Aktá Lakota Museum & Cultural Center

MUSEUM MONDAY — Robyn KnechtEquine Therapy — Meet Our Horses
2022-08-01 14:00 - 16:00 (America/North_Dakota/Center) | Aktá Lakota Museum, St. Joseph's Indian School, Chamberlain, SD, 57325, United States
To the Lakota, a šúŋkawakȟán — horse — is a relative. A four-legged friend and companion that provided transportation, friendship, and pride. The horse is revered for its grace and bravery.
Today, many Lakota people still look to the horse to provide healing from trauma, anxiety, and mental and emotional distress, among others.
Healing from internal or external wounds was the purpose behind launching the equine therapy program at St. Joseph’s Indian School.
Now in the program’s second year, it continues to grow. Last year, horses had to be transported to and from campus for therapy sessions. Now, horses live on the north end of campus, creating the opportunity for more students to take part in the equine therapy sessions.
In this presentation, Robyn Knetch, Director of Counseling & Service at St. Joseph’s Indian School, and Patty Coleman, Equine Specialist Caretaker will talk about the importance of equine therapy in the lives of our children. Participants will also be invited to tour our future horse barn complex site.

STORY TIME WITH UŊČÍ & LALÁThe Buffalo Jump
2022-07-26 10:30 - 11:30 | Aktá Lakota Museum, St. Joseph's Indian School, Chamberlain, SD, 57325, United States
Today our story is The Buffalo Jump by Peter Roop, illustrated by Bill Farnsworth, read by Dakota Uåçi Belinda.
About the story: Little Blaze wants to be the buffalo runner who leads the herd over the buffalo jump cliff. Each jump means food for his people and new buffalo skins for robes and lodges. A jump is also a chance for the buffalo runner to earn a new name. But, his father has chosen his brother – Curly Bear – instead, and Little Blaze is angry. When Curly Bear stumbles while leading the herd, will Little Blaze be able to forget his hurt and anger to save his brother?
Story Time with Uŋči & Lalá is a free public program that brings American Indian history to life through books read by elders from the local community. The program is geared toward elementary-age children, but children young and old are welcome. Each week features a different story, and children are invited to participate in a take-home art project or activity following the reading of the story.
Children must be accompanied by an adult.Registration is recommended for large groups.Service pets welcome.For more information call 800.798.3452 or email aktalakota@stjo.org

Museum MondayAlfreda Beartrack-AlgeoLakota Author, Storyteller, Artist
2022-07-25 14:00 - 16:00 | Aktá Lakota Museum, St. Joseph's Indian School, Chamberlain, SD, 57325, United States
Alfreda Beartrack-Algeo, Lakota author, storyteller, poet, artist, and illustrator uses various art forms as a means to tell her stories. Alfreda will read her first published children’s book The Day The Earth Rose Up based on her version of how the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters star formation came to be.
Alfreda says, “It is a very sensitive and beautiful experience to be a storyteller. There is a story in everything I create, from the smallest rock to the mightiest mountain. With every character born, and every story shared, I add a piece of my spirit to this great matrix of life. As long as I have a story left to tell, I feel I have a responsibility to gift that story forward.” A book signing will follow the presentation.
About the presenter: Alfreda Beartrack-Algeo, a storyteller and poet, artist, and illustrator, is a member of the Lower Brule Lakota Nation, Kul Wicasa Oyate, in Lower Brule, South Dakota, where she grew up. Her involvement in fine art began at an early age, with direct influence from her father, Alfred Ziegler, a noteworthy artist who has inspired her work in sculpture, painting, and drawing throughout her life.
Museum Monday is a free program that provides educational presentations in history, literature, philosophy, anthropology, and other humanities disciplines. The programs are geared toward teen and adult audiences but people of all ages are welcome to attend.
Presentations are free and held every Monday in July and August in the Museum Theater area.
Registration is recommended for large groups.
No food or drink allowed.
Service pets welcome.
For more information call 800.798.3452 or email aktalakota@stjo.org

STORY TIME WITH UŊČÍ & LALÁThe Star People: A Lakota Legend
2022-07-19 10:30 - 11:30 | Aktá Lakota Museum, St. Joseph's Indian School, Chamberlain, SD, 57325, United States
Today our story is The Star People: A Lakota Legend written and illustrated by S. D. Nelson, and read by Dakota Uåçi Belinda.
About the story: A grandmother’s love is forever in this story of remembrance and tradition from award-winning author and member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe S. D. Nelson
Sister Girl and her brother Young Wolf wander away from their village and soon find themselves far out in the surrounding prairie. They sit down in the grass and watch the clouds passing above billow to form an eagle, horses, and other creatures. Suddenly, animals begin to race past the children on the ground—followed by a wall of fire! Fleeing along with the frightened beasts, Sister Girl and Young Wolf save themselves by tumbling into a shallow stream.
The fire leaves behind ash and a barren, forbidding landscape. The children realize that they are hopelessly lost. Night is coming—how will they get home to their parents? And why are the evening stars dancing so?
Story Time with Uŋči & Lalá is a free public program that brings American Indian history to life through books read by elders from the local community. The program is geared toward elementary-age children, but children young and old are welcome. Each week features a different story, and children are invited to participate in a take-home art project or activity following the reading of the story.
Children must be accompanied by an adult.Registration is recommended for large groups.Service pets welcome.For more information call 800.798.3452 or email aktalakota@stjo.org

Museum Monday — Dr. Brad TennantThe Lewis and Clark Expedition
2022-07-18 14:00 - 16:00 | Aktá Lakota Museum, St. Joseph's Indian School, Chamberlain, SD, 57325, United States
In his presentation The Lewis and Clark Expedition, Dr. Brad Tennant covers various aspects of the Lewis and Clark Journals even though they have been published for nearly 200 years and studied for the entire time that they have been in existence.
Dr. Tennant covers the topics of food/nutrition, wildlife, military, and the aspects of the Teton encounters that were reported in the Journals both in 1804 and the return trip in 1806.
About the presenter: Dr. Brad Tennant is a professor of history at Presentation College in Aberdeen, SD. In addition to his teaching assignments, Tennant is an active researcher, writer, and presenter on a variety of state and regional topics.
His most recent publications include an article about the Spanish attempts to intercept Lewis and Clark, which appeared in Great Plains Traverse, and an article on Brown County ethnic churches that are on the National Register of Historic Places, which appeared in South Dakota History.
In addition to being a member of several local, state, and national organizations, he currently serves on the South Dakota State Historical Society’s board of trustees.
Museum Monday is a free program that provides educational presentations in history, literature, philosophy, anthropology, and other humanities disciplines. The programs are geared toward teen and adult audiences but people of all ages are welcome to attend.
Presentations are free and held every Monday in July and August in the Museum Theater area.Registration is recommended for large groups.No food or drink allowed.Service pets welcome.For more information call 800.798.3452 or email aktalakota@stjo.org
Programming for Museum Monday is sponsored in part by the South Dakota Humanities Council.

STORY TIME WITH UŊČÍ & LALÁThe Rough-Face Girl
2022-07-12 10:30 - 11:30 | Aktá Lakota Museum, St. Joseph's Indian School, Chamberlain, SD, 57325, United States
Today our story is The Rough-Face Girl by Rafe Martin; illustrated by David Shannon.
About the story: In an Algonquin village by the shores of Lake Ontario, many young women have tried to win the affections of the powerful Invisible Being who lives with his sister in a great wigwam near the forest. Then came the Rough Face girl, scarred from working by the fire. Can she succeed where her beautiful, cruel sisters have failed?
Story Time with Uŋči & Lalá is a free public program that brings American Indian history to life through books read by elders from the local community. The program geared toward elementary-age children, but children young and old are welcome. Each week features a different story, and children are invited to participate in a take-home art project or activity following the reading of the story.
Children must be accompanied by an adult.Registration is recommended for large groups.Service pets welcome.For more information call 800.798.3452 or email aktalakota@stjo.org

Museum Monday — Vera K. BoydJourney Into the Past
2022-07-11 14:00 - 16:00 | Aktá Lakota Museum, St. Joseph's Indian School, Chamberlain, SD, 57325, United States
Journey into the Past with Vera K. Boyd introduces audiences to the First Nations people who made their homes in southeastern South Dakota – Omaha, Ponca, and Ioway – and discusses their traditional way of life. Farming techniques and crops are reviewed; artifacts, sample trade items, replicas of a dog travois, tools, and pottery are discussed and exhibited.
Museum Monday is a free program that provides educational presentations in history, literature, philosophy, anthropology, and other humanities disciplines. The programs are geared toward teen and adult audiences but people of all ages are welcome to attend.
Presentations are free and held every Monday in July and August in the Museum Theater area.Registration is recommended for large groups.No food or drink allowed.Service pets welcome.For more information call 800.798.3452 or email aktalakota@stjo.org
Programming for Museum Monday is sponsored in part by the South Dakota Humanities Council.

STORY TIME WITH UŊČÍ & LALÁThe Raccoon and the Bee Tree
2022-07-05 10:30 - 11:30 | Aktá Lakota Museum, St. Joseph's Indian School, Chamberlain, SD, 57325, United States
Today our story is The Raccoon and the Bee Tree authored by Charles A. Eastman and Elaine Goodale Eastman; illustrated by Susan Turnbul.
About the story: This tale is 100 years old and is an American Indian tale. Traditionally told only verbally Charles Eastman decided to put the story into print at his wife’s suggestion.
The story follows a raccoon as he wakes and goes hunting for food. He soon gets into a sticky situation as he tangles with a bee’s nest and its honey. This is a delightful tale and is in the form of a fable with a moral at the ending.
Story Time with Uŋči & Lalá is a free public program that brings American Indian history to life through books read by elders from the local community. The program is geared toward elementary-age children, but children young and old are welcome. Each week features a different story, and children are invited to participate in a take-home art project or activity following the reading of the story.
Children must be accompanied by an adult.Registration is recommended for large groups.Service pets welcome.For more information call 800.798.3452 or email aktalakota@stjo.org

STORY TIME WITH UŊČÍ & LALÁLewis and Clark: Explorers of the American West
2022-06-28 10:30 - 11:30 | Aktá Lakota Museum, St. Joseph's Indian School, Chamberlain, SD, 57325, United States
Today our story is Lewis and Clark: Explorers of the American West by Steven Kroll, illustrated by Richard Williams, read by Lalá Phil.
About the story: This picture book of Lewis and Clark’s famous journey begins with the Louisiana Purchase and goes on to introduce the members of the “corps of discovery,” their aims, transportation, supplies, discoveries, and the many hardships they faced as they made their way across the continent and back.
Story Time with Uŋči & Lalá is a free public program that brings American Indian history to life through books read by elders from the local community. The program is geared toward elementary-age children, but children young and old are welcome. Each week features a different story, and children are invited to participate in a take-home art project or activity following the reading of the story.
Children must be accompanied by an adult.Registration is recommended for large groups.Service pets welcome.For more information call 800.798.3452 or email aktalakota@stjo.org

STORY TIME WITH UŊČÍ & LALÁMní kiŋ ówaŋčaWater is Everywhere!
2022-06-21 10:30 - 11:30 | Aktá Lakota Museum, St. Joseph's Indian School, Chamberlain, SD, 57325, United States
Today our story is Mní kin ówanca | Water is Everywhere! by Lakota Language Consortium with Illustrations by Marty Two Bulls; read by Lakota Uŋčí LaRayne.
About the story: Mní kiŋ ówaŋča – Water is Everywhere! is an early reader book from the Lakota Language Consortium beginner Science Series that introduces young readers and listeners to facts and words related to water.
Story Time with Uŋči & Lalá is a free public program that brings American Indian history to life through books read by elders from the local community. The program is free to the public and geared toward elementary-age children, but children young and old are welcome. Each week features a different story, and children are invited to participate in a take-home art project or activity following the reading of the story.
Children must be accompanied by an adult.Registration is recommended for large groups.Service pets welcome.For more information call 800.798.3452 or email aktalakota@stjo.org

Story Time with Uŋčí & LaláThe Great Race
2022-06-14 10:30 - 11:30 | Aktá Lakota Museum, St. Joseph's Indian School, Chamberlain, SD, 57325, United States
Today our story is The Great Race of the Birds and Animals written and illustrated by Paul Goble.
About the story: Long ago, when the world was still quite new, buffaloes used to eat people. It is true? The hair on their chins is hair of the people they use to eat…It is Terrible to think about those times. . .
But the Creator saw the people’s distress and decreed that a contest be held between all the two-legged and four-legged creatures. Who would win, thundering Buffalo or fleet-footed Man? None of the other animals was fast enough, and before the end, Beaver and Muskrat slipped off into a cool stream, Jack-rabbit hopped off across the plain, and Mole and Gopher tunneled underground (and may still think the race is on).
The winner was decided long ago, in Sioux and Cheyenne legend. Buffalo — who lost — agreed to give up eating men for dinner, and thanks to the cunning of a single magpie, Man became the guardian of the natural world.
Story Time with Uŋči & Lalá is a free public program that brings American Indian history to life through books read by elders from the local community. The program is free to the public and geared toward elementary-age children, but children young and old are welcome. Each week features a different story, and children are invited to participate in a take-home art project or activity following the reading of the story.
Children must be accompanied by an adult.Registration is recommended for large groups.Service pets welcome.For more information call 800.798.3452 or email aktalakota@stjo.org

The Quilt — Owíŋza Exhibit
2022-06-13 - 2022-12-02 | Aktá Lakota Museum, St. Joseph's Indian School, Chamberlain, SD, 57325, United States
The Quilt – Owíŋža exhibit features quilts from 1893 to contemporary that are in the Aktá Lakota Museum’s private collection.
These quilts are a testament to the powerful tradition, aesthetic, artisanship, and resiliency of the Lakota culture. When the buffalo was at the center of Lakota life, beautifully decorated hides, often with striking circular patterns, were common. As colonialism brought about the near-extinction of the buffalo, the Lakota turned to quilt-making to replace many of the functions — both utilitarian and ceremonial — that hides performed.
The star quilt held special appeal because of its circular pattern and rhythmic repetition. “Everything the power of the world does is done in a circle,” said Lakota spiritual leader Black Elk, expressing the centrality of the circle to Lakota thought. Today the star quilt is often the centerpiece in Lakota celebrations and ceremonies. The exhibit will be on display through the end of the year.

STORY TIME WITH UŊČÍ & LALÁMuskrat and Skunk
2022-06-07 10:30 - 11:30 | SD
Story Time with Uŋči & Lalá is a free public program that brings American Indian history to life through books read by elders from the local community. The program is geared toward elementary-age children, but children young and old are welcome. Each week features a different story, and children are invited to participate in a take-home art project or activity following the reading of the story.
Story Time is held in the Museum Bookstore every week on Tuesday from 10:30-11:30 a.m. during the months of June and July.
Today our story is Muskrat and Skunk: A Lakota Drum Story by Donald F. Montileaux. Join in on the fun!
THUMP! BOOM! BAM!
Animals stop and listen. A new sound is in the forest. The beat vibrates through the trees and across the meadows. What is it? Where is it coming from?
Muskrat and Skunk thump on a hollow log—BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Birds begin to dance. Buffalo and Antelope join in. There is a rustle in the bushes; a large shape emerges. The animals scatter. Muskrat and Skunk drum on.
The story of the drum connects the instrument’s sound to the heartbeat of Mother Earth—a beat inside all of us. For the Lakota people, the drum is more than something to be played. Its rhythm is felt, and it is central to many ceremonies.
Children must be accompanied by an adult.Registration is recommended for large groups.Service pets welcome.For more information call 800.798.3452 or email aktalakota@stjo.org

Creation.Story Artist Reception
2022-05-15 15:00 - 18:00 | Aktá Lakota Museum, St. Joseph's Indian School, Chamberlain, SD, 57325, United States
Keith BraveHeart and the Aktá Lakota Museum are proud to present Creation.Story – an exhibition of contemporary art about the Lakota creation story. In 2018, the museum purchased BraveHeart’s MFA thesis, a series of eight paintings entitled Wakan Takan. Creation.Story is a continuation of this thesis work that involves the collaboration of nine additional artists: Dyani White Hawk, Randi Lynn Boucher, Jhon Goes In Center, Inkpa Mani, Marlena Myles, Mikayla Patton, James Star Comes Out, Dwayne Wilcox, and Talon Ducheneaux. The exhibit is co-curated by BraveHeart and David A. Meyer II of the Aktá Lakota Museum.
Creation.Story explores the beginnings of the Lakota people through their Wakan relatives. Historically this knowledge was passed from generation to generation through storytelling. The exhibit is considered a continuation of this oral tradition and focuses on the contemporary interpretations of the Ocheti Sakowin creation stories.
Join us for an Artist Reception on Sunday, May 15 from 3:00 – 6:00 PM that will include a look at the artwork from the perspective of the artists.

Creation.Story
2021-12-20 - 2022-05-31 | SD
Keith BraveHeart and the Aktá Lakota Museum are proud to present Creation.Story – an exhibition of contemporary art about the Lakota creation story. In 2018, the museum purchased BraveHeart’s MFA thesis, a series of eight paintings entitled Wakan Takan. Creation.Story is a continuation of this thesis work that involves the collaboration of nine additional artists: Dyani White Hawk, Randi Lynn Boucher, Jhon Goes In Center, Inkpa Mani, Marlena Myles, Mikayla Patton, James Star Comes Out, Dwayne Wilcox, and Talon Ducheneaux. The exhibit is co-curated by BraveHeart and David A. Meyer II of the Aktá Lakota Museum.
Creation.Story explores the beginnings of the Lakota people through their Wakan relatives. Historically this knowledge was passed from generation to generation through storytelling. The exhibit is considered a continuation of this oral tradition and focuses on the contemporary interpretations of the Ocheti Sakowin creation stories.

The Gift
2021-06-15 - 2021-11-30 | Aktá Lakota Museum, St. Joseph's Indian School, Chamberlain, SD, 57325, United States
The Gift, based on the traditional Lakota narrative of the coming of the White Buffalo Woman who gave a sacred pipe to Itazipco Oyate people.
The exhibit centers on the seven sacred Lakota ceremonies—‘gifts’—that Black Elk says were foretold by the White Buffalo Woman.

Hanbleceya — Vision Quest
Hunkapi — Making Relatives
Inipi — Purification
Isnati Awicalowan — Preparing for Womanhood
Tapa Wankayeyapi — Throwing the Ball
Wanagi Yuhapi — Keeping a Ghost
Wiwanyang Wacipi — Sun Dance

Each gift of these gifts is interpreted by artwork, a poem, and a song created by Lakota artists, poets, and musicians and presented together with the text of each ‘gift’.
This educational exhibit is developed and curated by Craig Howe, Director of the Center for American Indian Research and Native Studies (CAIRNS).

Iyáčhiŋ — Compare
2020-02-12 - 2021-01-19 | Aktá Lakota Museum, St. Joseph's Indian School, Chamberlain, SD, 57325, United States
Iyáčhiŋ (ē ah chee), is Lakota for compare. In this exhibit, the pieces are hung in pairs encouraging a natural tendency to compare and contrast as a means of understanding. Iyáčhiŋ features artwork exclusively from the Aktá Lakota Museum’s permanent collection.

Articles of a Treaty
2019-05-27 - 2019-11-30 | Aktá Lakota Museum, St. Joseph's Indian School, Chamberlain, SD, 57325, United States
Articles of a Treaty focuses on the articles of the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty between the “different bands of the Sioux Nation of Indians” and the United States. The title is the first four words of the actual treaty.
The 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty contains seventeen articles. Each article is interpreted through music, poetry, and visual art created by Oceti Skowin artists.
This educational exhibit is developed and curated by Craig Howe, Director of the Center for American Indian Research and Native Studies (CAIRNS).

Takuwe – Why?
2018-06-11 - 2018-10-31 | Aktá Lakota Museum, St. Joseph's Indian School, Chamberlain, SD, 57325, United States
“Takuwe,” which in English means “why,” centers on re-imagining the senseless slaughter of 300 Lakotas on December 29, 1890.
The narrative structure of “Takuwe” is based on the words of Lakotas who were there in 1890 and 1891. Their recollections and reflections guide visitors through the exhibition in seven chronological periods:
The exhibition includes songs, visual artworks, and poems by 46 contemporary Lakota artists. The artworks range in scale from very small to very large. An imaginative pendant crafted from the tip of a buffalo horn with a fitted, engraved sterling silver cap was created by JhonDuane Goes In Center, a self-taught silversmith who was born and raised on the Pine Ridge Reservation. At the other end of the scale is a large, queen-sized fabric quilt that was buried for nearly two months this winter, then disinterred and displayed uncleaned, spread out on the gallery floor.
The voices of the Lakota poets and musicians can quite literally be heard in the gallery. By putting on a pair of headphones, visitors can listen to the poets recite their works and the musicians sing or play, their songs.
This educational exhibit is developed and curated by Craig Howe, Director of the Center for American Indian Research and Native Studies (CAIRNS).

Tapun Sa Win
2018-02-01 - 2018-05-31 | SD
The Tapun Sa Win (taw-poon sha ween) narrative is organized around a story about a beautiful young Lakota woman (Tapun Sa Win, or Red Cheek Woman) who married a star and went to live with him in the sky. Near the due date for the birth of her baby, she inadvertently created a hole in the sky through which she could see her relatives on earth. This made her lonesome so she braided a rope to descend to earth. But the rope is too short and she falls and dies, but her son is miraculously born and survives. He is found and raised by Lakotas, who name him Wichapi Hinhpaya (we-chagh-pe heen-ghpa-ya), Fallen Star.
The exhibit divides the Tapun Sa Win narrative into seven passages which are interpreted by four types of artworks by contemporary Lakota artists: a two-dimensional artwork, a three-dimensional artwork, a poem, and a song. The exhibit includes 28 new works by Lakota artists from across the United States.
This educational exhibit is developed and curated by Craig Howe, Director of the Center for American Indian Research and Native Studies (CAIRNS).

The Great Race
2017-08-14 - 2017-12-31 | Aktá Lakota Museum, St. Joseph's Indian School, Chamberlain, SD, 57325, United States
According to Lakota legend, long ago there was a great race between the four-leggeds and the two-leggeds. The purpose was to determine which of the two groups of contestants would have precedence over the other. One unintended consequence of the race was the Black Hills were caused to come into being. The Great Race focuses on the short narrative of the race by James LaPointe (Oglala Lakota) that is in his 1976 book, Legends of the Lakota. The exhibit divides the 1,218-word narrative into eight passages.
This educational exhibit is developed and curated by Craig Howe, Director of the Center for American Indian Research and Native Studies (CAIRNS).

Lakota Emergence
2017-02-01 - 2017-04-21 | Aktá Lakota Museum, St. Joseph's Indian School, Chamberlain, SD, 57325, United States
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).

The Gift of the Sacred Pipe
2005-08-24 - 2006-03-31 | Aktá Lakota Museum, St. Joseph's Indian School, Chamberlain, SD, 57325, United States
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.

Native Waters: Sharing the Source
2004-03-15 - 2004-04-08 | Aktá Lakota Museum, St. Joseph's Indian School, Chamberlain, SD, 57325, United States
The Aktá Lakota Museum & Cultural Center at St. Joseph’s Indian School in Chamberlain is proud to host Native Waters: Sharing the Source, a new traveling exhibition and film exploring the Missouri River Basin.
Developed by the Native Waters Project at Montana State University–Bozeman in collaboration with the Science Museum of Minnesota, this exhibition brings together voices from 22 tribal communities across the Basin. Together, they share vital perspectives on water—blending Indigenous knowledge with scientific understanding.
The exhibit features engaging, hands-on displays, cultural objects, and a thought-provoking film designed to deepen our appreciation of water from both environmental and spiritual viewpoints.
Highlights include:

A series of interpretive text panels that connect traditional ecological knowledge with modern science

Four interactive stations:

Missouri River LED Map

What is a Watershed?

Non-Point Source Pollution Marble Game

Which Watershed Is Better for the River?

A 30-minute documentary film: A Dream for Water

This unique experience invites all visitors to reflect on the shared responsibility of protecting our water sources and honoring the relationships that sustain life.

Selvage & Salvage: Images of Belief
2002-02-11 - 2002-03-31 | Aktá Lakota Museum, St. Joseph's Indian School, Chamberlain, SD, 57325, United States
Selvage & Salvage: Images of Belief is a collaborative exhibition featuring the photography of John Moler and the collage paintings of Arthur Amiotte. The exhibition explores the persistence, evolution, and transformation of the Lakota Christian experience through the lens of church architecture.
Supported by a grant from the South Dakota Arts Council, Moler and Amiotte traveled to 63 tribal communities across South Dakota, documenting 82 historic churches. Together, their work captures the enduring spiritual presence, cultural adaptation, and layered histories embodied in these sacred spaces.

Continuity and Diversity: The Art of Arthur Amiotte
2001-04-03 - 2001-06-01 | Aktá Lakota Museum, St. Joseph's Indian School, Chamberlain, SD, 57325, United States
Continuity and Diversity showcases more than 60 paintings, fabric works, and collages created between 1967 and the present by Arthur Amiotte, a renowned Lakota artist with an international reputation. This retrospective—the most comprehensive presentation of his work to date—traces six distinct phases of the artist’s creative development, offering a profound look into his evolving vision and enduring cultural voice.
The works in this landmark exhibition have been drawn from over 20 collections, including major loans from the Aktá Lakota Museum (Chamberlain), The Heritage Center at Red Cloud Indian School (Pine Ridge), the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation (Crazy Horse), and the artist himself.
Born in 1942 on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, Amiotte was mentored in his early years by the influential Yanktonai painter Oscar Howe. He holds a bachelor’s degree in art education and a master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies—combining anthropology, religion, and art—and has been awarded two honorary doctorates.
Amiotte’s leadership in the arts has been recognized through appointments to numerous prestigious institutions, including the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian Advisory Committee and the Presidential Advisory Council on the Arts at the Kennedy Center. He has also served as a trustee for the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming; as a board member of the Native American Art Studies Association; as a commissioner for the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Indian Arts and Crafts Board; and on the Council of Regents for the Institute of American Indian Arts.
His accolades include a Lila Wallace–Reader’s Digest Fellowship at Giverny, grants from Arts International, the Getty Foundation, and the Bush Leadership Program, as well as the South Dakota Governor’s Award for Outstanding Creative Achievement in the Arts and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native American Art Studies Association.
With over 100 exhibitions—including more than 20 solo shows—Amiotte’s work is held in 18 public and nearly 100 private collections across the country.
This retrospective is cosponsored by the Aktá Lakota Museum at St. Joseph’s Indian School; The Heritage Center at Red Cloud Indian School; the Journey Museum in Rapid City; Northern Galleries at Northern State University; the South Dakota Art Museum; the University Art Galleries at The University of South Dakota; and the Visual Arts Center at the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls. Support from the South Dakota Arts Council is made possible with funding from the State of South Dakota and the National Endowment for the Arts.
