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CAIRNS ETANHAN WOTANIN (NEWS FROM CAIRNS)


 

 

One hundred and fifty one years ago, on April 29, 1868, twenty five representatives of the Sicangu Oyate (Nation) were the first Oceti Sakowin signers of the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty. Forty days later, on May 25, 1868, thirty-eight Oglala Oyate representatives signed the treaty. Also, on that day and the following day, seventeen representatives of the Mniconjou Oyate signed treaty.

From April 29 through May 26, eighty Lakota representatives signed the treaty. Over the course of that summer of 1868, the treaty was signed by eighteen Hunkpapas, ten Sihasapas, four Itazipcos and three Oohenunpas. Representatives of all seven Lakota oyates signed the treaty. In addition, twenty-nine Nakotas and seven Dakotas were signatories to the treaty that summer.

On November 6, the final six signatures were affixed to the treaty. They included two Sicangus and four Oglalas. Most notable among these was “Makh-piah lu-tah”, Red Cloud. The 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty was signed by one hundred fifty-seven representatives of the Oceti Sakowin Confederacy.

The treaty contains seventeen articles that touch on many aspects of the peace agreement between the Oceti Sakowin Confederacy and the United States of America. Land is dealt with in seven of the articles and education in six of them.

CAIRNS is developing an educational art exhibit, Articles of a Treaty, about the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty. It focuses on the seventeen articles of the treaty. The original text of the articles is the focus of the exhibit. The exhibit opens at Akta Lakota Museum and Cultural Center, then travels to the South Dakota Art Museum, the Dahl Arts Center, The Heritage Center at Red Cloud Indian School, the Plains Art Museum, the Brinton Museum, and additional venues.

A community-based version of the exhibit will travel to schools, conferences, businesses, community centers and other settings where the original museum exhibit cannot be displayed. It consists of high-quality images of the artworks printed on standard-sized pvc panels, and the text of the museum-based exhibit, also printed on standard-sized pvc panels with QR codes that enable visitors to access online multimedia information.

There are thirty-four served for their nations a land base similar in size to Germany today, within which was the richest gold mine in the world. The treaty was relevant in the past, is relevant today, and will always be relevant for Oceti Sakowin artists creating two new artworks for each article. Their artworks represent many different genres and traditions of art. In addition, seventeen Oceti Sakowin writers are crafting poems or prose pieces for each article. Again, these writings draw on a variety of creative writing styles. To see a list of these artists and writers, go to the CAIRNS website and follow the “Articles of a Treaty” link from the homepage.

Seventeen Oceti Sakowin musicians are also composing songs for each of the articles. The songs span a breadth of musical genres, including blues, rock and roll, heavy metal and traditional. Each of them is related to one of the articles; collectively, they showcase the diversity Oceti Sakowin people and those who wish to be in relationship with them.

Center for American Indian Research and Native Studies (CAIRNS) is an Indian of contemporary Oceti Sakowin music.

The educational imperative of the exhibit is enhanced by a companion curriculum booklet that is being developed by a team of educators from across the state. The booklet will consist of standards-based activities tied to the exhibit that teachers can use in their K-12 classrooms. These activities will draw on the articles, the poems, the songs and the visual artworks to engage students in thinking critically about the treaty.

The 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty is a living document. It was negotiated between representatives of the Oceti Sakowin Confederacy and the United States of America. Through the treaty, Oceti Sakowin representatives re- controlled nonprofit research and education center founded in 2004 and located in the Lacreek District of Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.

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