Mitakuye Foundation

The theme for February 2020 is:
THUNDER NATION (Wakinyan)

What are you inspired to create when you think of THUNDER? Does that idea make you think of a place?A thing? A person? A color? A sound? A feeling?

The themes are just a starting point – you can interpret this any way you want. You can use painting, drawing, photography, collage, poetry, stories, videos, music, dance – anything original that the theme inspires you to create! It is all up to your imagination – we encourage all forms of creativity.

Submission deadline is February 5th.

2019 has been record-breaking on every front!

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Every year we engage more kids and this year was no exception! We had more students than ever submitting to our Creators’ Club and Art Contests!

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We continue to expand our relationships with the schools which allow us to significantly increase the numbers of students we can reach. We have also increased the number of recipients in our School Art Supply program and are now sponsoring art clubs in various schools.

We did multiple school tours in 2019 in the spring, fall, and winter. We connected with thousands of kids in our school assemblies and gave out hundreds of awards for our Creator’s Club and Art Contests!

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Our Hoye Wayelo (I Am Sending A Voice) programs continue to blossom! This summer we ran a community art program for the kids in downtown Pine Ridge, did a residency at Little Wound School in Kyle, did an immersion program at a Lakota Cultural camp in Wanblee, and ran our Summer Arts Academy in the Black Hills.

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

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Read more on the Pine Ridge Arts Program HERE

We did a residency at Little Wound School in Kyle and created the first of our “Three Dimensional Star Quilt Projects”. Students also did studies in music and filmmaking.

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Read more on the Little Wound Residency HERE

We took the art out into the country for students at the Lakota Cultural Camp in Wanblee. We were invited by the directors of this unique camp to come and work with the students who were getting immersed in Lakota teachings and culture. As art is such a big part of Lakota culture and traditional identity is such an important part of the work we do – it was a wonderful collaboration.

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For more on the Wanblee project click HERE

The highlight of our Hoye Wayelo Summer Arts Immersion programs was the Black Hills Summer Arts Academy: a one week sleep-away program in the sacred ancestral lands of the Lakota. Students worked across all disciplines with local and visiting artists, elders, and mentors. Our special guest teacher this year was acclaimed Lakota author Joseph Marshall III.

Students started the program by raising a traditional tipi which stood at the center of camp as a place of reflection, creativity, and Lakota identity.

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For more on the Black Hills Arts Academy click HERE

In September we finished off the summer with a school tour and sponsored the 3^rd Annual Eugene Reddest Memorial Youth Award at the 72^nd Annual Potato Creek Wacipi.

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For more on the Potato Creek Wacipi click HERE

The LIFELINE, our 24/7 help line run by leaders from the Sweetgrass Project and the BEARs program, got a new poster design this year! We held a contest for students to create a new design. We now have a new text line! The new poster will be in schools early next year.

We had another beautiful year of sponsoring the Annual 500 Mile Sacred Hoop Prayer Run and several other of the Gray Grass Youth Programs, including: the Thunderlake Boxing Club for Boys and Girls, regular basketball and baseball tournaments for kids, and open gym nights to keep kids safe and engaged.

For more on the Sacred Hoop Run click HERE

We expanded our Advisory Council to include three new revered Lakota elders: Richard Moves Camp, Verola Spider, and Joseph Marshall, III!

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For more on our new Advisors click HERE

Our Winter Toy Drive delivered over 200 gifts for the students at He Dog School in Parmelee, and shipped out another 200 for the Wakpamni winter event, the BEAR Project winter event, and families on Pine Ridge. We were able to spread the good will even further by purchasing a big batch of new Native-themed books for young Native kids who will be spending the holidays in domestic violence shelters. On New Years Eve we will be sponsoring Community Safe Events to keep kids safe and cared for!

For more on our Winter Toy Drive click HERE

We have a full roster of programs and events lined up for 2020!

Help us get the new year off to a great start by making an End Of Year contribution HERE

Once in a while we see something a young person has done or created and it moves us. We created the Special Directors Award for just this purpose. This winter we were moved by one such young artist Sweetgrass American Horse. She is a 16 year old Lakota / Yakama young woman who lives in Gordon Nebraska – a small town which lies just on the border of Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Sweetgrass has been a student of ours for several years and we have watched her grow as an artist and as a caring and concerned human being.

In November Sweetgrass combined her artistry and her activism to participate in the #RocYourMocs movement to take a stand for a matter that concerned her deeply. She was troubled by the vast numbers of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and was even more troubled with the intense racism she felt was going on in her town. Despite the racism at her school – she went to school every day for a week dressed in her traditional clothing to take a stand and draw attention to #MMIW – and to make a statement that racism is not ok.

In her own words: “My name is Wanbli Ho Was’te Win (Good Eagle Voice Woman). My english name is Sweetgrass Doniecah American Horse. Not many people know about MMIW and I wanted to make it known by dressing in my moccasins, skirt, and leggings. I wanted to let people know we still exist. There has been a lot of racism in my school/town and I didn’t want to let it slide by not saying or doing anything.”

Today, December 26th, is also the anniversary of the Dakota 38 (+2). On such a day we felt it was important to lift up the young people using their voices to do good in the world.

The Special Directors Award includes a $100 cash prize, certificate, and art supplies. Congratulations Sweetgrass!

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Thank you to everyone who pitched in to make our 2019 Winter Toy Drive a huge success! People from all over the country sent toys and good will to our beautiful young friends on the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Indian reservations.

Winter can be a very hard time of year for kids, especially if they are living in difficult conditions. With school out of session, the support systems which kids rely on are not in place. So we help community leaders by supplying toys for the kids and helping to support events that will help keep the kids feel safe and cared for.

We recognize that many people on the reservation do not observe the holidays so we purposefully run our program as a Winter Toy Drive to acknowledge that fact. We also embrace the understanding that all kids have an awareness of what goes on during this time of year and we can support them by sending them some good will and something to keep them occupied during the school break.

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We delivered over 200 gifts for the students at He Dog School in Parmelee on Rosebud and shipped out another 200 for the Wakpamni winter event, the BEAR Project winter event, and families on Pine Ridge.

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We were able to spread the good will even further by purchasing 30 new Native-themed books for young Native kids who will be spending the holidays in domestic violence shelters. So happy to be able to partner with the good people at Coalition To Stop Violence Against Native Women!

Wopila to everyone who helped spread so much good will!

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A few highlights from our November school tour. We handed out record breaking numbers of awards and certificates for winners and participants of the October Art Contest! Congratulations to everyone who submitted!

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Congratulations to everyone who submitted to our October 2019 contest
CRAZY HORSE : “Tasunke Witko”!!

This was a record breaking contest on all fronts! We had more entries than ever and traveled around to more schools than ever discussing the theme and students’ ideas about it.

There were so many ways to interpret this. Crazy Horse never allowed for his photograph to be taken. He represents different things to different people and every person is inspired differently when they think of him. Students came up with a myriad of creative and unique interpretations!

We awarded artists in four age categories and handed out more awards than ever! Every student who enters earns points every time they submit, to save up for great prizes in our Creator’s Club! Stay tuned for photos from our awards ceremonies! Congratulations to all of our winners!

GRAND PRIZE WINNER

1st PLACE WINNERS

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HONORABLE MENTION AWARD WINNERS

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MERIT AWARD WINNERS

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The theme for December 2019 is: BEAUTY
What are you inspired to create when you think of BEAUTY?
Does it make you think of a place?A thing? A person? A color? A sound?

You can interpret this any way you want. You can use painting, drawing, photography, collage, poetry, stories, videos, music, dance – anything original that the theme inspires you to create! It is all up to your imagination – we encourage all forms of creativity.

We were thrilled to sponsor the 3rd Annual Eugene Reddest Memorial Youth Award at the 72nd Annual Potato Creek Wacipi!

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Our winners were: Max Two Crow, Anna Good Shield, Pema Bull Bear, Dayton White Eagle, and Avery New Holy.

There were so many talented young and upcoming dancers!

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Dancers of all ages from all over Pine Ridge and beyond came to compete and celebrate.

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The community pays special respect to their Akicita Society!

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Our friends and family worked hard to create such a beautiful event. One of the longest running wacipi on the reservation!

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Video clips coming soon!

We handed out over 350 awards and visited with over 3,000 students on our September Creator’s Club School Tour!

The Mitakuye Creator’s Club gives students an opportunity to create every month and earn points for their work. Every month they submit they earn points towards great prizes. More importantly – they become involved in the process of creating!

Congratulations to all of our young artists!

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We are thrilled to announce that three new respected elders have joined our Advisory Council! Richard Moves Camp, Verola Spider, and Joseph Marshall, III.

Richard Moves Camp is a fifth-generation Lakota healer, elder, tribal historian, and spiritual leader. He is the great, great grandson of Wóptuȟ’a (“Chips”), the wičháša wakȟáŋ (“holy man”) who provided Tȟašúŋke Witkó (“Crazy Horse”) with war medicines of protection. A tribal authority on Lakota history, culture, and religion based on five generations of ancestral family memory and a living oral tradition dating back to the pre-reservation period, Mr. Moves Camp and his family have been pivotal in the preservation and revitalization of Lakota religion and spirituality throughout the twentieth century. A well-known and highly respected elder, Mr. Moves Camp holds a Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling with an emphasis in Behavioral Health from Sinte Gleska University.

Richard is the Executive Director of Wicahpi Koyaka Tiospaye, a non-profit organization that focuses on preserving the traditional knowledge and cultural traditions of the Lakota people to provide a pathway to wellness. Their purpose is to preserve, maintain, and pass on traditional teachings for future generations.

Richard was a key contributor to the Wakanyeja Pawicayapi (“Children First”) organization and co-authored a book on Lakota Healing with fellow spiritual leader Richard Two Dogs. Richard served as a counselor at the Crazy Horse school in Wanblee, and was one of the founding members of the Lakota Waldorf school. He teaches at Sinte Gleska University and lectures widely on Lakota history, culture, and traditions.

Verola Spider was born and raised in Porcupine, South Dakota. Growing up in a traditional family, Verola never spoke a word of English until the age of six. She was raised in the traditional ways in a log cabin with no electricity or running water, and traveled by horse and wagon. She is a sixth generation oral storyteller and the first female in her family lineage to hold that honor.

Verola is a master quill worker and has carried on and passed down the ancient art form of quillwork to current generations for decades. As a multi-faceted traditional artist, she has produced award-winning creations in quillwork, beading, moccasins, cradleboards, and star quilts.

As a Lakota language arts and culture teacher at Oglala Lakota College for over two decades, she has passed on traditional language and knowledge to countless students. She is the matriarch of a large family which includes 10 kids, 27 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren.

Joseph Marshall III is an acclaimed Lakota author, teacher, artist, and historian. Joseph was born on the Rosebud Indian reservation in SD. Raised in a traditional household, his first language was Lakota and he was trained in the ancient tradition of oral storytelling. He is one of the founding members of Sinte Gleska University and has spent years teaching university and high school students. He has developed curricula in Lakota Language and Native American Studies and developed a leadership seminar based on the leadership lessons of Crazy Horse.

Joseph is most well known as an award-winning writer. He has published fourteen nonfiction works, three novels, a collection of short stories and essays, two children’s books, several screenplays, and was a contributing author in five other publications. His work has been translated into numerous foreign languages and he has traveled across the U.S. and abroad as a speaker and lecturer.

Joseph has worked in the film and television industry both as an actor and narrator. He has also worked behind the scenes as a consultant and technical advisor, and is a Fellow in the Sundance Institute. Joseph is also a practitioner of primitive Lakota archery, having learned from his maternal grandfather the art of hand-crafting bows and arrows, and is a specialist in wilderness survival.

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Along with our current advisors Rick Gray Grass, Saunie Wilson, and Yvonne “Tiny” DeCory – we are grateful for the wisdom and experience provided by our new advisors. Their individual and collective strengths, talents, and insights are priceless and their life-long commitment to the revitalization of Lakota culture and identity help provide positive and uplifting inspiration for the Lakota youth and the Mitakuye Foundation.