Lakota Emergence

Lakota Emergence focuses entirely on the short Lakota emergence narrative titled “How the Lakota Came Upon the World,” written down by James Walker sometime between 1896, when he first arrived at Pine Ridge to serve as the agency’s physician, and 1917 when it was published by the American Museum of Natural History. The exhibit divides the 1,251-word narrative into 16 “passages” that are paired with original artworks by distinguished and emerging contemporary Lakota artists.

This educational exhibit is developed and curated by Craig Howe, Director of the Center for American Indian Research and Native Studies (CAIRNS).