Grandmother Rita Long Visitor Holy Dance

Unci means grandmother in Lakota. Unci Rita Long Visitor Holy Dance is Oglala Lakota, she was born in the SW corner of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota. She still lives on the land that was allotted to her great grandparents over 100 years ago. Unci Rita cherishes and advocates her traditional Lakota ways and language which she speaks fluently. Unci Rita is empathetic to single parents and their struggles to raise their children, because she herself was a single parent raising her children (and five of her oldest grandchildren) on her own. Unci Rita is skilled in survival knowing how to dry food and make clothing traditional Lakota style or contemporary wear. Today Unci Rita is a grandmother, great grandmother and great great grandmother. Unci Rita feels that being part of the grandmothers council feels like family, like blood relation, like the other grandmothers feel like her sisters. Unci Rita said the most important job the grandmothers council has is to keep all the people in a straight line, "no matter what denomination or color they are".

Upcoming Programs by Grandmother Rita Long Visitor Holy Dance

“The experience I’ve had as a volunteer here at Menla has been a unique one. I had recently experienced the loss of a number of friends, and of my father, before coming up for a retreat, and then coming back as a volunteer. Not only was the work I did up in these gorgeous mountains an amazingly cathartic experience, but the support I received from the community that exists here was unlike anything I had previously experienced.”

Reina de Beer

“Really enjoyed my time at Menla. It’s amazingly peaceful and quiet, the people are incredibly nice and approachable, the humility of the Dalai Lama permeates throughout the place. The accommodations are nice and the food is great.”

Scott Parry

“Menla sits on an energy vortex that is said to be the oldest known meteor crater in the world, and you can feel it. Maybe it’s electromagnetic, or maybe it’s the amazing energy of the people here, but Menla is a powerful and nurturing place that draws you like a giant magnet…. Menla is a deeply spiritual, restorative place, where you can reconnect with your higher self, ponder life’s true meaning.”

Rona Berg, Organic Spa

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