9MAY2011 near Fort Yates, ND - In order to move the canoe today I needed to get back to it, and my blistered feet would not allow a walk of 9.8 miles. First I tried the marina, but not a soul was putting a boat in the water today. I then telephoned Edward Swifthorse, but the person who answered the telephone was not he. I then called LaDonna Brave Bull Allard. She dispatched herself to the casino, gifted me with lots of booklets and printed information and then agreed to take me to the canoe ... wonderful! On the way she stayed on pavement, coursing through Cannonball, all the while talking about the history and customs of the Dakota people. The Dakota people are comprised of Lakota, Nakota and Dakota. The North Dakota part of the reservation is the Dakota area and is comprised of the Hunkpatinte and Ihunktonwana. The South Dakota part is the Lakota area which is made of the Hunkpapa and the Blackfeet. As the oldest female in her family she is the keeper of the family history, an historical oral library. She began a recitation of a 1400 AD event and proceeded on from there - but not up to the present. Another salient point that she explained is that the Standing Rock Reservation is non-capitalistic based. The money obtained from a lawsuit relative to the inundation by Lake Oahe was kept by the reservation rather than doled out to individuals. The interest from that money is used for public works, such as five new schools, pavement, tap water to every home on the reservation, telephone service also at every home, sidewalks and currently underway - a bridge across the Missouri River. Societally, every person is related and every child actively nurtured. A death begins a four-day period of mourning followed by a feast; LaDonna mentioned two cows, 4o chickens and 40 turkeys as a normal feast. I could go on and on, but this is a travel log, so allow me to get back to that. Getting the canoe back onto the lake was simple since it was left in a wonderful location. Once out past the inundated trees I had line-of-sight to the Casino Marina, but chose to swing right, closer to the shore. Having less gear in the front, I had to shift my weight a bit forward to keep the front end from sticking up far, and to keep the craft more stable. In less than two hours the distance was closed and I was tied up at the marina. George Gipp and a friend were fishing there and opted to pull in their lines and give me a ride to the casino. By 1230 I was dining on the lunch buffet with Ladonna Brave Bull Allard. Tired from what it took to get here and with a 12-hour rain forecast for late tonight and early tomorrow, I am happy to hunker down here until maybe noon tomorrow. As I type this the wind speed at Mobridge is gusting to 36 mph ... another thing that would make ridiculous any attempt to paddle on. Today's 4 miles is fine.