Kelly Looking Horse of Batesland, South Dakota has known some very lean times in his life, even to the extent of living on the streets in Nebraska at one point. Society at large may have seen him as a "homeless person" with few prospects for a decent life. However, like many Oglala Lakota Sioux Indians, Kelly had a deep and abiding cultural base that carried him through these hard times and back to his home community on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation where he resides with his wife and children today.
Kelly had been doing arts and crafts for many years specializing in drum making. He always viewed this as a hobby and never thought about developing it into a business. Then, through contacts he developed with people visiting the reservation for summer work camps, he realized he had a potential market for his drums and other artifacts.
Looking to establish good credit, Kelly came to Lakota Funds in 1999. He started out with a $500 loan. After paying off that loan he received a $1000 loan and then used some $2000 loans after that. In the fall of 2006 he stepped up to a $5000 loan. With the first loans he was able to sell his products more quickly than he ever imagined. However, weather and other factors recently caused his business model, plans and activities to slow down. However, he continues to keep his loan payments current and has several contingency plans for marketing his inventory and remains upbeat.
Kelly states, "I know I could count on Lakota Funds as long as I kept paying my loans back. I really appreciate Lakota Funds. We need people like you help us develop." Kelly would someday like to start a studio and a crafts cooperative that will require a much larger loan. He wants people to know they can use their ability to make arts and crafts so they don't have to depend on welfare for income.
"Indians aren't making enough crafts; people are buying them from China. There is really a lot of opportunity out there," said Kelly.
12/19/06