Another beautiful day, sunny, warm, cloudless. Chamberlain sits on the Missouri R. Of course on the Louis & Clarke Trail.
We stopped at the Akta Lakota Museum In May of 1991, the Aktá Lakota Museum. Over the past 30-years, the museum’s collective memory has provided exceptional research, exhibit and educational services to scholars, the students of St. Joseph’s Indian School and all those interested in learning more about the culture and heritage of the Northern Plains Indian people.
A Quilter’s Paradise
I had no idea this trip would intersect with my new passion, quilting. This is the second day in a row I have discovered a quilt store. The Quilt Shop in Chamberlain is heaven for a quilter with several rooms jam packed with fabric!
As it turns out, quilts play a huge role in the Lakota culture. Particularly the Star Pattern quilt.
The Star Pattern Quilt
For the Lakota (Sioux) people, the star quilt — wičháȟpi owíŋža — represents honor and generosity.
The pattern is made of small diamonds pieced together in eight sections. These sections join together to create the eight-point star.
The pattern of the star quilt is inspired by the Morning Star. The Morning Star is the last and brightest star in the eastern horizon before dawn. It was believed the Morning Star represented the way the spirits came to earth and served as a link between the living and those who have passed.
Historically, star patterns were created with plant dyes and adorned buffalo hides and tipis. When missionaries arrived in the mid-to-late 1800’s, they introduced textiles and sewing to Native American women and the star quilt was born.
The star quilt’s tradition of honor grew as the quilts were draped around the shoulders of Lakota warriors and hunters when they returned from battle, a successful hunt, or at the start of Haŋblečeya — Vision Quests. It was also presented at funerals to honor loved ones on their final journey.
Today, star quilts are one of the most valued gifts of the Lakota (Sioux) people and are still draped over the shoulders of the recipient to symbolize protection on their journey through life.
Star quilts may be used:
- As banners in schools for graduations and other school functions
- As altar cloths in churches or placed on top of sweat lodges
- To mark momentous life events such as a wedding or a child’s birth
- As a gesture of sympathy to a family honoring the passing of a loved one
Generosity is an important virtue among the beliefs and traditions of the Lakota (Sioux) people. The image of a star quilt serves as a reminder of the significance and honor that comes from giving to others.
DIGNITY
Dignity is a 50-foot-tall statue in Chamberlain, SD, to honor the cultures of the Dakota and Lakota people. She represents courage, perseverance and wisdom. Made from stainless steel, Dignity wears a Native dress from the 1850s and holds a star quilt made from 128 stainless steel blue diamonds. Dignity was designed by artist laureate Dale Lamphere and gifted to the state of South Dakota by Norm and Eunabel McKie.
We did some food shopping this morning and have fresh fruit and vegetables 😋 and food for the next few days. Gas too. Our philosophy now is to fill up whenever we can rather than adopting the wait until we need it approach.
The drive today is rolling grassland, some cattle, very few trees, sorghum, sunflowers and the seemingky endless soybeans. It’s not flat like the Canadian prairies or the Argentinian pampas. What we call sloughs in the Canadian prairies are ‘prairies pots’ here.
Vivian, SD
Our places to stop for lunch are as interesting as the rest of the trip. Lunch today is in the parking lot of Vivian Lutheran Church in Vivian, SD pop. Tiny.
The railroad doesn’t exist any more but each town still has a grain elevator of some sort, remnants of a different past for these towns strung out like pearls. The elevator in Vivian is now home to birdseed.
Midway between middle of nowhere and God’s country we passed into the mountain time zone. The sunflowers with heads laden with seeds and bending towards the sun look like penitent pilgrims on some holy trek.
This is what we have been driving through most of the afternoon.
We entered Badlands National Park on our way to our campsite BADLANDS White River KOA in Interior SD. At least it’s on a river, although it’s rather dry, and has Cottonwood Trees. Other campgrounds, including those we passed in the park are out in the open. It is hot here today and will be hotter tomorrow… 102F predicted. I thought we left the hot weather at home. We used the NP senior parks pass that we purchased several years ago. They give us free entry to most of the U.S. National Parks.
We have no cell network here but WiFi is good.
Louise and Brian McLeod Travel Blog 
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