Crazy Horse Memorial® will host its annual Native Americans’ Day celebrations on Monday, October 9, 2023. The all-day event features a Native Americans’ Day Program, hands-on activities, and performances by Pamyua, a nationally acclaimed Alaska Native performance group.
The Native Americans’ Day Program begins at 10:00am and will feature speaker Dr. Jacob Weasel (Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe) who recently ascended Mount Everest in his quest to summit the highest points on all seven continents. His journey is aimed to raise funds for his non-profit, The Wopila Project, for playground equipment at Lakota Homes in Rapid City. The Program will also host participation dancing with the familiar face of Starr Chief Eagle who has spent over 10 years teaching visitors at Crazy Horse Memorial® and students in the Rapid City Area School system.
Crazy Horse Memorial Educator of the Year, which honors an individual who has made significant contributions to Native American education in the last year, will be named. The award includes a $1,000 grant to the recipient’s school library or to programs of his or her choice that help indigenous students. Last year’s Crazy Horse Memorial Educator of the Year was Dr. Joseph Marshall III (Sicangu Lakota), an educator and administrator who has worked at both high school and college levels, a founding member of Sinte Gleska University, and the author of over 20 published works that include non-fiction, novels, screenplays, and collections of short stories and essays.
Hands on activities for all ages will feature the creations of dream catchers and bracelets. These activities will be guided by regional Native American artists. In addition to the crafts, hands-on activities such as a coloring wall will be on display so visitors young and old can draw what Native Americans’ Day means to them.
Pamyua will take to the Veranda Stage in the afternoon to share their Inuit culture and unique blend of music and dance through three different interactive sessions at 12:30, 1:30, and 4:30. Pamyua was created by brothers Phillip and Stephen Blanchett with a musical concept to blend Inuit drum/dance melodies with R&B vocal styling and arrangements. Joining the Memorial all the way from Alaska, they bring a high-energy, educational presentation that all ages will enjoy. In coordination with Custer Area Arts Council, Pamyua will be visiting Southern Hills area schools the following week.
As always, free tatanka stew will be available for lunch to all visitors while supplies last, courtesy of Korczak’s Heritage, Inc., Laughing Water Restaurant®, and Custer State Park.
All crafts, programs, and performances are included at no additional cost when you visit the Memorial. South Dakota was the first state to officially celebrate Native Americans’ Day on the second Monday of October annually since 1990.
The South Dakota Legislature established the Native Americans’ Day holiday at the urging of Gov. George S. Mickelson, then governor of South Dakota. The transformed holiday was a direct result of correspondence between the editor of Indian Country Today, Tim Giago, and the governor. Giago, an Oglala Lakota hailing from Pine Ridge Indian Reservations, had written a column in the Lakota Times expressing the need for change. In addition to the newly created holiday, Mickelson further declared 1990 as a “Year of Reconciliation” in observance of the 100th anniversary of the Wounded Knee Massacre.
The first Native Americans’ Day observance was held at Crazy Horse Memorial® and more than 1,200 people attended the event on October 8, 1990. “We can’t turn back the clock,” Gov. Mickelson said, “we can only turn to the future together. What we can do as leaders, both Native American and white, is teach others that we can change attitudes.” The Native Americans’ Day celebrations at Crazy Horse Memorial® will be the 33rd annual for South Dakota.
For more information, please visit www.crazyhorse.org and follow Crazy Horse Memorial® on all social media and/or contact Amanda Allcock at 605-673-4681 or email Amanda.Allcock@crazyhorse.org.
About the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation
The Mission of Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation is to protect and preserve the culture, tradition, and living heritage of the North American Indians. The Foundation fulfills its mission by continuing the progress on CRAZY HORSE MEMORIAL®, the world’s largest mountain sculpture; acting as a repository for Native American artifacts, arts and crafts through THE INDIAN MUSEUM OF NORTH AMERICA® , and the Museum’s Native American Educational & Cultural Center®; and by establishing and operating THE INDIAN UNIVERSITY OF NORTH AMERICA®.
