Crazy Horse Memorial® holding Native Americans’ Day Celebration today

Crazy Horse Memorial will host its annual Native Americans’ Day celebration today (Oct. 11, 2021). The event will feature hands-on activities, a Native Americans’ Day program (including the announcement of this year’s Educator of the Year Award) as well as special Native American performances.

South Dakota was the first state to officially celebrate Native Americans’ Day on the second Monday in October annually – since 1990. South Dakota and Vermont (which celebrates Indigenous Peoples’ Day) are the only states to practice non-observance of the federal holiday of Columbus Day.

The South Dakota Legislature established the Native Americans’ Day holiday at the urging of Gov. George S. Mickelson, then governor of South Dakota. The transformed holiday was a direct result of correspondence between the editor of Indian Country Today Tim Giago, and the governor. Giago, an Oglala Lakota hailing from the Pine Ridge Reservation, had written a column in the Lakota Times expressing the need for change. In addition to the new holiday, Mickelson further declared 1990 as a “Year of Reconciliation” – the 100th anniversary of the Wounded Knee Massacre – and called for the first Native Americans’ Day observance to be held at Crazy Horse Memorial®. More than 1,200 people attended that first Native Americans’ Day celebration on October 8, 1990.This year his son Mark Mickelson will be the honored guest speaker at the morning’s program.

“We can’t turn back the clock,” Governor Mickelson said. “We can only turn to the future together. What we can do as leaders, both Native American and white, is teach others that we can change attitudes.”

Hands-on activities will take place throughout the complex from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Native Americans’ Day program begins at 10 a.m. and free buffalo stew will be available following the program – generosity of Custer State Park and Korczak’s Heritage, Inc. Emmy-award winning Native American flute player Jonah Littlesunday (Diné) will give a special performance at 1:30PM and Kevin Locke (Standing Rock Lakota) will perform that day as well.