The Gift of the Sacred Pipe

The Aktá Lakota Museum & Cultural Center is proud to present its newest exhibition, The Gift of the Sacred Pipe – The Seven Rites of the Lakota by artist Vera Louise Drysdale. This powerful series includes eight gouache paintings and 29 pencil sketches illustrating the sacred rites of the Lakota people.

The collection was generously donated by the family of Vera Louise Drysdale, who passed away in 1994. Honoring her heartfelt wish, the series now has a permanent home among the Lakota (Sioux) people.

Drysdale was widely recognized for her sensitive and accurate depictions of Native American and Indigenous life across the Western Hemisphere. Her artistic legacy is rooted in respect, cultural understanding, and a deep commitment to portraying traditional lifeways with authenticity.

The high point of her career was the publication of The Gift of the Sacred Pipe (University of Oklahoma Press, 1982), based on Black Elk’s account of the Seven Sacred Rites of the Oglala Sioux. Edited and illustrated by Drysdale, the book remains a seminal work in Native American literature and visual storytelling. Her artwork is marked by extraordinary attention to ceremonial detail, traditional dress, gesture, and expression.

This exhibition invites visitors to engage with the spiritual heart of Lakota tradition through the lens of an artist who worked to preserve it with care and reverence.