2018: The Year In Review

2018 was a record breaking year at Mitakuye!

Avaline Little Elk holds her traditionally tanned deer skin

We had more students than ever submitting to our Creators Club and Art Contests!

Grand Prize: Winner Dorian Sage Baldes

1st Place Winner Kinsey Hill

Grand Prize Winner Avaline Little Elk

1st Place Honors Winner Christian Sage Lakota

We ran multiple Hoye Wayelo Arts Immersion programs this summer including our first ever sleep away intensive in the Black Hills! The Intensives bring local artists and visiting artists from all over the globe to work with young Lakota Artists in the fields of Dance, Music, Music Production, Visual Arts, Filmmaking, Photography, Writing, and a full spectrum of Traditional Arts including: Traditional Brain Tanning, Beadwork, Plant Medicines, and Traditional Flutes.

Photo Credit: Jessie White Face

Check out the song the music students created here:

https://mitakuyefoundation.com/hoye-wayelo-2018-summer-music-production-the-art-of-life/

Check out the films the students made here:

https://mitakuyefoundation.com/hoye-wayelo-2018-summer-films/

We took the art to the streets with students in Pine Ridge.

We did several Residencies at Crazy Horse School in Wanblee where we taught dance, music, writing, filmmaking and music production.

Students wrote and recorded an original song you can listen to here:

They also filmed a music video that will be out at the beginning of the year!

Arts Residency at Crazy Horse

We connected with thousands of students across the reservation in our Spring and Fall school tours and handed out hundreds of awards to contest winners and Creator’s Club participants!

Award assembly at Pine Ridge

Creator’s Club art supplies and awards!

Wolf Creek Awards

Award Winners at OLL

Award Winners at Rockyford School

Every school is supplied with posters for The LIFELINE – our 24 hour help line run by leaders from the Sweetgrass Project and BEARs program.

Mitakuye LIFELINE Poster designed by Jordan Cortier Age 17

Mitakuye LIFELINE Poster designed by Breianna High Wolf Age 10

We had another beautiful year for the Annual 500 Mile Sacred Hoop Prayer Run.

500 Mile Sacred Hoop Run

Footage of our runners from the Standing Rock Prayer run were featured in the award winning film AWAKE: A Dream From Standing Rock.

Awake: A Dream From Standing Rock

The Thunderlake Lakota Nation Boxing Club for Girls and Boys toured all over the region. Students won many of their matches this year including the regional and national Silver Gloves Championships!

Sisters Niyah and Tina Sierra Photo credit: Randi Shawaway

Champion Isnala White Bull Photo credit: Randi Shawaway

Champion Niyah Sierra Photo credit: Randi Shawaway

Our Holiday Toy Drive sent out 2 huge shipments to Wakpamni village in Pine Ridge. The Holiday community dinner and give-away is one of many community safe events we sponsor.