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Aux Ombres. Simon Vansteenwinckel

€49.00
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Lamaindonne

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Every year in December, in North and South Dakota, members of the Lakota (Sioux) tribes gather to undertake a 450 km horseback ride lasting 15 days, in temperatures that can drop to -20°C. They follow in the footsteps of Chief Big Foot’s tribe, whose 300 members – mainly women and children – were massacred at Wounded Knee on 29 December 1890.

Today, the Lakota people live on reservations in extremely precarious conditions, kept in a state of dependency by the US government. Confined to a barren stretch of land in the very heart of one of the world’s greatest powers, their standard of living is comparable to that of the Third World. Violence, drugs, alcohol and unemployment are rife; life expectancy for men on the reservations is 45 years. In 2024, some families still have no sanitation facilities or access to running water.

And this is exactly what the international media usually portray about Native American reservations in the United States: a caricature of poverty. Yet their resilience is immense, the power of their spirituality remains intact, and their pride is unbroken; a people who have endured the worst atrocities in history but who continue to live and move forward, united and strong.

This is what this series seeks to show through this horseback ride (Omaka Tokatakiya / Future Generations Ride), during which, for two weeks, the elders look after the young people, take them away from their everyday lives, teach them to ride horses and to be kind to one another, whilst also introducing them to the soul and history of their nation. As they say, it is not a mere ride but a spiritual journey.


Aux Ombres. Simon Vansteenwinckel

format 22.4 x 29.5 cm
224 pages
150 black-and-white photographs
hardback
hot-stamped

 

NB: A portion of the royalties from this book will go directly to the Lakota people to help fund future rides. If you would also like to contribute financially (even small amounts), you can make a donation via PayPal to: jacquesfrel@hotmail.com (please specify the reference “In the Shadows – donation for treks” and select a “friend-to-friend” transfer to avoid fees).

 

3 Items
2026-07-15

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