Lamphere to mentor Native Artists in creating “Tiwahe”

Remembering the Children Memorial, Inc. (RTC) announced its plans to commence construction of a memorial that will honor the children who attended and died at the Rapid City Indian School, a federally-run boarding school that operated on the campus of what is now the Oyate Health Center (formerly Sioux San) in Rapid City between 1898 and 1933. Construction will begin this May. Once complete, it will be among the first major, public memorials that honors Indigenous students who attended boarding schools in the United States.

The memorial will be built on tribal trust land that belongs to the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Oglala Sioux Tribe, and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. RTC has obtained approvals from each of the tribes and has successfully completed a comprehensive environmental review for the project. Zuya Sica Consulting was selected as the project manager, and Scull Construction as the general contractor, through competitive bid processes. TerraSite Design has created the detailed site layout and design for the memorial.

The organization has also finalized arrangements with South Dakota Artist Laureate Dale Lamphere, who will mentor Indigenous artists to collaboratively cast a sculpture titled “Tiwahe,” which means “family” in the Lakota language. The sculpture will be featured in the plaza of the memorial site and will likely be installed in Spring 2025. RTC plans to continually provide opportunities for both temporary and permanent art installations on the site and encourages artists to follow social media and the website.

An artist apprenticeship program has been established to help prepare the next generation of Lakota artists to create large scale public artworks with Oglala Lakota artist Derek Santos as the inaugural apprentice. He will be working closely with Lamphere on “Tiwahe” and will also be working on his own individual piece for installation at the memorial. Lamphere has committed to providing apprenticeship and mentorship opportunities to Native American artists throughout the project, as well as organizing visits, tours, and classes for Native American artists, students, and others during the sculpting, casting, and finishing stages.

“I am humbled and extremely honored to have been asked to play a part in creating this memorial recognizing the trauma and grief that impacted so many families, for generations, across the country and in Rapid City. From the beginning I have worked with elders and Native artists to guide this process. It is my hope that the sculpture serves as a source of reflection and healing for everyone,” said Lamphere.

David Emery, Itazipco and Mniconjou Lakota, and board chairman for RTC, stated “All of us involved in the project, including the group of elders and others who originally envisioned the project, the RTC board and the RTC art commission are thrilled that Dale has agreed to finish the centerpiece of the memorial.”

RTC Executive Director, Amy Sazue, Sicangu/Oglala Lakota, added, “This project has always been centered on healing and recognizing a shared history that is complex and filled with mistrust. We are listening, we are learning, and I am really proud that we not only addressed concerns but came up with a solution that creates equity and opportunity for our community. I’m happy to bring all the individuals involved in this project together in support of this sculpture, and we are excited that Dale agreed to delay retirement to finish this sculpture with us.”

“It is significant that the board, art commission and elders’ groups, all comprised of tribal members, selected Dale, the non-native artist laureate of South Dakota to complete the sculpture,” Emery continued. “In addition to its primary purpose of honoring the children who died while attending the Rapid City Indian School, the memorial will serve as an acknowledgement of a dark period in the history of Rapid City and the United States. By doing so, it will raise awareness and serve as a catalyst for healing and unification within the community.”

“Although RTC had always envisioned multiple artists being involved in the project, some individuals expressed concern about using non-native artists,” said Sazue. “RTC sought applications for and selected an art commission, comprised entirely of Native artists, to help coordinate the selection of artists for various components of the project.

Marty Two Bulls, Oglala Lakota, member of the art commission, added “I’m excited to see more opportunities for artists from my community to expand their skill sets in the arts. Most of the public art representing Lakota people in South Dakota is made by non-natives. Often the excuse is used that ‘there just aren’t qualified Native artists‘ to explain why this happens. The goal of this apprenticeship and educational opportunity is to use ‘Tiwahe’ as a teaching tool to create a path forward for our artists to gain the qualifications and experience needed to take on future large scale public works.”

“Bev Warne and Kathy LaBonte, two of the Indigenous women who were instrumental in advocating for construction of the memorial and statue, shared “this Lakota led volunteer group put our hearts and minds together over the last decade to be responsive to the community and create a pathway to healing. We are thrilled that everyone is coming together.”

RTC has received grant funding as well as contributions from private donors. These funds will cover much of the capital cost associated with constructing the project. The organization still needs to raise additional funds for artwork and ongoing maintenance and upkeep of the memorial.

Sazue emphasized the collaborative, community-oriented nature of the memorial. “We highly encourage anyone interested in the project to get involved. Our website contains project updates and information about the organization and ways to get involved, including subscribing to our email list and donating funds to the project. RTC also holds an annual Remembering the Children Walk on Native American Day and encourages everyone to join us in honoring the children.” This year’s walk will take place on October 14, 2024.

Remembering the Children Memorial, Inc. is a Rapid City based non-profit organization formed in March 2023 to construct and maintain a memorial to the children who attended and died at the Rapid City Indian School, located on the site of the former Sioux Sanatorium in West Rapid City. At least 50 children died while attending the school, some of whom are believed to be buried in unmarked graves on land just west of West Middle School, that will be part of the future memorial. The school operated from 1898 to 1933 and later served as a segregated Indian tuberculosis sanatorium from the 1930’s to the 1960’s. It was an Indian Health Service Hospital and Clinic until 2023. Additional information is available on RTC’s website www.rememberingthechildren.org. RTC’s board of directors includes David Emery (Itazipco and Mniconjou Lakota), Robin Zephier (Mniconjou Lakota) and Bobbie Koch (Sicangu Lakota). The RTC art commission members include Marty Two Bulls (Oglala Lakota), Ray Janis (Oglala Lakota), Lynn Cuny (Hunkpati Dakota/ Oglala Lakota) and Daryl No Heart (Hunkpapa Lakota).

For more information contact: Amy Sazue Phone: 605-431-7607 Email: amy@rememberingthechildren.org Website: www.rememberingthechildren.org

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