Learn the story of the Lakota tribe in South Dakota, and their struggle to reclaim their culture through language, dance, working with the land, and participating in cultural activities with this educational guide for the film Across the Creek. Each clip included in this resource is related to a lesson in the educational guide. They can be viewed with the whole movie or as separate pieces.

Across the Creek explores both the unbridled dreams and the painful reality of Lakota people from South Dakota. In the face of unfathomable challenges, they are taking steps to better their lives. “It’s still here.” That’s the assurance of Lakota elder Albert White Hat that the spirituality, songs and power of Lakota people are fully present today. “It’s still here,” he says again, for emphasis. These words seem at odds with appearances on the Rosebud and Pine Ridge reservations, with their broken-down villages, deadly addictions and the sense of hopelessness.

In Across the Creek, everyday heroes are turning around negative history and reclaiming traditional stories, visions and core values that once effectively guided healthy, productive tribal life. With few visible examples of positive action, the most powerful strategy is just walking the talk. Or, put another way, by crossing the creek.