Lodge on Reservation Brings Together Learning, Spirit

EARTHKEEPING NEWS
A NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN COALITION FOR CHRISTIANITY AND ECOLOGY

Volume Eleven, Number Four
May/June 2002

LODGE ON RESERVATION BRINGS TOGETHER LEARNING, SPIRIT AND RENEWABLE ENERGY

Learning, spirit and renewable energy have merged in the Learning and Spirit Lodge on a hillside overlooking the Rosebud and Wolf Mountains on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Montana. A dream-come-true of the Sisters of St. Francis of Oldenburg, Indiana, the lodge was blessed and opened on July 29, 2001 by Franciscan and Mercy sisters and by women from the Crow and N. Cheyenne reservations. The blessing included a return of the groundbreaking dirt to Mother Earth while asking for ancestral protection. A cedar smudging was followed by a bountiful feast.

"The Northern Cheyenne and Crow women who shaped the vision of Learning and Spirit Lodge stated in our goals that the building should be 'good for Mother Earth'," said Sister Marya Grathwohl, OSF.

The Lodge founders wanted to demonstrate earth-appropriate technology that local families can incorporate into their homes. Collaborative efforts with Tribal Housing authorities will help spread these technologies.

"Through Learning and Spirit Lodge we commit ourselves to manifesting our participation with Mother Earth in the cycles of creation," said Sister Marya. "The wind and solar energy system enables us to fulfill these goals and live these values."

The Lodge gets its electricity from a wind turbine and solar electricity panels which meet the power needs of the large gathering room, offices, bedrooms, and two bathrooms. It also features an on-demand tankless water heater, passive solar design, thick cellulose insulation, efficient fluorescent lighting, a gray-water system, kitchen composting, a greenhouse and water catchment system, a composting toilet, a deck made of recycled material and "loving care of two-leggeds."

Learning and Spirit Lodge is the second structure on this tranquil site. The original building continues to serve as a place of prayer and a center for visiting retreatants. The staff, including Sr. Marya, Sr. Pat Bietsch, OSF, and Sr. Cecily Schroepfer, OSF, offers workshops and training in environmental conservation, cooking and gardening, as well as spirituality programs. Native and non-Native women contribute by serving as Board members, and offering programs and days of reflection.

Learning and Spirit Lodge operates a Small Start program for small entrepreneurs. Loans of $150 help start cottage businesses, while the repayments fund the next round of loans.

Learning and Spirit Lodge provides women and men an opportunity to find shelter and respite from the stresses of poverty and isolation. It is a place for healing the ancient animosity between Crow and Cheyenne, and for healing the wounds of colonization, addiction and loss of contact with traditional wisdom. Programs offer learning and healing for spirit, body and mind, in an atmosphere of safety, love, tears and laughter.