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.
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.
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!
A beautiful way to start Spring! We connected with over 3,000 students at schools across the reservation sharing our art programs and handing out awards to our Art Contest winners and our Creator’s Club participants!
Join us for a 6 day Arts Intensive in the sacred Black Hills! Local and visiting artists from around the globe will teach classes in Dance, Filmmaking, Music, Music Production, Writing, Photography, Visual Art, Theater, and a full spectrum of Traditional Arts. Applications due May 31st!
We are UPGRADING the LIFELINE and we need a new POSTER!
We are conducting a special art contest to come up with a design for a new poster for our updated LIFELINE, which now includes a text line that kids can text if they need someone to talk to. The winner wins a cash prize, art supplies, a certificate, and gets to work with a professional graphic designer! DEADLINE is MAY 25th.
Congratulations to everyone who submitted to our February 2019 Art Contest: LAKOTA! We awarded artists in three age categories. Every student who enters earns points every time they submit, to save up for great prizes in our Creator’s Club!
Congratulations to all our winners!
The theme for the April Contest is DREAM!
What does that word make you think of? Your hopes and dreams? Dreaming at night? A color, a sound, a place? You can interpret this idea any way you want. You can use painting, drawing, photography, collage, poetry, stories, video, music, dance – anything original that the theme of the month inspires you to create! It is all up to your imagination – we encourage all forms of creativity! Deadline for submissions is APRIL 1st.
The theme for February’s contest is LAKOTA!
You can interpret this idea any way you want. You can use painting, drawing, photography, collage, poetry, stories, video, music, dance – anything original that the theme of the month inspires you to create! It is all up to your imagination – we encourage all forms of creativity!
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.
We have a full roster of programs and events lined up for 2019!
Help us get the new year off to a great start by making an End Of Year contribution here:
https://mitakuyefoundation.com/donate/
WOPILA!
