LAKOTA TINY HOUSE NATION

                                        ABOUT LAKOTA TINY HOUSE NATION

                                                  

                                                                    I see a time of Seven Generations when all the colors of mankind will gather under the S                                                                              sacred Tree of Life and the whole Earth will become one circle  again"  - Crazy Horse

 

 

                                                                             

   

      In the spring of 2015, reports of numerous suicides on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation by youth between the ages of 11-21, captured our hearts and minds.  Pine Ridge is a place everyone associated with LTHN holds close - whether it is our homeland, adopted homeland, or a place and people new to us. The realization that so many children and young adults from the Oglala Lakota Nation were taking their own lives, spurred us into action.  Pine Ridge is a beautiful place.  And it is home to a rich culture.

     How can we help?

     One of the chronic issues on the Reservation is substandard and inadequate housing.  In one instance, we know of 21 people from three generations live in the same house.  No matter how healthy or close a family is, 21 people living under one roof creates stress.  Further, in some homes, children are witness to physical and emotional violence, alcohol and sexual abuse, and other results of poverty and cultural genocide over many generations.  These facts make it extremely difficult for parents and grandparents to provide safety, security, and the quality of life they wish for their children and grandchildren.

 

     And so Lakota Tiny House Nation was born.

     We recognize that safe and sustainable housing can provide a solution to some of the needs that challenge Pine Ridge.  Tiny homes are affordable, efficient, sustainable, and can be built in a matter of days or weeks - not months or years - to provide more housing and help to build a more sustainable, healthy community for all.

 

     Nearly $8000 was raised in the spring and early summer of 2015 with more donations coming in daily.  Additional building materials have been donated and our first house was constructed this summer in Manderson, SD.  Applicants from all across the Reservation were invited to submit an application.  From those, our first family was chosen by LTHN leadership.  The home was built in nine days by volunteers and family members. Interior work is to be completed this Fall.  

     Lakota Tiny House Nation's goal is to TEACH building skills so that those who participate and learn the method taught by our Tiny House builder, Peter King, Peter Limanek, and others, can pass it on - building more houses and learning new skills that will make them job-ready for other projects on and around the Reservation and more ready to build a home of their own.  Youth leaders are at the center of this education.  Through their involvement, LTHN hopes to instill a sense of pride, self-empowerment, and the actionable steps that help Youth feel connected to their culture, homeland, and families in a way that will instill confidence; and, most importantly, build hope in and for the Oglala Lakota Nation.

 

    Join us.  Donations from across the globe have created the funds that enabled us to build this first home.  Most donors' gifts were modest, some have been quite substantial - all contribute to the understanding of the global community that we are and every contribution has enabled LTHN's dream to become a reality.

    Visit our donation and volunteer pages, or contact us for more information.  Thank you.