05.22.12
Day 76 - Family Yellowstone Trip, Day 4 - Crazy Horse
Today, we got to visit the Crazy Horse Memorial, a memorial, tourist site dedicated to raising funds to sculpt the currently unfinished sculpture of Sioux warrior Crazy Horse into the side of the mountain. I really enjoyed learning more about Native American history and culture - I even got to buy a book on Native American legends and stories.
And speaking of buying souvenirs, my sister bought me one of the necklaces in the picture. These were hand crafts made by a member of the Sioux tribe of South Dakota. As my sister was buying a necklace for me and herself, a Chinese woman (who can’t speak much English) from our bus tour tapped her on the shoulder and asked my sister to ask the woman selling the crafts for the price as my sister was in the middle of talking to the saleswoman..
First, we don’t really like or know personally the Chinese woman.
Second, she didn’t really ask politely… it sounded more like a rude command.
Third, she really should have waited until my sister was finished talking to the saleswoman.
Anyways, my sister half ignored the Chinese woman, who eventually found out that the necklace she wanted was $35. Immediately, her response was offering a bartering price of $15. In hearing my sister tell me this story, I was shocked.
In America, you would never bargain for a lower price, especially because the item is a cultural, hand crafted item. From my perspective, it would be rude to ask the craftswoman to lower the price of her product. However, I’ve been to China and there, especially if you’re buying a cultural, hand-crafted item and you pay directly to the artist, one of the things most people do is to bargain for a lower price. In China, you would be silly not to suggest a lower price. To me, these cultural differences and the way people learn to navigate them are so interesting…
Itinerary: Denver, CO —> Crossing through Wyoming —> Crazy Horse Memorial, SD —> Mt. Rushmore, SD —> Deadwood, SD —> Lead, SD
