Oceti Vote Fest rocks Rapid City

RAPID CITY – Hosted by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, the Lakota People’s Law Project, and Thunder Valley CDC, the event brought hundreds of Native People together to celebrate native culture and register voters

People from across the Great Sioux Nation gathered together in Rapid City the weekend of Oct. 22-23 for two days filled with music, games, culture, and voter empowerment at Oceti Vote Fest. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, the Lakota People’s Law Project, and Thunder Valley CDC hosted Lakota Country’s first intertribal three-on-three basketball tournament, Thunder Fest Saturday night concert, and Oceti hand games and singing contests with cash prizes.

“It was an incredibly important and engaging event,” says Chase Iron Eyes, Lakota People’s Law Project Co-Director and Lead Counsel. “We were able to bring people together from across the Oceti Sakowin to get registered, learn more about the importance of exercising our voice and celebrate with games, music, and unity.”

According to Iron Eyes, the event was also part of a larger voter registration effort by his organization. “We also reached out to thousands of Native voters in advance of the weekend and are providing more info, like polling place locations, on social media,” he says. “We expect that, in the end, we will have reached at least a third of Lakota Country and motivated a large turnout come Election Day.”

After a Grand Entry ceremony and invocation to start Saturday’s festivities, basketball teams representing several tribal nations took the court. Fierce competition yielded deserving winners in three divisions.

In the 19-and-older men’s division, the winners were Sam Hand (Oglala Sioux Tribe), Dan Hand (Oglala Sioux Tribe) and AJ Zolicoffer (OK Cherokee). In the women’s competition, a team with Anissa Martin, Shaylene Richard, Katerri Weston, and Sarah Hunter took home the top prize. The 18-and-younger men’s title was captured by Lincoln Archambault (Standing Rock Sioux Tribe), Tyson Waters (Oglala Sioux Tribe) and Shun-Zi White Woman (Southern Cheyenne).

The Saturday Night concert lineup included a who’s-who of notable Indigenous artists, including Scotti Clifford, Indigenous, J Waylon and His Miller Lite Orchestra, Terrance Jade, Spur Pourier and Nataanii Means. They provided spirited entertainment to all in attendance at the Rapid Skillz 360 athletic training facility.

On Sunday, the event focus switched to Oceti hand games and singing competitions with cash prizes. Misfits (Rachel Mesteth, Deb Red Feather, Naca Charging Crow and Jonas Horse Looking) took home the $1,000 top hand games prize. Pine Ridge students supervised by Will Smith placed second and fourth, and another group of Pine Ridge students supervised by Suzette Thunder Hawk and captained by Brighten Crow came in third.

Ari Black Bear then won the singing competition, with Naca Charging Crow (Showtime Drum) taking second and Emanuel (Bull) Black Bear claiming third place.

“We’re glad to have hosted everyone, and we give our thanks to all those who came out, registered and participated in all the events. We heartily congratulate all those who came away with prizes,” Iron Eyes says. “It’s a special thing any time we can gather our people and work together for something so important. There are few things more important than making sure Native people can exercise our right to vote. The more we do, the more we’ll be represented and the more influence we’ll have over the ways in which policy affects us.”

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