“The Black Hills Are Not For Sale.” A statement that many have heard, seen on fliers, buttons and bumper stickers, promoting action that protects the mountain range in western South Dakota that many Plains tribes consider sacred. This is also the theme for the Black Hills Unity Concert, a gathering...
Author: Tara Weston
Darren Thompson: Ojibwe Flute player selected as Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation Artist in Residence
Hailing from the Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe reservation in Northern Wisconsin, Darren Thompson has been a well-known artist since his debut album in 2009, "The Song of Flower: Native American Songs from Ojibwe Country”, as well as being a sought-after public speaker, educator and facilitator. He started playing the flute...
Songs My Brothers Taught Me – Lakota actors from Pine Ridge, Premiered at Sundance and Cannes Film Festivals
[caption id="attachment_14514" align="alignnone" width="326"] Theatrical poster by Version Industries[/caption] I’ve seen many people come to my reservation either to pursue a project or to gain insight on what life is like “on the rez”. Though many of these people were simply in search of a good story, through expose...
Lakota Singer Nominated for Best New Artist at 2015 Indigenous Music Awards
[caption id="attachment_14566" align="aligncenter" width="230"] Photo by Doug Thomas Photography[/caption] Gabrielle Knife has been singing all of her life. She says, “Singing well? Not until about my sophomore year in High School. Around this time of my life is when I began looking into the Wicaglata, or ‘women singing behind...
10 Powwow People You Need to Follow on Instagram
Let me just be the first to say it - I am addicted to Instagram. It's a unique social media platform where you can share a single photo at once, (sometimes continuously), connect with others and track some very unique hashtags... #ifyouwannajudgethengosmudge, anyone? Here's a list of people I've followed...
Summer Must See’s and Do’s in the Black Hills and Rapid City Area
Growing up in South Dakota and frequenting Rapid City, as it's the largest and closet city to the Pine Ridge, we're no strangers to tourists on and off the reservation. We love taking an all day ride through the Black Hills, "the Hills" as locals call them, just as much...
Why the Reservation Will Always Call You Home
All Indigenous people have made an unspoken promise to the land that we inhabit, as well as any lands we may visit, to always honor and respect it. We also have a deep attachment to where we come from, Turtle Island, or further reaches, as it is the land where...
First Native Owned Boutique and Gallery opens in Rapid City, SD
In the past, Rapid City hasn't had the best reputation with treating the diverse population with fairness and equality. Three Affiliated Tribes artist, dancer and now business owner, Lauren GoodDay Giago, along with her sister and mother, prove that it's possible to operate a fully Native owned and staffed business...
What It’s Like To Grow Up in the Powwow Circle and Not Come From a Powwow Family
Without a doubt, at every powwow, they will be noticed; the kid with a mismatched outfit and either Tandy Leather Factory moccasins or simply socks and shoes. Like all little kids, they don't care what they look like, how they come off to people or what they do - they...
Denver March Powwow – 14 Photos Before Saturday Night Grand Entry
(Gabrielle Knife-Pederson and Jahaziel Knife) (Kim and Niko Shot Away) (Jessup Yazzie) (Jennifer Brewer and Ameera One Arrow) Judges table before Grand Entry (Chris Eagle Hawk) The Native American Women Warriors Color Guard Royalty waiting to go in Grand Entry Sidney Richards - Jr. Miss Oglala...