Mark Small/ “High Bear” dedicated his life to helping his people. Battling his own demons, he understood the need to stop the spread of alcoholism, a disease the native people have no tolerance for.

I knew nothing about his mission when I first met him. Only later when I was entrusted to return his papers to his son, Lyle, did I learn.

I was with Renee Sampson Flood, a new friend, when we visited a northern Cheyenne retirement center. Here, I met Mark Small as we were having lunch in the cafeteria.

Renee was visiting with her Cheyenne friends, when Mark rolled over in a wheelchair, a quiet man, speaking softly with Renee. At one point, Renee introduced us and tried to explain my project idea involving research with horses on the reservations.

I had been rebuffed so many times by native people when I presented my program for research. Clearly, the level of mistrust towards white people was extremely high. Can you blame them?

So, when Renee asked me to explain my intentions, I did so very simply, not expecting any real interest and I handed mark my card.
He never said a word, just listened, took my card, and wheeled away.

No one was more surprised than me when about 1/2 hour later, Mark rolled back over to me and handed me his phone number.

He asked me how long I was staying in Montana, he wanted me to meet some horse people he knew and apologized that he was in a wheelchair. “I want to help. I think this is a good thing”.

Mark was excited, I was excited! Finally, a native man was supporting a great idea, one thing I was losing confidence in.
Renee was also excited. “I haven’t seen him that animated in five years ”.

Sadly, Mark Small died that night.

Renee was terribly upset as she was working hard to help bring this program to the native people with me.

But I have always believed everything happens for a reason. And while Mark Small had passed from his body, I know he is with me in spirit. His belief in me has carried me through many disappointments while trying to get this project off the ground.

He has inspired me to fight like crazy because he believed that “this is a good thing”.

So, to this day, I called this the Mark Small Native Empowerment Program.

The following is a letter sent to a school, working with the Lakota children. This explains the project so clearly, I am using it except that the school name is omitted.

I would prefer to work with native adults genuinely interested not only in horses and helping them, but people devoted to the native culture. And the spiritual ways of the ancestors.

Dear (name omitted):
It is such a pleasure connecting with your school and all the beautiful children and families you are helping. For whatever reason, I have felt a strong pull towards the Lakota people and wanted to contribute towards their freedom from such horrible oppression of the past.

Over the past 40 years, I have developed a method of successfully correcting deformities in horses. (My career began with working on people.) The results of my method are visible, measurable, and in short, not subjective. You can see it and touch it. To describe this on paper is impossible so I would love to come to Chamberlain, visit your school, and demonstrate what I’m describing.

I want to transfer to the Lakota people who are interested, everything I’ve learned and developed so far. Then they would continue my work as a research project to learn more (me too!) I am looking to be part of a team. Interested students would be developing a skill that would provide a trade for income in their futures. Also, this would help bring back the horse culture because this work is more than “doing things to a horse”. It is working with their form of communication as well as their minds and bodies. They communicate so politely and clearly in their beautiful way. Believe me, I had to learn their “language” or else get kicked or bitten which is often a last resort when people don’t “listen” to them.

Why not, set up a research project with one or two horses that are crippled, deformed or somehow physically damaged and work as a team to rehabilitate them. Please understand this method is my creation, completely unique so the world would be interested in watching the results. And then those computer geniuses (I’m not one!) can keep it posted on social media.

People and children that have experienced abuse or suffered damages would now be involved in healing exactly the same in an animal. The joy in watching the progress and the changes in the horses is beyond thrilling. If this is an idea you feel worth exploring, please contact me. I will come to South Dakota to discuss this in more depth. If this project is not a fit for your school perhaps you can direct me to a group that would be more appropriate.

Thank you for your time and God bless you all for caring about a tribe and a people I love so dearly.

Sincerely,
Aleta McCormick
Executive Director