Overview:

The Four Winds Project, 17 miles south of Custer in the Black Hills of South Dakota understands itself as an Ecological Living and Production Community and a link between the cultures.
In its project areas like Culture, Education, Living, Alternative Energies, Organic Gardening, Online Store and Marketing, Buffalo Production  the Four Winds Project wants to improve the living situation of the Lakota people.
The Four Winds Ranch  was founded in the year 1996 and is managed by Tom and Christine Steuer. 
 

1. Who are we and what do we do ?

After a stay in the Pine Ridge Reservation in summer 1993 the idea was born to create a place of a culture exchange free of racism and to improve the living situation of the Lakota people. With the establishment of the Four Winds Ranch in 1996 in the southern Black Hills of South Dakota the dream began to realize. The ranch is situated on 270 acres in the Black Hills, a geographical and natural wonder of North America and a sacred place for many Indian Tribes.

The philosophy of the Four Winds Project is based on respect for every living being with the goal of obtaining this respect to people who live and work on the Four Winds.
At this point we have a Tipi Camp, which infrastructure is ensured by alternative energies, like solar. It is our wish and  goal that the visitors of the Four Winds obtain a better understanding about nature and the Lakota culture. Four Winds is a place of mutual understanding and a meeting place for all races.
The intercultural exchange will help to diminish prejudices and to heal the wounds of racism, fear and jealousy.

The Four Winds Project also offers tours through the Black Hills and Reservations, which particularly consider the historical and cultural dimensions and support the effort of mutual understanding.
Our philosophy is based on the medicine wheel, which represents all colors and races.

As a family, with our children Isabel (10) and Raphael (8), we want to set a sign that there is a way of living together with other cultures and races, in respect and equality with nature and all it’s beings.
The sense of the Four Winds Project is not to get lost in pessimistic complaints about our problems, but to go step by step towards a change for a way of living together. We want to be an example for others to show that there would  be a way of doing things different.

2. What are our goals ?

The result of our projects from the past constitute the sense of future projects for Four Winds.

-  Exchange between the cultures: The Black Hills are the sacred mountains for the Lakota and many other tribes
and therefore a perfect place to support the exchange of the cultures. It is important to us to develop a understanding and a interest in other cultures, without losing the own identity. To know where you come from and your history and culture will lead to a honest exchange and hopefully a change in the future and how we treat each other.

- Respect for animals and nature: We live in a time where nature is being abused and exploited. We know that we depend on natural resources and that we can not live without them. The Black Hills sharpen our senses and thoughts for the fact that we can live in harmony with nature and cultivating should be always retaining. 
We are part of a huge ecological system which should be nourished and honored.

- Living and working in a community: In a time of individualization where everyone cares mostly about themselves, the poor is pushed to the edge, it is important that again a community is developed, where people can live in personal freedom, justice, and equality. In such a community we will of course face conflicts, but to solve these in a spirit of fair arguing and tolerance is an important goal of Four Winds.

- Improvement of the life conditions for the Lakota people: In everything we do a central goal is to improve the circumstances of life for the Lakota people. We are conscious that we can make only a small contribution. Our goal is: If many people on many places change only a few things the whole situation will change to the better.
We want take this little steps here on our place. 

Because goals represent naturally general conceptions, these are concretized by the following projects:

3. Projects to realize and in progress

As we already mentioned the Four Winds Project is not just an idea or a vision, but an already existing project which 
can look back of several years of performance. It is important for us to improve and extend our projects according to our goals, wishes and dreams.
We think it is important that this project stays in a manageable framework to ensure an improvement of the situation of the Lakota people.

1) Extension of the Tipi Camp and the facilities: As of today there are 4 Tipis and a shower / toilet house with  2 showers and 2 toilets. In order to realize the summer camps for children and youth from the Reservations, we need to set up 5 more Tipis as well as extend the facilities of  2 more showers and toilets.
The shower and toilets correspond to the basic idea to promote alternative energies (photo voltaic, solar and propane) as well as the organic waste management.
By the way: A group of students from the Pine Ridge Reservation (Kyle), which visited end of June 2002 where inspired by these facilities! 

2 )   Kitchen and Community building.
       There is an immediate need of a kitchen and community building for the infrastructure of the Tipi Camp.
       Due to high winds at our place the past kitchen tents did not work satisfactorily. The last kitchen tent was 
       destroyed  by a tornado.
       Planed is a simple, but solid kitchen and community house, which offers both, place for cooking as well as an 
       area for gatherings (playing, discussions, seminars and get togethers).

According to our goals the house will be a self sufficient straw bale round house supplied with solar power. This building could host between 25 and 50 people. The house will be used in a multifunctional way for cooking and dining as well as for cultural exhibits, like flute or drum concerts, seminars, discussion groups or otherwise.
In this form the house would represent itself as an ecological model house, and shows at the same time how we can connect the philosophy (goal) with technique (solar) and economy (income).
As a temporary solution – up to the completion of this house - a new kitchen tent must be set up
(has been realized in August 2002)

3)    Organic garden - Herb and food production (green house)
Our land hosts a huge variety of herbs and healing plants, the development of teas for nutrition and healing could be promoted purposefully. This production is very labor intensive and several jobs could be created.
Due to the climatic conditions (long winter / harsh weather) establishing a green house or rather a growing dome would be the best solution for this area.
This organic garden could also support elders and children in the reservation for the winter time. We would deliver parts of the fresh produce to their homes.

4)    Multi cultural Eco-Community (long-term)
An sufficient amount of acreage and a good source of water is present at Four Winds. We want to develop a small  community with up to 5 families, which composition should represent the ideas and goals of Four Winds, as there is the intercultural living (culture exchange), an ecological way of living (respect for Mother Nature), social aspects  (honesty, equality and helpfulness) and also economically (creation and endurance of income).

An important project of the community will be a foster child program for Lakota children. Such a program would provide a temporary home for needy Lakota children, whose parents have to deal with difficulties (alcoholism, drug dependency etc.). That means that Lakota families in our community could take children into their homes for a certain time and tread them like their own. This would give these children a chance of learning about their heritage and culture and provides also a healthy family surrounding, so they have a good head start into their own lives.
This program is already supported  for many years by the American Government, only that most Lakota children being accommodated into white families, where they grow up without their traditions, believes, and own culture.
Our goal is to have this children fostered by Lakota families so they can learn about their own culture and ways of living, until the situation allows them to go back to their parents home. 

This project refers also to the basic idea of Global Ecovillage Netwerk (GEN). GEN it about communities, where ecological, social and cultural/spiritual goals play a central role (s. Ecovillage Living, published by  Hildur Jackson and Karen Svensson, spring 2001; hildur@gaia.org).

5)    Tree planting project (long-term)
A healthy forest is indispensable for the land, people and animals. Although our forest is in a fairly good condition there are several areas that need improvements. We want to plant trees and bushes for wind brake, 
shade, against erosion and as a humidifier for the dry land condition. Choke cherry bushes and other edible fruit plants, that are originated in the area can also be used as a traditional food source and as a source for income 
(jams, jellies etc). 
We talked to several foresters and professionals to find out about the local trees and plants.

6)    Creation of Jobs  (immediately)
       The place and location of Four Winds and its infrastructure offers a great opportunity to build jobs for young 
       people from the reservations. The goal of these jobs should be that young people can generate an income and
       acquire skills and competence, which they can use later on in their lives. At the same time they are bedded in an
       environment where their own culture is respected and honored.
       A concrete project could be: Buffalo processing and management (dried meat, hide, bones, sinew, skull) as pre-
       production for original Lakota crafts and products.
       We also talked to Professor Ewert from California which works very closely with several tribes in Alaska and 
       about the possibility of building a state to state co-op as a fair trade operation.

7)    Reorganization and improvement of our existing house with new functions: 
       planing immediately, development 2003

Our existing house will be improved energetically (outside paneling and roof insulation) and will be used as a) office space,  b) online store and c) as a living quarter for employees and/or volunteers, who work at the Four Winds.

8)    Online Store for Native Products: Winter 2002/2003
As of today a catalog with over 500 products is set up already in a professional online store. In lack of finances
we haven’t been able to establish a stock of products, that we will buy from Lakota artists and families.
The management of the online store and the order processing will be supervised and carried out at Four Winds.

We have many connections to artists in the reservations, and our goal is to establish a fair and solid business relation with the Lakota producers to give them the chance to support their families. 
We buy art and crafts since over 10 years from Lakota artists and always attached great importance to the way we treat everybody, that is with manners and respect.

9) Building of a model straw bale house as a showpiece and living project ( long – term )
After an energetic renovation our existing house will be put into a new use as described in point  7).
A straw bale house will be built, which will function as a model of alternative house building and application of modern environmental techniques, like solar (photo voltaic power production), compost toilets and gray water system, rain water usage and self-contained industrial water circuits, straw bale for the best insulation in our climate.
We want to make aware and show that there are better ways of house building in cooperation with nature and the environment.
This project can be implemented in any community in the reservations.

These nine projects are an outline of Four Winds Project as of today.  Some are already realized, some need to be extended and some need to be developed or planed newly. 

How can Lakota people turn these projects into their profit?
We hope that young people, who graduate from college or high school in the reservations enjoy this opportunity and want to be an active part of Four Winds Project in several areas (jobs, practical training). They could acquire specific skills and responsibilities.:

- Tipi Management: Organization, management, maintenance of the Tipi Camp; assistance and independent assumption of tasks

- Organic gardening: Introduction and education in organic gardening with its complex ecological and food-referred connections and acquisition of practical abilities to adopt these into the daily life on the reservations.
We believe, that especially in the reservation the food situation is very insufficiently and in immediate need 
of change. The organic gardening project should leave a wide open range for experiments to find the best way of
organic food production to support a healthier life. 

- Handling of animals: We have several animals at Four Winds, like horses, dogs, cats, chickens, ducks. We are more then happy to show how to treat them and handle them with care and respect. 

- Waste management: Maintenance, care and development of modern, sustainable technologies, which could be used 
especially in the Reservations or other communities.

- Tour Guide & Tourism: Cooperation on tours, which Four Winds offers as a part of the cultural exchange program.
History and culture of the Lakota people will be taught and promoted.

- Online Store and Web development, computer knowledge: Introduction and co-operation into sales, market 
research, buy and sell, fair trade, computer technologies.

- Buffalo Production: Co-operation with production, processing and marketing, education in basic economic 
development, supply and demand, profit and income, book keeping and advertisement.

- Ecological living and production community: Experience and acquisition of social virtues and values like solidarity,
justice, respect, tolerance and cultural integrity, which also includes classical pragmatically values such as order, achievement readiness, cleanliness, hygiene, experience of confidence and security.

In this way young people, who live and work with us can acquire special competence, which would be a base for  assistance to self-help. In addition a special note: The Four Winds Project is outside of a Reservation and we think it would be important for the youth to live in distance to their own environment for a certain time to have a chance of deliberation in order to get back to their roots and find themselves. Therefor it is a very important matter for us at Four Winds Project to offer a sound environment for the youth, so they can live their native culture, traditions and way of life.
This means: With the abilities and experiences that they acquire here at the Four Winds Project, the young people will have a great chance to succeed in their own life. 
Particularly to be mentioned is the following point. In discussions with a trauma specialized person it showed itself that the processing of trauma tables can be vital experiences. That is, the fact that many humans, in particular young person in whom was exposed special environment of the reservations to events and is, which lead to Traumas. This by specialized persons regenerate to let, seems to be completely important us.
 

4. Financing

There are several options for financing:

- Letters to organizations, philanthropists and the open public
- Funds and grants
- Project support from Solar Companies, Straw Bale Association, State Nurseries etc.
- Proceeds from visitors and seminars
- Proceeds from Four Winds production range

The following numbers are approximately amounts for the projects. Most of the labor will be contributed by Tom & Christine Steuer and additional volunteers from Reservations, from the United States and Europe in trade of board and lodging.