Elevating Native voices at the 41st Omniciye Wacipi

SPEARFISH – Black Hills State University in Spearfish hosted the 41st annual Lakota Omniciye Wacipi at the Donald E. Young Center on Saturday. Dancers, vendors, visitors, and locals came together to celebrate with competitive and exhibition dancing, singing, and drumming. The annual dance is hosted by Black Hills State University Center for American Indian Studies and traditionally wraps up Indian Awareness Week which began on April 13. This year’s theme for Indian Awareness Week was “Elevating Native Voices: Embracing Our Collective Impact.”

A strong field of contestants competed for their share of the $8,000 in dance prize money made available by powwow officials.

One of the competitors, Sandra Moss Iron Cloud, said she and her family came from Wyoming to support her granddaughter Cassandra. “She’s going to school here at Black Hills State, so we came to support her and the students. We have come to this powwow for many years, even before my granddaughter came to school here”

Iron Cloud is Arapaho from Wind River Reservation and is a teacher at Wyoming Indian High school. “I’m so proud of her,” said Iron Cloud. “She’s worked hard to be here, and working hard to stay here.”

Wearing matching regalia, Iron Cloud and her granddaughter celebrated a deep family tradition. The dress Cassandra was wearing was originally worn by Iron Cloud’s daughter (Cassandra’s mother) during her 1972 graduation from Wyoming Indian High School. Sandra had a matching outfit made for herself. As Iron Cloud stated, “We have always graduated in our traditional regalia.”

Iron Cloud reflected on the challenges of “walking in two worlds” as she watched her granddaughter visit and dance. As an educator, she said she sees it as her role to help students navigate that balance.

“You hear the old adage, ‘walking in two worlds.’ It’s true, but you need to know how to balance that. When you are immersed in your traditional way of life, that’s what helps you find balance, because your traditional beliefs help you overcome the conflicts and obstacles you might encounter. I’m a grandmother, a mother, an educator, and being out here in this circle”—here she motioned to the gathering—“helps keep me grounded. I teach that to my children: to know their circle, to know who they are out here.”

He Sapa Enterprises was one of the vendors drawing steady interest, their booth lined with apparel built from the company’s original designs. The Native owned business operates out of Rapid City, where they specialize in custom screen printing and engraving, work that has earned them a loyal local following. Co-owner Steven Swan stood nearby as shoppers paused to look over the pieces, many recognizing the distinctiveness of He Sapa’s style.

He explained that he and his brothers, Zane and Junior, work together closely, shaping each idea as a team. “We kind of snowball ideas, bounce ideas off of each other. All of the art is done in-house by Zane. He is our graphic artist,” said Swan. “So, we tell him an idea and he runs with it. But we print and design everything in-house.”

Swan explained that they have a wide variety of inventory. “We have hats, sweatshirts, crew necks. We have laser engraved tumblers. We have some embroidered goods. We have polos. All of our products are unisex. It’s easier for us to make them unisex rather than have separate designs for men and women.”

Swan said they founded the business to accurately represent their Native American culture and language though their designs. He noted that their current bestseller is “Berry Pickers to the Back” which is a play on another phrase “Strong Hearts to the Front.” He said they have had good success with that design. “Also, our ghost design is really popular. We had them around Halloween, but they have stayed popular beyond the holiday.”

As the drums echoed through the Young Center and dancers circled the arena, the 41st Lakota Omniciye Wacipi was more than a competition. For families like the Iron Clouds and entrepreneurs like the Swan brothers, the powwow was a place to honor ancestors, invest in the next generation, and carry culture forward in both traditional and contemporary ways. In the words of this year’s theme, “Elevating Native Voices: Embracing Our Collective Impact,” the gathering underscored how students, educators, artists, and community members are all part of a shared circle—grounded in identity and looking toward the future.

(Contact Marnie Cook at cookm8715@gmaill.com)

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