complained that his young nieces had been partying on the premises (alcohol is illegal on Pine Ridge, a so-called “dry” reservation”). I noticed that all four gas burners on his stove were on full-blast, which I thought was odd and dangerous, considering there were 2 or 3 toddlers running around the premises. I pointed this out to the man because I thought he might have left the stove on accidentally. He ignored me. Later, I learned that this was one of the many creative ways people on “the rez” kept their houses warm.
Like any shoot, this one had its own logistical challenges. When we go to foreign countries, we know we have to play by someone else’s rule—and visiting an Indian reservation is no different. Reservations are legally recognized sovereign nations within the geographical boundaries of the U. S. and the rhythm of life is definitely different. They call it “Indian time,” and it means that schedules are fluid. Television producers live and die by adhering to strict schedules so that they can pack as much filming in a day as possible.
But, as with almost every Vanguard shoot I’ve ever been on—efficient Japan being a notable exception—being super-flexible to work with your subject’s schedule has usually paid off with getting great access in the end. Before you do, you’re likely to spend some time that feels wasted, like standing outside for half an hour in bracing 20-below weather waiting for a source to show up at a traditional Lakota funeral, as we did. Or braving the other temperature extreme—an Indian sweat lodge—in the hopes of convincing a medicine man to let us film a traditional healing ceremony. It was no easy feat, considering I was 23 weeks pregnant at the time. In the end, I literally couldn’t take the heat and left my co-producer to sweat it out (pardon the puns) with our subjects.
Ultimately, we met amazing individuals who were brave enough to share their stories with us. In spite of the dark subject matter, I was frequently struck by the resilience of the people we met along the way. I remember interviewing one of our subjects about the murder of her daughter. She’d be in tears one moment and then, in the very next moment, be able to laugh genuinely at some silly joke I’d crack out of sheer nervousness.
Later on, Tillie Black Bear, the head of White Buffalo Calf Woman Society, an important women’s organization on Rosebud Reservation, told me that this was characteristic of the Lakota—to be able to switch quickly from deep sorrow to moments of joy and laughter—and it was probably one way they have been able to survive psychologically, in the face of their traumatic history. And that’s the way I remember my time there: hearing countless heartbreaking stories from some of the toughest people I’ve ever met.
Watch the trailer for "Rape on the Reservation" after the jump, and tune in on Wednesday, June 2 at 10/9c to watch on Current TV. Joanne Shen co-produced "Rape on the Reservation," premiering as part of... more

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