Welcome to this Dakota owned Site and Center

May 2009: Before I get down to the regular front page I have to add the following update:

Re: SOS We need help!

In response to our SOS we were truly amazed at how many people contacted us. Some sent money, some gave financial advice and some gave support. We are thankful for all, and we are thankful that our wonderful friends worldwide are so open to sharing.

I am happy to announce that Chuck managed to pay the taxes up fully last week, and we also managed to pay off part of the next bill as well.

On the advice part we are planning on working on this as well as soon as I, Gloria, can manage to get back to the States. Chuck and I have discussed our future plans for the Center and we hope to be able to bring good news on that front in a couple of months.

We cannot name everyone on here who sent in donations, because some was sent in by anonymous donors, others sent were a group effort. However we do want to thank all of you from the bottom of our hearts. You have shown us that the Center is important to you. Many people said that the work that we do on education and historic facts is invaluable and it must not stop, we agree with you and are happy to say that it will continue as long as we can do it. It is our passion and our life's work.

Chuck has been making little Pipestone thank you's to send to those that we have names and addresses for. They should be with you shortly.

We are so thankful for your assistance in this, and you will be in our prayers.

Mitakuye Oyasin

Chuck, Gloria & Alice

OK Now back to the regular page

Hau Koda, welcome to the Little Feather Center, we are located in Pipestone, Minnesota, the home of the genuine stone that our sacred Pipestone Pipes are made from. The Center is Dakota owned and operated and the site is full of information on the Dakota culture and other Native American issues. If you continue through this site you will, I hope, learn much about the Pipestone Pipes and the authentic Catlinite stone that they are created from. By the time you leave you should be able to tell the difference between the genuine stone from Pipestone and the look-alike red stone from Jasper, and also know about the various styles of pipes, the sacred pipestone quarries, quarrying and the history of Pipestone. You may also have signed a petition or two!

I am Running Elk (Chuck Derby), I am Dakota, please allow me to introduce you to my life, spiritual and work partner Gloria, escort you through the doors of the 'Little Feather Interpretive Center' and show you around.

At our Center you are only a stranger once!

Chuck and Gloria 2008

May 2009: Today we viewed 'Ancient Tracks' the next DVD in the series Wakan Sota, it is in the final stages of production, and it is very good. As before Nico has done a fabulous job in putting it all together in order. Filming was done over a 2 year period, and yet he has bought it altogether in a wonderful way. As soon as it is ready we will put information on this page, please keep an eye out for it!

No Guns on the sacred Pipestone National Monument grounds

The latest project we are working on is letting people know about the new ruling that the government will be bringing in in January. The ruling will allow anyone to be on National Park land or National Wildlife areas carrying concealed weapons. This will include the Pipestone National Monument, a place, where since time immemorial it has been an unwritten law that weapons should be buried before setting foot on the land. A place that is very sacred to most Native American Tribes.

The Park Superintendant is trying to get the Monument an exemption from this ruling because of it's history and religious standing.

We have set up a facebook group for people to have their say and to join to keep up to date on the issue. We have also set up a website giving more details. A petition is being worked on.

Facebook group

Website

The Dakota Reconcilliation Ride for the 38 + 2 came through Pipestone on the 17th December. The community came together with help from neighboring friends to give them a dinner, a breakfast the following morning, and to take care of the horses for the night, before they moved on again. Some stayed at the Little Feather center for the night and others stayed at the American Legion Hall. They were riding from the Lower Brule Reservation in South Dakota to Mankato, Minnesota where they would do ceremony to remember and honor the 38 Dakota who were hung there in the biggest mass hanging in America's history in 1862, and two other Dakota hung a couple of years later.

Chuck went to Mankato to meet up with them and participate in the ceremonies on Christmas day and the 26th December.

Facebook group

You can read more at Dakota 38+2

We also now have a Facebook page for the Little Feather Center, where you can become a fan. Updated news will be put on there as it comes in, rather than waiting ages for it to appear on here. The URL for the page is HERE

We have to apologize to those of you who have contacted Chuck over the past few months if he hasn't got back to you. He has been ill and has been doing all he can to get well. I (Gloria) came back from England in September only to find him really sick, so I got him to the doctor and we found out that as well as his diabetes really being bad, he had an ulcer and he had galls stones. Before anything else could be done his diabetes had to be controlled and so he was put on insulin, that eventually got him back on the right track again and so then the ulcer had to be dealt with. A week before he had surgery for the gall stones he pulled his back out and so was having difficulty getting around. When he went for the operation to remove his gall bladder we were really worried in case they hurt his back, but they were very good and I think the morphine he was on helped his back as well! He is now having treatment for his back. So two and a half months after I got back his problems were all taken care of, and all he had to do was take it easy and get well. That is the joke of the century, Chuck taking it easy, that'll be the day! But as long as he is healing well I can now stop being a nurse and get on with dealing with the website!

The big problem is that he hasn't been able to quarry, and so has no stone available, not even for himself to use. He is hoping to get down there to do some work around May, but until then he has to just wait. Nico returned from Holland in September to add to the filming for the next DVD but Chuck couldn't do anything on that either. We were all so worried about him. I did contact a lot of people worldwide and started off a prayer circle, and I know that worked because you would never think that 3 months ago he looked like he was at death's door. He has regained some weight, has now been taken off the insulin because after the surgery his blood sugars went way down and are continuing to stay that way, his ulcer has gone and his back is 80% better. So THANK YOU to everyone who joined in that circle we both really appreciate you caring about him. We also thank everyone for their good wishes for his recovery in emails.

We now have to catch up on emails that were never answered and DVD's that were never sent out, and we thank you for your patience. If you haven't heard from us, but did send us an email for a DVD. could you please email again as I probably missed you, or it didn't get to us. Thanks

The news that was on this first page has been moved to the News page. Only the latest news will be on this page.

If you wish to order some stone or a Pipe, join the Quarriers Guild, or attend a workshop please use the form page HERE

Please sign our guest book to let us know you have visited. Just click on 'View my Guestbook' and then click the 'post' link and enter your information. We look forward to hearing from you. The guestbook link is on most pages