Decolonization and Strengthening one's own Culture – Waldorf School in the Reservation

The Lakota Waldorf School is located in the Pine Ridge Reservation in the southwestern part of the US American state of South Dakota.

The Lakota Waldorf School recently celebrated its 30th anniversary and the inauguration of a new classroom and community building. The school does not charge tuition, but is funded by a network of individual and institutional donors. On average, around 65 children from preschool to eighth grade attend LWS. Ten teachers and administrative staff, two bus drivers, and a cook—mostly members of the Lakota tribe—are committed to helping this generation build a positive future for themselves and their community.

The new building is a showcase for ecological construction and was built over a period of seven years at a cost of almost three million US Dollars. It features a large, light-filled reception area called the Sunhall, five spacious classrooms, each accommodating two classes, administrative offices, a cafeteria, and a fully equipped professional kitchen. All of this enables a wide range of public events to be held, including open houses, celebrations, student performances, and charity fairs. This highlights the value of Waldorf education—age-appropriate education, experiential learning, and the promotion of imagination, creativity, initiative, and respect for nature. The school's unique curriculum integrates Lakota culture, values, and way of life into everyday school life.

Pine Ridge is one of nine reservations in South Dakota. It covers a huge area with nine settlements – 40,000 people live here on over 1.1 million hectares. The land is held in trust by the US federal government for the indigenous tribes, in this case the Oglala Sioux Nation, the largest Lakota sub-tribe. The Oglala Sioux Tribe's Board of Education and Tribal Council oversee the reservation's schools, support the LWS mission, and grant complete autonomy in curriculum, organization, and management. The children of Pine Ridge are among the most disadvantaged in the country. Despite government support, over 50 percent of families live below the poverty line, and unemployment is as high as 80 percent. The dropout rate in secondary schools is 60 percent, and the suicide rate among youngsters is four times higher than the national average.

The school principal and co-founder, Isabel Stadnick, reports that many children are affected by domestic violence, alcoholism, or drug abuse. «They often lack positive role models—a lack of prospects, difficult living conditions, and political powerlessness lead to hopelessness and low expectations among many adults. The hope for a better future for these children was the impetus for founding the school», says Stadnick.

Following an inner calling

According to Stadnick, the school's founding history is based on several fortunate coincidences. She herself grew up in Switzerland, attended the Waldorf School in Basel, and studied speech and drama at the Goetheanum. In 1989, she visited the Pine Ridge Reservation with a small group. She recalls following an inner calling: a deep connection to the tribes of the American prairie, especially the Lakota.

The group stayed in teepees near Kyle, one of the communities in the middle of the reservation. In the evenings, Lakota people gathered around the campfire to talk about their philosophy and history. To Isabel's surprise, one Lakota mentioned the name Rudolf Steiner. Then she met Robert Stadnick, a Lakota who had a book by Steiner in his simple earthen dwelling—a legacy from a retired Lakota school principal.

Isabel and Robert got married. He already had four children, and together they had three more. Like many Lakota parents, they were concerned about their children's education, as the state curriculum in public reservation schools did not promote a positive Lakota identity. In discussions with other parents, they began to consider alternative models. Since Rudolf Steiner was already known to some Lakota who worked in education, the step to Waldorf education was not far off. Isabel contributed her knowledge, and it became apparent that Waldorf education and traditional Lakota child-rearing have many similarities: values, customs, and attitudes are conveyed through stories; children acquire important skills through play and practical work; gratitude and reverence for all life are just as central as social connectedness.

Isabel and three Lakota elders traveled to Dornach in Switzerland and asked Heinz Zimmermann, then head of the Pedagogical Section at the Goetheanum, for advice. Would it be possible to found a Waldorf school based on Lakota language and culture? His answer: It would not be a Waldorf school if it were not imbued with the culture and language of the respective people.

How Rudolf Steiner's book found its way to remote South Dakota remains unclear. What is certain is that Isabel's grandparents, Caroline and Walter Sommer, met Steiner personally in London in the early 1920s, and the family later became involved in the Anthroposophical Society.

Struggles and slow growth

In 1993, 16 hectares of land were purchased with donations. Local volunteers and Waldorf students from Europe built a one-story building on the land. Initially, there was only a kindergarten program. The first Waldorf teacher taught for two years during a sabbatical, and other experienced Waldorf teachers later joined as mentors for the Lakota teachers.

LWS is the only indigenous Waldorf school in the United States and the only school on the reservation that is dedicated to decolonizing Lakota education and has developed a culturally relevant curriculum with Lakota content and activities. A Lakota cultural specialist on the faculty designs art, crafts, theater, and ceremonies. The Lakota language is the focus of an immersive program designed to counteract the risk of language loss.

The class plays at the end of each school year often feature pieces from Lakota mythology or history lessons on the open-air stage. 
Great importance is attached to dancing and singing, which are important elements of Lakota culture. In the spring, when the first thunder rolls across the land, the Welcoming of the Thunderbeings ceremony is performed. For this, all the children and teachers gather on the small hill next to the school and solemnly welcome the thunder beings.

Teaching in juvenile detention centers and indigenous Waldorf education

In 2023, the Lakota Waldorf School developed an additional new program. The Pine Ridge Reservation has a juvenile detention center for young people aged twelve to 18, where the young people received neither education nor support. Through the initiative of Celestine Stadnick, the LWS was commissioned by the tribal government to provide education in the juvenile detention center—Lakota culture, gardening, art therapy, and preparation for graduation.

Isabel's daughters, both tribe members, have completed training as Waldorf teachers at the Akademie für Anthroposophische Pädagogik (Academy for Anthroposophical Education) in Dornach and additional master's degrees in school management and special education, respectively. Celestine is now the principal of a tribal school, and Caroline heads the faculty and teacher training at LWS.

A key challenge is recruiting qualified indigenous teachers who also understand the children's living conditions. Studying at Waldorf training centers is not possible and too expensive for many Lakota. Under Celestine's leadership, a separate academy was founded in 2019 in collaboration with the Dornach Academy, the Academy for Indigenous Waldorf Pedagogy. After four years of training, it awards the Waldorf certificate to indigenous teachers who complete their training at the Lakota Waldorf School – unique in the USA.

Since its founding in 1993, LWS has been financed exclusively by donations and foundation funds, with a large portion of the funding coming from US foundations. A Waldorf school without tuition is possible, but it requires tireless fundraising and a community that works together toward a shared vision.

In 2022, Isabel launched a nationwide campaign with the Lakota Waldorf team, calling on all Waldorf schools in the US and Canada to waive tuition for Indigenous children so that they too can have the opportunity to receive a Waldorf education. And since all schools are located on what was once Indigenous land, this is also a long-overdue gesture of reconciliation. Some Waldorf schools in the US have already put this idea into practice.