Creation.Story Opens at the Aktá Lakota Museum

On December 20, 2021, a remarkable, newly curated exhibit titled Creation.Story opens at the Aktá Lakota Museum & Cultural Center. Keith Braveheart, a contemporary native artist, worked with Assistant Curator David A. Meyer II, musician Talon Bazille and eight other Native American artists to create the show. The modern retelling of the Lakota and Dakota creation stories includes the work of Jhon Goes In Center, James Star Comes Out, Mikayla Patton, Randilynn Boucher, Dwayne Wilcox, Dyani White Hawk, Marlena Myles and Inkpa Mani.

A creation story is a narrative describing the beginnings of time and the formations of the universe. These narratives are found in nearly all cultures and are passed from generation to generation through storytelling. In this exhibit, art is the language used to reference Lakota and Dakota oral traditions. The continuous exchange built into the exhibit holds the idea that creation is not an event that happened in the past. Rather, it is ongoing. Creation.Story does not attempt to provide an authoritative or singular truth. Instead, it encourages an inclusive conversation that celebrates and rediscovers creation stories as they exist to those who carry them forward.

The Očhéti Šakówiŋ oral tradition has intimately shaped profound structures for life, identity and cultural expression. Creation stories honor ancestors, emphasize spirituality, reinforce relationships and encourage communal values. Creation.Story shares these narratives and spiritual relatives through diverse art forms.

Events for St. Joseph’s Indian School students and other schools that might want to visit are planned. The exhibit will be open until May 15, 2022.