Mitakuye Foundation

The highlight of our Hoye Wayelo Summer Arts Immersion programs is the Black Hills Summer Arts Academy in the sacred ancestral lands of the Lakota.

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The Summer Arts Academy brings together kids from all over the reservation to study visual art, film, music, dance, theater, writing, and a full spectrum of traditional arts, including traditional hide-tanning, beadwork, singing and drumming, and the ancient form of quillwork. Students kicked off the academy by raising a traditional tipi.

More on the tipi raising here

Days began with a traditional circle and smudge. Elders gave talks and we discussed the events and intentions of the day.

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Art classes ran the full spectrum of visual art modalities.

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See more on the visual art classes here

Filmmakers learned all aspects of the craft.

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See more on the filmmaking program here

Traditional arts included hide-tanning, quillwork, beadwork, sweetgrass art, and plant medicines, – more here and raising a traditional tipi.

More on Traditional Hide Tanning Workshop here…

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More on Traditional Arts here

More on Special Guest Teacher Joseph Marshal III here

Music, dance, writing, photography, and theater rounded out the classes…

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And of course we also had to have time to let loose and have some straight up fun!

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Our days ended with a traditional campfire, singing, stories, and of course, S’mores!

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Our week-long academy culminated in a final exhibition and performance. Students presented monologues, performed choreography, screened films, and shared the full range of art they created.

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We took the art into the communities for the Hoye Wayelo Summer Arts Immersion program 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 beautiful collaboration.

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Set on the traditional ceremonial grounds of the Moves Camp family – we did a focused version of the start quilt. Kids designed the pieces and wrote on topics of their Lakota identity and culture. They shared ideas, values, and qualities they thought were important to include in to the beautiful 3D star quilt.

Hoye Wayelo Summer Arts Immersion took art into the schools with the Little Wound School residency.

We had a busy program with students at Little Wound K-12 School in Kyle! Kids did work in music and film and were part of our first 3D Star Quilt Project.

We wanted to work with kids to build a community art project that celebrated Lakota Culture and the incredible traditional Lakota art. We also wanted to create a project that celebrated each student through their own work that would come together to form a greater whole. Beautiful by themselves and spectacular when they came together.

And so the 3D star quilt was born.

For the Lakota people, the star quilt, wichahpi owinza, represents honor and generosity. The pattern of the star quilt is inspired by the Morning Star which is is the last and brightest star in the eastern horizon before dawn. It is believed that the Morning Star represented the way the spirits came to earth and served as a link between the living and those who have passed.

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Kids also played music and filmed the creation of the project.

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The Star Quilt stands 6 feet by 6 feet and will be hanging in the school in fall.

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Pine Ridge Hoye Waylo Arts immersion program took the art to streets in our week long immersion program in downtown Pine Ridge! We partnered with Henry Brown and his Kidz Klub and Tiny DeCory and her BEARS program for a week full of creating! Kids did painting, drawing, chalk art, guitars, drums, piano, filmmaking and photography!

Visual Arts …

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Film …

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Music …

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Photography …

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It was a very busy week with these ambitious young artists!!!

So much love and gratitude for this fierce warrior who made her journey this morning. 

Reverend Dr. Gwynne Guibord was a giant in fostering peace and understanding between different faiths and cultures. But there is a side of her that many don’t know about.

With her partner Lo, Gwynne was a staunch advocate for Lakota youth and the work we do on Pine Ridge. The Mitakuye Foundation would not be serving young people the way it is today without the support, care, and concern of these two ladies.

From supporting our film Holy Man, to helping us to get our 501c3 processed, to supporting the prayer runs and youth art programs … Gwynne and Lo’s support has always been far more than financial. Their love and care and concern for the Lakota people is inspirational.

Anyone who has benefitted from any of our programs on any level can thank these ladies. And tonight I would ask you all to say a prayer for Gwynne as she makes her journey and a prayer for Lo as she faces this new chapter in her life.

Deep sadness today – but also such deep gratitude for our dear, dear friend and ally. We know she will be continuing her work from the other side.

Thrilled to announce that 3 of our student films will be screening at the 2019 Pine Ridge Indigenous Film Festival! ThunderCamp (2018), Autumn’s Fall (2019), and ThunderCamp2 (2019)! Links to these films and more coming soon …

Congratulations to all of the students for their hard work!!

Mitakuye Summer 2019 Programs are a WRAP!

So Much Beauty!!

It has been an incredible summer of programs on Pine Ridge! WOPILA to all of the donors, teachers, volunteers, staff, and partners who help make this happen!

In the upcoming days we will be sharing posts on our Hoye Wayelo Arts Immersion Programs in Kyle, Pine Ridge, Wanblee, the Black Hills, and the 500 Mile Sacred Hoop Prayer Run. Here are a few highlights to start:

We were thrilled to sponsor another beautiful year of the Sacred Hoop 500 Mile Prayer Run. Record breaking numbers of kids ran the 7 day relay around the Sacred Black Hills. Kids participated in prayer circles, ceremony, and sacred teachings along the way as they ran in prayer to uplift the Lakota people.

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We are thrilled and honored to announce that our special guest teacher and elder for the Black Hills Summer Arts Academy is acclaimed Lakota author, teacher, artist and historian Joseph Marshall III.

Joseph Marshall III 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 contributing author in five other publications. His work has been translated into numerous foreign languages and he has traveled across the US and abroad as a speaker and lecturer.

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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. Josephs 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.

We are thrilled beyond measure to be able to share this living treasure with the youth!

Our Summer Programs are right around the corner and we are busy gathering supplies, scheduling classes, and sifting through record-breaking numbers of student applications! As always – all of our programs are completely free for students … and we need your support!

Our Hoye Wayelo (“I Am Sending A Voice”) Summer Arts Immersion Programs bring local artists and visiting artists from all over the globe to teach classes in Dance, Music/Music Production, Film, Visual Art, Theater, Photography, Writing, and a full spectrum of Traditional Arts. We will be doing programs across the reservation and at our Summer Arts Academy in the Black Hills.

The Annual 500 Mile Sacred Hoop Prayer Run takes kids on a 500 mile relay around an ancient route to sacred sites in the Black Hills where they will learn about their language, tradition, and history.

The work we do focuses on arts education and suicide prevention. All of our work is life affirming – which by its very nature is a major factor in suicide prevention. The programs create a safe space for young people to express themselves and teaches them tools of expression that can help them navigate some of the unimaginable hardships they are dealing with.

Check out some highlights from last Summer here:
https://mitakuyefoundation.com/summer-2018/

You can make tax deductible donations here:
https://mitakuyefoundation.com/donate/

Thank you for supporting these deserving young people!