Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota, mid 20th-century

The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, also referred to as the Oglala Lakota Native America Reserve, is the novel’s primary setting. Poverty rates on the reservation are high, and the Oglala Lakota’s original way of life has been decimated. This leaves the Lakota at risk of being recruited for the army or falling into a life of crime.

Rick Overlooking Horse’s Meadow, Pine Hill Indian Reservation, 20-21st century

Rick Overlooking Horse’s meadow is the secluded and self-sufficient piece of land on which he lives. He has a self-crafted greenhouse, rows of vegetables like corn and potatoes, and keeps mares and other wild animals that enjoy his meadow. It is the place where Le-a, Squanto, Jerusalem, Daniel, and many others learn from Rick Overlooking Horse’s example away from the White Man’s influence.

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota, late 20th- to early 21st-century