EAGLE BUTTE, SD – Travis Harden, 64, of Eagle Butte, passed away Friday, June 28, 2024, at Cheyenne River Health Center, Eagle Butte.
Funeral services will be 10:00 a.m. MDT, Monday, July 8, 2024, at CRST Bingo Hall, Eagle Butte. Burial will follow in the Iron Lightning Cemetery. A wake service will be 7:00 p.m., Sunday, July 7, 2024, at the hall, with a procession from the 4-Mile at 6:00 p.m.
Travis Francis Harden, Ite S’aKiya, was born in the winter of 1960 during a blizzard in Pierre, South Dakota to Marilyn Phillips Minnecoujou Lakota/Ihanktuwan Dakota, and Frederick L. Harden HoChunk/Winnebago of Nebraska. As a small child, he was surrounded by family, raised by the matriarchs Faith Feather Traversie and Theodora Feather Means, his uncles, the Harden brothers, Means brothers, and mothers: Marilyn, Madonna, Mabel Ann and Phyllis, and lots of brother/sister cousins: Marcella, Phillip, Dawn, Whitney, Chaske, Chelly, Wiyaka, Scott, Michelle, Hank, Sherry, who all had traditional teachings about family being close, and taking care of each other. This gave him a strong sense of generosity, and he carried this throughout his life, always including others in his activities. During these early years, he first learned to sing traditional songs, from Dega (Uncle) Conrad DeCora and he was always grateful for that as he continued singing throughout his lifetime, with Dega Miles, Uncle Ted, and his brothers.
Soon Marilyn moved Travis and sister, Lakota, to Sitka, Alaska, creating more family with Albert Frank Jr., Kaagwaantaan‘Linget. Travis and siblings were adopted by the Deisheitaan Clan, Raven Beaver. A larger “Island family” grew where Travis and Albert III (Yamni) had lifelong brothers, Matthew Williams, John, Jim and Harry Bradley, Larry Gamble, Norm Koehler, Jerry Luke, Chester Hulls, and others. Living on an island, fishing, hunting, camping in the woods, swimming in the Pacific Ocean, playing baseball, climbing trees, were some of Travis’s best times. He also learned form line design drawing and carving, which gave him a love for art. He was an excellent mimic, and learned to imitate eagles that were plentiful in the trees. Throughout his lifetime, he could make eagle calls, and when he became a father, that’s how he called his children to come to him. He loved living in Alaska where he went to school, eventually playing the trombone in the high school band, which he was always proud of, and that gave him a great appreciation for music.
He was also raised as AIM youth, being a part of the “We Will Remember Survival Group” first established in 1974 following the American Indian Movement occupation of Wounded Knee ’73. First in Rapid City, then moving to Porcupine, South Dakota. He was an original “Run For Freedom “runner”, bringing focus to the unjust incarceration of political prisoners. This commitment of defending and protecting our traditional Lakota way of life was something he took seriously and humorously, meaning he could talk to you about our water rights, natural resources, spiritual connection to Unc’I Mak’a, Grandmother Earth, and make you laugh while doing it. He loved making people laugh.
Coming from a Powwow family, he loved dancing boys/mens fancy, grass dancing and eventually singing at Powwows. He spent years on the powwow trail with his main Kolas, being a part of “The Pass Creek Singers” with his drum brothers, Alvin and Pat Iron Cloud, Steve and Tom Dubray, Willy Peters, Hank Means, Enos Poor Bear Jr., Gerard Brown Eyes, and Chaske Johns.
He crafted his art in many forms. He carved wood, silver, copper, buffalo and antelope bones. He painted animal hides, clothing, shoes, and jewelry of all kinds. The main designs he created were the “popsicle stick” feather earrings, the Bear Heart Claw, and the Feather Necklace Tiospaye Crest. He also was part of a motorcycle club, the Rez Riders, with his main kola, Henry Houston, where they had many projects to benefit the community.
Working with Mitch Zephier and “Lakota Visions” jewelry, they traveled the country with their booth. Throughout his life he made art, often gifting it for significant events, or whenever he met someone new, or saw someone again. Whether it was a song, a drum, a painting or even his “Indigenous design Christmas lights”, he encouraged everyone to be proud, with his akis’a or “last time I saw you, you were this big” greeting.
Travis started his family with daughter, Cante, with the late Carole Ann Heart. Missy, Cecile, Wakinyan Maza and Yamni with Amelia Curley, whom he met on May 5, 1988. Eventually became the proud grandparents of 20 takojas. His children and grandchildren became his life, his pride and joy. Travis was the #1 support and cheerleader of his children and grandchildren, when it came to any activities they were involved in.
He was a dad to all his nephews and nieces and loved being called “Dega” which is HoChunk for Uncle, where he chose to step into that role to hundreds of kids throughout his life, extended family all across Turtle Island. One of the grandkids, Cetan Ho Was’te, as a toddler called him grandpa, saying “Bopa” which is also the word for ‘dried buffalo meat’ in Lakota language, so he became Bopa to many grandkids after that. He treated every child as a precious gift. He always took time to sing songs to them, and make up songs they loved to dance to with the drum, like “little tiny boy”, the powwow ninja songs, the piggy song, the elephant song, and many others. He took every opportunity to teach kids to sing and created the “Feather Necklace” drum group starting with his own boys and daughter Cecile and the neighborhood boys of Lakota Homes. Eventually winning a Nammy Award with his Cherish the Children CD.
He traveled a lot of his life. He created a tiospaye/family in Connecticut where he felt that Old Lyme was his home, as well as the Intertribal Friendship House of Bay Area, California. He traveled to Palestine twice in his life and was committed to spread the knowledge about the genocide our relatives were experiencing there. We wore his kafiya with pride as he played his No Dapl at drum rallies, protests and marches. He camped on the frontlines of the Standing Rock nodapl stronghold, singing welcoming songs to people as they arrived and when they departed. He rode a bike, and someone gave him a cape, where he became Siouxper Nodapl Man.
People everywhere have memories of his songs, his gifts, his jokes, his teachings, and many continue the tradition of his way of sharing. He is well loved and remembered. The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe honored Travis with a proclamation on June 28, 2024, as Travis Harden Day for all the teaching and work that he did throughout his life with the children, teaching them powwow songs.
He is survived by his children: Mary (children: JayEllen (Mason), Kayleigh, Taison, Josie and Khaida), Cante (children: Lily, Leyla and Lucia), Cecile (Ryan) (children : Aimeejo Francis, Justin, Jaylen, Rae’leigh, Keanu and Kenzlee), Wakinyan Maza (children: Grayson, Kaison and Sadie), Yamni (children: Daison and Daisy); and our mom, Amelia Curley; sisters: Lakota Harden, Jean Black Bird, Barbara and Kathy Frank; hunka sister, Odilia Rodriguez; brothers: Frederick Harden (Fran), Anthony Harden, Lance Harden, Donald Frank, Albert Frank III; hunka brothers: Virgil “Chug” Bush, Jerome LeBeau, Johnathan Long Soldier, Gil Guillermo and Francis Yellow Sr., who were all adopted by his mother, Marilyn.
He was preceded in death by mother, Marilyn; fathers, Frederick Harden and Albert Frank Jr.; grandmother, Faith Feather Traversie; grandfathers, Louis “Jockey” Traversie and Charles Veo Phillips; sister, Sharon Frank; and brother, Robert Frank.
Luce Funeral Home of Gettysburg has been entrusted with Travis’ arrangements. (www.familyfuneralhome.net)

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