Road Trip '07 - Day 4
A Day With Crazy Horse
Between Hill City and Custer is one man's dream coming true. Sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski was invited by Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear to do a sculpture to honor the culture, tradition and living heritage of North American Indians. The Lakota Elders chose the site and Korcak began the task of carving Crazy Horse Memorial from the granite not far (as the crow flies) from Mt. Rushmore.
The mountain itself sits almost a mile from the visitors' center and museum. It is, to state the obvious, large. They take no government money so it hasn't always moved quickly. In the past 10 years as access has improved and more facilities are available, it has become a significant tourist stop- and the work has even increased. To get an idea of the size, the picture below has an arrow pointing to two people standing on what will be part of Crazy Horse's arm. (If you click on the picture, it will take you to the Flickr page where you can get a bigger version.) Yes, they are tiny if you can even see them.
There is a model of the finished sculpture that is drawn to scale and used to make measurements on the mountain.
It is impossible to truly get appreciate the size without actually standing beneath the mountain itself and looking up.
The museum is also quite impressive and the whole place is very well done. Korczak died a number of years ago, but his family continues to run the project. I was struck walking through the museum and later the gift shop of the life- the energy- that is found in so much of Native American artwork. These are often artists who have struggled to make a living and grew up, in many instances, in oppressive conditions. Yet their work is so alive and vibrant you would never guess it. The Native use of all kinds of color reflects the seasons and nature. At the very foundation I am convinced is the lively, energietic and energizing spirituality of Native American tradition.
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Bypassing Jewel Cave
We went, but we didn't stay. It was late, it was hot. We would have had to wait two hours for the next "easy" tour since neither of us felt up to the longer, more strenuous tour with 700+ steps. Jewel Cave is the 2nd longest cave in the world. It is 135 miles of caverns- and still being explored. The map of the cave makes the New York Subway System map look simple. I guess we have to save something for another trip back here.
Above and below ground, God's world is nothing short of awe-some. I think it is even more so if it wasn't created in 144 hours in 4004 BC. (More on a future post.)
We went back to the motel to rest for awhile and then headed back to Crazy Horse for the evening laser and light show.
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An Evening With Crazy Horse
They have an evening laser and slide show at the memorial after dark each night. Overall the show was fair. It gave some good slides of things and the laser material was interesting. For me the best part of the show was the 45 minutes to an hour before it actually started.
As the darkness slowly enveloped the area, but while there was still significant light, they start playing Native American music. As it gets darker you begin to notice the lighting on the memorial in the distance. It goes from being "dark" against a lighter background to light against darkness. Meanwhile the drums and flutes and music swirl and move around you.
The feeling actually is quite spiritual. I sat there thinking about it as the music played. Some of the cuts had sound effects added. But the best was the added effects that nature herself (or God himself) added. As the one cut ended and the sound of wind came rising from the hidden speakers the breeze picked up. It swirled around the music and reminded us all that there is more to all this than meets the eye.
There is a story that when Crazy Horse was in captivity a soldier of some rank challenged him. Mockingly he said,
But as we are so sadly reminded so often, even that land has often been taken from the Native people. How does losing those connections spiritually impact the people?
At the end of the show they outline what the finished mountain will look like as Crazy Horse points out there to "his lands. I have adjusted the contrast and lighting so the outline of the mountain itself is a little more visible.
Under all this is a dream that the Lakota Elders had 60 years ago; a dream that a Polish immigrant's son picked up and has now passed on to some of his children. Don't lose your dreams is one of the continuing messages heard at Crazy Horse. It is a reminder that without vision the people will perish. No, not individual "persons" but the peoplehood, the peopleness. That may be most importantly what keeps us all from flying off this whirling globe far more than gravity itself.
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Wandering Thoughts
I brought along a copy of the Native American classic Black Elk Speaks to read while here in the heart of Black Elk's land. It is interesting reading it knowing that this land is the inspiration of the vision. Or perhaps better said that this land from which the vision came. I have a hunch that all religious experience springs from land and place and culture and people. It has to since we are after all material beings that God has blessed by saying it all was "Very good."Between Hill City and Custer is one man's dream coming true. Sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski was invited by Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear to do a sculpture to honor the culture, tradition and living heritage of North American Indians. The Lakota Elders chose the site and Korcak began the task of carving Crazy Horse Memorial from the granite not far (as the crow flies) from Mt. Rushmore.
The mountain itself sits almost a mile from the visitors' center and museum. It is, to state the obvious, large. They take no government money so it hasn't always moved quickly. In the past 10 years as access has improved and more facilities are available, it has become a significant tourist stop- and the work has even increased. To get an idea of the size, the picture below has an arrow pointing to two people standing on what will be part of Crazy Horse's arm. (If you click on the picture, it will take you to the Flickr page where you can get a bigger version.) Yes, they are tiny if you can even see them.There is a model of the finished sculpture that is drawn to scale and used to make measurements on the mountain.
It is impossible to truly get appreciate the size without actually standing beneath the mountain itself and looking up. The museum is also quite impressive and the whole place is very well done. Korczak died a number of years ago, but his family continues to run the project. I was struck walking through the museum and later the gift shop of the life- the energy- that is found in so much of Native American artwork. These are often artists who have struggled to make a living and grew up, in many instances, in oppressive conditions. Yet their work is so alive and vibrant you would never guess it. The Native use of all kinds of color reflects the seasons and nature. At the very foundation I am convinced is the lively, energietic and energizing spirituality of Native American tradition.<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Bypassing Jewel Cave
We went, but we didn't stay. It was late, it was hot. We would have had to wait two hours for the next "easy" tour since neither of us felt up to the longer, more strenuous tour with 700+ steps. Jewel Cave is the 2nd longest cave in the world. It is 135 miles of caverns- and still being explored. The map of the cave makes the New York Subway System map look simple. I guess we have to save something for another trip back here.
Above and below ground, God's world is nothing short of awe-some. I think it is even more so if it wasn't created in 144 hours in 4004 BC. (More on a future post.)
We went back to the motel to rest for awhile and then headed back to Crazy Horse for the evening laser and light show.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
An Evening With Crazy Horse
They have an evening laser and slide show at the memorial after dark each night. Overall the show was fair. It gave some good slides of things and the laser material was interesting. For me the best part of the show was the 45 minutes to an hour before it actually started.
As the darkness slowly enveloped the area, but while there was still significant light, they start playing Native American music. As it gets darker you begin to notice the lighting on the memorial in the distance. It goes from being "dark" against a lighter background to light against darkness. Meanwhile the drums and flutes and music swirl and move around you.The feeling actually is quite spiritual. I sat there thinking about it as the music played. Some of the cuts had sound effects added. But the best was the added effects that nature herself (or God himself) added. As the one cut ended and the sound of wind came rising from the hidden speakers the breeze picked up. It swirled around the music and reminded us all that there is more to all this than meets the eye.There is a story that when Crazy Horse was in captivity a soldier of some rank challenged him. Mockingly he said, "So Crazy Horse, where are your lands now?"To which Crazy Horse wisely replied:
"My lands are where my people are buried."Not unlike some of our potential responses. We Moravians hallow our cemeteries, "where our people are buried" by calling them God's Acre. Lincoln's most famous words come from a dedication of a cemetery in Gettysburg, PA. Not to mention the moving line from the anthem, "America"- Land where our Father's died, land of the pilgrim's pride.
But as we are so sadly reminded so often, even that land has often been taken from the Native people. How does losing those connections spiritually impact the people? At the end of the show they outline what the finished mountain will look like as Crazy Horse points out there to "his lands. I have adjusted the contrast and lighting so the outline of the mountain itself is a little more visible.Under all this is a dream that the Lakota Elders had 60 years ago; a dream that a Polish immigrant's son picked up and has now passed on to some of his children. Don't lose your dreams is one of the continuing messages heard at Crazy Horse. It is a reminder that without vision the people will perish. No, not individual "persons" but the peoplehood, the peopleness. That may be most importantly what keeps us all from flying off this whirling globe far more than gravity itself.
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Wandering Thoughts
Reading Black Elk's vision it reminded me in style if not the actual descriptions of a great deal of prophetic and/or apocalyptic literature from my own Judeo-Christian tradition. The Spiritual World is so varied- from the land/place/culture/people connections. Yet it is so alike as well. That should come as no surprise if we thought about it at any length with any appreciation of our very, very narrow human ways. Why should God have spoken to the Native Americans in the symbols and culture of the Middle Eastern desert or the Asian sub-continent? But what is being said is all based on the same spiritual world.
I realize that such thoughts can lead me into territory that some would feel is wrong-thinking and at worse- blasphemous, heretical and downright evil. But somehow, in ways I have absolutely no understanding of, God may be far wider, deeper, higher, and longer than anything I can even begin to think up. After all, if He truly is love I am not so sure that he would be narrow-minded with tunnel vision.
But so much for today. One of the things I like about vacations like this is the ability to get into some neat spiritual places and see where God is at work.
Miles Today: 85, Total so far: 805
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