1000 Mile Journey to Sturgis Reveals Hidden Truth

For my third year at Sturgis, I'd be riding a thousand miles with the medicine wheel ride. The real reason Sturgis has become a mecca for riders is exactly what I'd be doing, but there's a hidden controversial story about the Black Hills of Sturgis that I'd be going to learn more about, and it would change the way I saw Sturgis forever. From the sands of Arizona to the pine trees of the Black Hills, the medicine wheel riders are the heartbeat to a grim issue. I am here at Eagle Rider Seattle, ready to meet with the medicine wheel ride ladies, and they've already been riding for a few days since California, so I'm meeting them about halfway through the trip, and of course, it hasn't rained in Seattle all summer until today. So annoying, but I'll be on the 2024 Road Glide. I'm so excited. I've gotten so used to that old beat-up Harley electric glide from Bikes and Beers I've been on indefinite loans. Shout out Sean and Craig, thank you for that. So this feels super fancy. For now, I'm just going to try to get as quick as possible to get out of this rain and into 100 degree desert is the next stop, I believe. We'll see. The route would take me halfway across the country from Seattle to Sturgis, across temperatures from around 50 degrees Fahrenheit to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Despite having been to Sturgis twice, across the country and back, and many other long road trips, I had somehow forgotten to be prepared for any of that. A friend in Seattle lent me a rain jacket, but that was it. It's been two and a half hours of this crap, but it looks like I'm just now getting into the desert. So it should be getting warmer. It was 55 and raining earlier today and now it's 65 and it looks like the rain is letting up. So in theory, I should be dry by the time I get there. My feet, I'm sure, will still be waterlogged. How long can your feet be waterlogged before your skin starts sliding off like a snake? Is that a thing or did I just see that in a sci-fi movie? I don't know. I need, I need food. So trench foot is a thing, but apparently I got like 10 more hours before it becomes a problem. So we're just going to deal with it, I guess. Can someone tell me why nine times out of 10 when I introduce myself as Carolyn, people think I say Caroline. I got no clue what town I'm in. Weather's getting worse. It got better than it's worse. I've got somehow no signal here at it where civilization is and it looks like none of the ladies do either. I'm trying to track them all on the 360 app and for all of them it says no service, no service, no service, no service. I'm like going through the list. So, I don't know. There's, I'm sure we'll figure it out. I'll just keep heading in the direction of the town that they told me to meet them in this morning and that hasn't changed. I'm at a rest stop. It's super windy. I'm getting cross-country dust storm PTSD. I'm looking in the 360 app and it looks like the ladies are catching up to me. At least I know I'm on the right path, but yeah, hopefully I'll see them soon. Nope, not doing it. I don't want to. I'll hold it. All right, I've got an address, so I'm going to meet the ladies at Airbnb and it looks like I'm a little bit ahead of them, so I'll be the first there. Start drying my boots. We have some arrivals. Oh, there they are. Hello. Good to see you. Hello. He came all the way from Canada. Whoa. And he says he came because of you. What you posted. I hope I ordered enough food. I didn't know there were also going to be tall men and they eat like three people, so. We are getting ready to leave. These ladies have already been on the road for several days, done a couple thousand of miles, and I'm just now joining in. I did like 300 miles coming from Seattle that I flew in, so we've got I think just one or two days of riding before we get to Sturgis. You're good? You are hot. Our waterlogged again. How'd you get water in the boots? Who knows? I need it trickling down my pants. It's not sweat? No, definitely not. It's like puddles in my boots. I rode in three days of rain. That snowy rain where you can't even see. Three days. Yeah. Trying to get the hell out of there because it said it was going to snow. As unprepared as I was, lucky for me that wasn't the case from the other riders. Oh, thank you. That'll help them stay warm. This place. Look at these amazing cookies made by right over here. Here's the baker. I'm guessing your name is Brooke, right? Nakia. Nakia? Yeah, Nakia. Just finished one of the events, and tomorrow we've got another four or five hundred mile ride, and we finally make to Sturgis. I've got all my regalia that the ladies have given to me. Since the last trip, got this one today, or no yesterday from Lovey. My body's already hurting from today's ride, let me tell you. Ready to do it again tomorrow. Since it started five years ago, the medicinal ride has ridden to Sturgis and all around the U.S. to help Native families who have lost their loved ones. Some murdered, some missing, but the main issue is that this happens in Native communities at four to ten times the national average, with many of the cases remaining unsolved without resources to help or media attention. Despite what some think when they see the vests and the patches, this isn't a club. It's a charity, and when I rode with them last year to make a video bringing attention to this, I couldn't stop at just one video. I had to come back. I had to do more. Last day to Sturgis. We have about a little over 400 miles today. Let me tell you, these women are hardcore. When I ride by myself, I do maybe a max of like 300 miles, unless I have to do more, and I stop every like hour and a half, maybe two hours. These ladies go 500 plus miles, some way more, and one day I'm like, how did you do that? They'll stop until the tank on these big bikes is empty, but it's helped me realize I can actually ride a lot further for longer than I thought I could. I added a sticker, got some magnets, can give them out. Today is finally not gonna rain. I've got a dry butt and a dry boots, and it feels so good, but it's chilly. It's gonna be like 55 degrees Fahrenheit, which is cold for me, so I'm still gonna wear my rain jacket for the morning. My name is Cheryl Wood. I'm from Treaty 6 Territory in Alberta, Canada. My Cree name is Sweet Talker Soft Walker. I'm here to represent. So how many miles did you ride to get here? 527. Nice. Hi, I'm Tina Seacrest. I'm from Lincoln, Nebraska. I rode from Lincoln, Nebraska to Wind River, Wyoming, and then here to Bozeman, Montana, and I've got about 2,500 miles on the odometer for the trip. I enjoy the scenery, really. It's really peaceful. And you made it. And I made it. I'm Steven Yellow Woman. I came from Siksika Nation, Alberta, Canada, and I met the Medicine Wheel ride in Chumash Reservation, California, and it took me, it was 1,700 miles to get there. It took me about three days. Yeah, I'll actually just live a few hours north of here where we're at now. Oh wow. I could have been smart like Cheryl. Oh, I had waited. Yeah, exactly. I'm actually glad I didn't. Yeah, plus they got to put you to work yesterday. I saw that. My name is Jimmy Ochoa Morales. I live in Waco, Texas, and to get to this ride so far, I've ridden 3,489. Oh my gosh. And then I get flat because like, you're not a badass, but. Yes, you are. They don't realize. I feel like a needle. Hi, I'm Louie. We rode about 400 miles from Yuma to Chumash to meet with the group Medicine Wheel Ride, and so far, we've been riding about 2,000 miles. Help! ------- chubby is getting hotter and hotter. We're getting crazier and crazier. I stated on this channel that the real reason Sturgis has become a mecca for riders isn't because of the bars or the shows, but because of the riding here. It's some of the most beautiful in the country with Needles Highway, the Badlands, Devil's Tower. There's something really unique about the land here. Apparently, the Black Hills is the oldest mountain range in the U.S., and many natives consider the Black Hills to be the center of the universe. So I'd be meeting with a local native woman who would show me some of the sacred sites around Sturgis and share the stories of her tribes. Now, here's the part of the story that may be controversial, the part that is practically hidden from the popular stories of cowboys and gold rushes. The Treaty of 1868 stated the Black Hills belonged to the natives, but after the discovery of gold in 1877, the land was confiscated. In 1980, the Supreme Court ruled that the Lakota were entitled to 106 million with regard to the Black Hills, which was just a percentage of the gold alone of the hills. Instead, wanting their land returned, 50 years later, the land is still today. Our first stop is going to be at Devil's Tower. Yeah, we've been traveling just about every weekend to sun dance or powwows because the boys dance. Oh, neat. And just like just helping them get to their powwows and getting more involved in the culture and really supporting their passion to sing and dance. So yeah, we were trying to remember the story behind the behind them. They call it Devil's Tower, but for the Lakotas, we call it which means Grey Horn Butte. So if you look at it, it looks like a buffal horn. And so for us, it is still a really sacred place and it aligns with our constellations. So our people followed the stars. That was our roadmap in the sky and it showed us what where we needed to be. The giant bear that chased the warriors and protected them and rose up and made this huge butte. When the bear was chasing him, he scratched up the mountain. A lot of the tribes that originate from this area come here to make their offerings too and offer their songs and their prayers. When I was younger, we came and my uncle and my aunties set up a swat lodge kind of a little bit further down the road in this clearing to come here and make our offerings and bring food for the spirit. Oh wow. So that's an important thing that we wanted to bring back to the children, the youth, my grandchildren. The red cloth in the trees, those are the spiritual offerings that our people bring. Indigenous people, whatever tribe, you know, comes and brings an offering to the ancestor spirits here. From my experience and observations as a social worker, as a relative, and as like a program director CEO, I've seen like miracles happen with families and children who healed from just being able to learn about this. Like just that energy from the stories, from being here in these places, helped them to understand their importance in themselves. So for this site, Inyankera, we never made it. Okay, now I've got the kickstand down. Oh, rolling. Okay, I got the kickstand down. Okay. Okay. Once I saw that the road was a long, very narrow gravel road, with the bike I was on, I decided to turn around. I didn't want to chance it. Today, this site is on someone's private property, so natives need to get permission from the owner if they want to pray or practice religious ceremonies there. For this next stop, just rode in through the Black Hills and Custer State Park. That's where we're in right now. And this next stop, I had no idea. I've ridden through Custer State Park years ago, but had no idea that there was also a sacred site to the natives here. So we're going to have Monique tell us about that. We call it in our language, and that means imitates owl butte. And so like the constellation that aligns, you know, for the, I think it's a spring solstice, and it's an annual journey to welcome back the thunders. So when we bring offerings up here, then it's asked to like to appease the thunder beings. Yeah. To appease the thunder beings, so they, you know, kind of take some pity on us human beings on earth during the summer time, summer months, and also bring back life to, you know, the plants and, you know, you know, Mother Earth. They want to jump in the water, I know they do. Beautiful. Today we are at the Harley booth at Sturgis, selling raffles to win, raffle tickets to win this bike. Only 25 to enter, and you watching right now, you can still win this bike. This drawing is going to go until Christmas Eve, so it can be your Christmas gift or a Christmas gift from someone else. A 2024 Harley Street Glide. All proceeds go to the medicine wheel ride. It's only 25 to enter, but you can definitely enter more, and it goes to a great cause. From with all the stuff these ladies are doing, I just hope more people notice it and see it, and it becomes more common knowledge. Like a lot of people just don't know what the indigenous communities are facing. So help me out, help yourself out, win this bike. I'll link to it down below how to win. So you made this patch, right? Can you tell us about this? I'm here for the group ride with the medicine wheel ride. Oh my gosh, can I put your dog? What a cutie, oh my gosh. It's the day of the group ride. We are starting and setting up. Right now, it is cold, chilly, and foggy. The Bear View Mountain is covered in fog, but one of the native ladies was saying that that's a good thing, that it actually symbolizes spirits. I wanted to show you some of the people who are here, because some people will ask me, like, am I allowed to come as a non-native? Am I allowed to come? I'm not a woman. Yes, you are allowed to come for sure. 48 states in 23 days. Oh my gosh, hello. I'm Chantel Williams. I'm a mom of 16 children. I come to this ride every year. Nothing touches me like this. So, and to get the word out, because we don't miss what we don't know. So, me here, sharing it with a lot of people. This bike has 114,000 miles. Oh my gosh, I'm guessing you are the one that put all those on? Yeah, except seven. I bought it and had seven on. Seven miles? Seven, which was three and a half years ago. You're a badass. Hey, just a little bit, right? Hi, this is John and Susan from Joplin, Missouri. We came to do the Medicine Wheel Ride because we believe in their mission of helping missing and indigent women. We also enjoy riding group rides and we thought this would be a good way to help give to a charity and to also help people in need. And we've been following Doodle for a long, long time. Oh, I'm so glad y'all made it. All right, thank you. Hello, everybody. My name is Ilima McFarland, aka The Iliminator, if you're into MMA. But that's what I do for a living. I get punched in the face. But I am here at the Medicine Wheel Ride. We ride for her. And what these women do are so much more badass than what I do. So, I'm very honored to be here to help spread awareness for our missing and murdered indigenous relatives, our sisters. And again, just so honored to be here amongst these amazing Wahine Toa, or women warriors. And this is going to be my first ride. So, mahalo to Sister Lisa for inviting us out. This is Lisa's favorite rider supply. And yeah, I'm probably going to probably join afterwards and get on a bike after this. Yes! That's the plan. Hello! Good to see you! I'm so glad you're here! Ryan's here! Full throttle hog! You've got to check out his videos. He's got a ton of videos about my favorite artists and music videos. He's so talented. So high quality. Way better than anything I've ever posted. Like, this is an incredibly big part of my following. Yeah. Look at my skirt! I know! It looks so awesome! I'm gonna hike it up, though, I got my Kevlar pants and arm ruggers. He's gonna wipe down my bike for me! Thank you so much! What'd you do? I don't think he's happy about it. Take a picture of it. I don't know if I'm gonna get this done. I know, we went through a lot, a lot of rain. And, uh, oh gosh, it's so filthy. Can I help? Go away. Okay, all right, I'm leaving. When it's The two of you on this bike? Yes. So you're the one on the back, right? No. No. Thank you, Scott! It looks so beautiful! Oh my gosh, look how shiny this is! Wow! Y'all want to head to the grass for a prayer and blessing? Where it is that needs to be spread throughout the whole nation, the world. You know, we're all affected by an MMIW. We're either supported or we have nothing. This was when some of the riders shared their stories. Darlene Gomez, a lawyer who advocates for missing and murdered indigenous people, talked about her friend that's been missing for 25 years. Her body was never found, and the main suspect, her boyfriend with a known history of domestic abuse, died shortly after. Prairie Rose Seminole, co-director for We Ride For Her, shared about her aunt who was killed. Years later, her uncle too, as well as her niece, nephew, and her brother. All of these cases remain unsolved. Um, it's for the powwows up in Florida. So it's like a dance and boom, and it's like up there, but they were shooting. No one told me. I knew because they knew someone got shot there, and then I like looked at it on the top of my eye, and it's not doing anything. It's just on, like, it's at the corner. Ryan and his friends experienced the same shock I did last year to learn how common this was for natives, and just a couple days before this ride at a powwow near Sturgis, there was a shooting. This was not on mainstream news outlets. I only knew it happened because one of the rider's nephews was injured. So Darlene, the lawyer who was talking, um, what she does to try and get some of these cases solved is she goes to the press, and then when she does that, then a lot of the times they'll... She stirs it up. Yeah, then they'll call her and be like, okay, so what do you need? We'd love to work with you. We'd love to help you. She's like, yeah, because I went, I blasted you on your sub-news network. Uh, like the New Yorker, they, they published it. I had no idea. Me neither. Zero. Like, yeah. I mean... When I saw your video, and I understood what, what they, when they mentioned it, I didn't understand the depth of it. I feel bad because I would have looked at everything I don't think it's your fault, though. I think it's just... I don't think it's your fault for not knowing everything. Oh, thank you. Should I put it on my bike or in my pocket? The, the medicine pouch. Is there anything in there? Oh, neat. Native woman just hanging out with each other, going on group rides, and realized that almost everyone had their own Gabby Petito. Like, almost everyone had a relative that was missing, and nobody knew what happened to them, or their body was found, and it's an unsolved case. Like, you go out on a group ride with 10 of your non-native friends, probably nobody has someone in their lives that was murdered, or has just been missing for years, and no one knows what happened to them, but you go on a group ride with 10 native friends, and almost everybody has someone that is missing or murdered, and that is insane. Like, natives face race and violence at a rate of four to ten times the national average, and those things don't make mainstream news headlines, so a lot of the rest of us don't know that. And the news media helps to put pressure and get these cases solved, and they, they just don't get that. So, I'm so glad for everyone that's here, non-natives alike, males alike, because you being here is what, and you watching this video, is what helps raise awareness about these issues so that something can be done about it. And let's get along, because we're all here to respect each other's differences, through the Vannegar Canyon, and now we're gonna get some grub, and I think there will be a documentary, the documentary screening of Rewind for her at the square, and also a performance by a business band. Shout out to Harley for sponsoring this. How was riding on the back of Jimmy's bike? Did she whip you around? I kind of fell asleep. Oh, really? Yeah. Oh, nice. Yeah, not sure how we gonna get out. GQ! Hey, once he see it's me, he'll be like... Too late, life is out! How are you doing? Good, how are you? Good, how are you? Good to see you! How was the ride? It was good, it was beautiful. Vannegar Canyon, so pretty. Well, our plan was to ride from Custer with you guys, but that got kind of canceled. Oh, yeah. We had an early ride this morning, so we couldn't get up there, but maybe next year. Yeah. I'm so glad y'all are here. I'm glad y'all are sharing about it. Yeah, for sure. Nice to meet you. We live in the present with decisions of the past that may have been different had they been made today, which is why it's worth acknowledging and not pretending that it didn't happen. Thank you to everyone who participated in the ride, who follow along online, and thank you for watching this video. You're part of the reason these stories won't be forgotten anymore. Check the descriptions for resources to help or get help.