American Gam

“Standing at a crossroads, Dignity echoes the interaction of earth, sky, and people. She brings to light the beauty and promise of the indigenous peoples and cultures that still thrive on this land. My intent is to have the sculpture stand as an enduring symbol of our shared belief that all here are sacred, and in a sacred place.” ~ Dale Claude Lamphere

In Chamberlain, South Dakota there is an enormous statue called Dignity of Earth and Sky. It’s located at the Lewis & Clark Welcome Center off Interstate 90 where the windy bluff provides an expansive, peaceful view of the Missouri River valley and creates a quiet space for reflection on the heritage of the Great Plains.

When the Corps of Discovery reached present-day Chamberlain on September 16, 1804, as part of Thomas Jefferson’s Westward Expansion, led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, they camped along this river to dry out from recent rains. They stood on this very spot where Dignity of Earth and Sky now stands and called this area Camp Pleasant.

Here today, Dignity of Earth and Sky is a fifty-foot-tall, twelve-ton stainless steel monument honoring the Lakota, Nakota and Dakota peoples. It was installed in September 2016 to commemorate South Dakota’s 125th anniversary of statehood and it was designed by South Dakota Artist Laureate Dale Claude Lamphere.

A lot of people assume that the subject of this sculpture is the Shoshone interpreter Sacagawea who accompanied Lewis & Clark on their trans-continental expedition. They are mistaken. Rather than using a single model, Lamphere used three Native American models, ages 14, 29, and 55 to shape the facial features of the figure, which represents the enduring strength and wisdom of Indigenous women.

The monumental figure wears a traditional Plains-style dress and holds a shimmering star quilt featuring one hundred and twenty-eight stainless steel diamond-shaped tiles. The blue tones of the quilt sparkle in the daytime sunlight and wind, while integrated LED lights illuminate the structure at night against the prairie sky.

Standing below this sculpture you can see that Dignity was designed so that the wind and sun move through her to integrate with the environment.

I hope this moving symbol of indigenous culture stands for all of eternity.

The gam continues…