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NATIVE AMERICAN NATIONAL AND SCENIC BYWAY Miles: 450 total | 180 as presented here Midway between Eagle Butte and Chamberlain DIGNITY: OF EARTH & SKY Chamberlain Chamberlain’s 50-foot-tall sculpture of a Native American woman casts her gaze across the prairie farmland. By day, note how the sun and wind play with the colored shapes of her star quilt; by night, watch as LED lights cause those shapes to glow. AKTA LAKOTA MUSEUM & CULTURAL CENTER Chamberlain “To honor the [Lakota] people,” as its name implies, fully explore this Chamberlain site. A 36-foot diorama depicting prairie life, a traditional medicine wheel garden and contemporary art combine to create a robust picture of the Lakota. SOUTH DAKOTA CULTURAL HERITAGE CENTER Pierre This Smithsonian Affiliate in Pierre illuminates the history and values of the Dakota, Lakota and Nakota tribes in an exhibit called The Ways of the People. Among the center’s 33,000 artifacts, look for unique objects, including the Great Sioux Horse Effigy believed to have been carved by No Two Horns. H.V. JOHNSTON LAKOTA CULTURAL CENTER Eagle Butte At this Eagle Butte museum, view Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe artifacts, murals, photographs, beadwork and paintings. You can also purchase art supplies and authentic, locally-made artwork in the center’s gift shop. OYATE TRAIL Miles: 388 total Southern byway between Pine Ridge and Vermillion SPIRIT MOUND HISTORIC PRAIRIE Lewis and Clark heard tribal lore about this isolated geological formation near Vermillion. Nonetheless, they continued their journey and were struck by the beauty of Spirit Mound. As you follow their footsteps with a short hike up Summit Trail, think of the tribal legends surrounding the area. DAKOTA TERRITORIAL MUSEUM Yankton Visit this Yankton institution in its new home at the Mead Cultural Education Center. Exhibits tell of the region’s early days. At the new Children’s Transportation Museum onsite, kids can climb into a Model T truck and covered wagon. SICANGU HERITAGE CENTER Mission At this small museum on the Rosebud Indian Reservation near Mission, learn about the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. The center is housed at Sinte Gleska University, where education honors Lakota language and culture. 4.WOUNDED KNEE MASSACRE SITE Reflect on the final engagement of the American Indian Wars at this marker on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Find the Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial outside of the nearby town of Wounded Knee. HERITAGE CENTER AT RED CLOUD INDIAN SCHOOL Pine Ridge View historical Lakota art and Native American contemporary fine arts at this center on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in Pine Ridge. Return for summer’s Red Cloud Indian Art Show, June through August. FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON TRIBAL CULTURES, INCLUDING VISITOR ETIQUETTE, AT TRAVELSOUTHDAKOTA. COM/TRIBES PLAN FOR A POWWOW A powwow or wacipi (Dakota, Lakota and Nakota for “dance” and pronounced “wa-CHEEpee”) is a social and competitive gathering of tribes that’s open to spectators. Each tribe usually hosts its annual gathering at a different time of year, so the chances are good that you’ll be able to find one to attend during your visit. These multi-day gatherings sometimes include additional events (like the Rosebud Fair, Wacipi and Rodeo on the Rosebud Reservation near Mission). Elsewhere, watch for the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Wacipi—the state’s oldest powwow—in Agency Village, the Yankton Sioux Tribe’s Fort Randall Casino Powwow in Pickstown, the Black Hills Powwow in Rapid City, and the 500-plus tribes featured at the Sioux Empire Wacipi in Sioux Falls. Whatever gathering you choose to attend, don’t miss the Grand Entry!
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