THE BADLANDS CHRONICLES Greetings from Rapid City/Pine Ridge in beautiful South Dakota land. I’ve been here for the last few days visiting with family and friends. I love coming here to take in the sights and the sounds, and as the song says… “to get my heart up in the clouds and my feet back on the ground.” I was happy to spend time with my friend chief Thomas Shortbull and his family. The chief and I are sending out the message that all of us Cowboys and Indians ought to try and be friends. And, as Ringo always says… “peace and love… peace and love.” My first trip to the Pine Ridge Indian reservation was in the early 1980’s as a member of Johnny Cash’s band. I asked him, “why are we here?” He answered, “because these people are hard hit. They live in the poorest county in the nation. They need our love and support.” I fell in love with the Lakota people the night of the Johnny Cash concert and I’ve never stopped going back. My friend John L. Smith was a great historian and supporter of the Lakota. He was the man that introduced Johnny Cash to the people of Pine Ridge in the late 1960’s. He and his wife Charlene did the same for me in the mid 1980’s. The place is such a part of me. Connie and I were married on Pine Ridge in 1997 on Saunie Wilson’s land. In 2005, I was adopted into the tribe and given the name O Yate’ Ō Chee Ya’ka which translates into “the man who helps the people.” Marvin Helper gave me that name. It is one of the greatest honors of my life, and it gives me something to try and live up to for the rest of my days. (Cont. in the comments)