50 ft. Native American woman statue titled "Dignity"

[packman]

Overlooking a reservoir on the Missouri River in Chamberlain SD.

[Wounded Bear]

1. Beautiful...nt

[NurseJackie]

31. Photo of the reverse view (with human nearby for size scale)

[RestoreAmerica2020]

2. Que bella! What a beautiful work of art.

Thanks for post.

Paz.

[denbot]

3. Ah-Ho!

K&R

[MLAA]

4. Powerful!

[Delphinus]

5. Oh,

this is beautiful! Thank you for sharing!

[Politicalgolfer]

6. How stunning & beautiful

Wow!!!😔

[Haggard Celine]

7. I hope it lasts.

Someone did a big wooden sculpture of an Indian head with the headdress at the entrance to one of the local towns. It was a wonderful statue, but it only lasted about 20-30 years. Wood does not need to be out in the elements. We get a ton of rain down here though, so I'm sure that was a major part of why the statue didn't last.

[Celerity]

10. this is stainless steel

https://tinyurl.com/36vhtumb

Dignity (a.k.a. Dignity of Earth & Sky) is a sculpture on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River near Chamberlain, SD. The 50-foot high stainless steel statue by South Dakota artist laureate Dale Lamphere depicts an Indigenous woman in Plains-style dress receiving a star quilt.

Three Native American women from Rapid City, SD served as the models for the sculpture. The artist began by first drawing the form and then sculpting a one-eighth-scale model. The statue boldly proclaims that South Dakota's Native cultures are alive, standing with dignity. According to Lamphere, the sculpture honors the culture of the Lakota and Dakota peoples who are indigenous to South Dakota.

Assisting Lamphere were sculptors Tom Trople, Jim Maher, Andy Roltgen, and Grant Standard. Automotive paint expert Brook Loobey assisted with the colors for the quilt, and Albertson Engineering of Rapid City, SD ensured the sculpture would endure the strong winds common in the area.

Norm and Eunabel McKie of Rapid City, South Dakota announced their gift of Dignity to the State of South Dakota in 2014, in honor of the 125th anniversary of South Dakota statehood. The statue was erected in September 2016.

[Haggard Celine]

12. Well that's good!

I don't know how I got the idea that it was wooden. Thanks for setting me straight.

[jaxexpat]

37. I missed an opportunity due to ignorance.

Driving through that area 2019, even stayed a night in Chamberlain. Didn't know about it. Sad me.

[ShazzieB]

49. Yeah, we drove through there, too, in 2018.

Had no idea this sculpture existed. Would definitely have sought it out. Rats!

[Bristlecone]

8. That is a great statue.

[crickets]

9. Breathtaking. Thanks for sharing it, packman. nt

[soothsayer]

11. That's a beauty! The statue atop the US Capitol (Freedom) has a Native American headpiece

https://www.loc.gov/resource/hhh.dc1054.photos/?sp=7

But the rest not so much.

[Cozmo]

13. Inspirational, thanks!

[Demovictory9]

14. impressive

[SergeStorms]

15. Too bad it's in South Dakota.

I don't set foot in red states, but that's just me.

[Cobalt Violet]

16. The Lakota and Dakota it honors are Indigenous to SD.

Biden got 77-88% of the votes in the Indigenous counties.

[SergeStorms]

24. I love the indigenous people...

it's just that I have to wade through so many right-wing peices of crap to get to them. I wish nothing but the best for the indigenous people of this country.

[Celerity]

25. South Dakota Senate: 32 Rethugs, 3 Dems, South Dakota House of Representatives: 62 Rethugs, 8 Dems

Trump won it by over 26 points. Mike Rounds won the Senate race by over 31 points.

Rethug Dusty Johnson won the at-large US House seat by 81-19

Finally, they have arguably the worst governor (DeSantis and Abbott giver her a run for the prize) in the US in Kristi Noem.

I see nothing wrong with it being boycotted.

[Dreampuff]

52. Ditto!

I see nothing wrong with boycotting red States, but unfortunately mine has turned pretty red. I had been watching DeSantis and Noem to see which one could crawl further up Trump's butt.

The statue is absolutely beautiful and thank you for sharing it. The natives have always been left in the shadows where they were put several centuries ago. I keep waiting for AIM to fully join the BLM movement, although I have been to rallies where I have seen signs stating AIM supports you. The Sioux are a beautiful and spiritual people!

[jaxexpat]

40. You must be a Blue-Foot. My Indian name is "Blue Foot Sleeps in Red State". We might be cousins.

[Takket]

17. wow... you know when i first looked at this picture

I immediately thought "this statue should be near a water source somewhere near where they wanted to run that damn keystone through their lands".... then i saw your note at the bottom about the reservoir. PERFECT.

[ailsagirl]

18. Just beautiful !!

[Talitha]

19. Thanks for posting this, packman... She's absolutely stunning!

[Baked Potato]

20. Dang, that is magnificent!

[MustLoveBeagles]

21. Fantastic

[3catwoman3]

22. This is breathtakingly...

...gorgeous!

[mountain grammy]

23. Beautiful.. guess we're going back to SD.

We were going to avoid it, but I sure want to see this.

[msfiddlestix]

26. Stunning!

[dalton99a]

27. It is lit at night

[niyad]

35. Simply breathtaking! Thank you!

[smirkymonkey]

28. Just beautiful!

Stunning!

[canetoad]

29. Powerful

Reminds me of this woman.

?itok=gzpWrHI6

[niyad]

33. Yes, of course!

[Mickju]

36. That was my first thought upon seeing it.

There is so much wisdom in that face, just beautiful!

[ShazzieB]

50. Mine, too!!! 😁

[onetexan]

45. Sure does. Wow thats a stunning &powerful statue

We should have something like this by the same artist @the capital.

[Raine]

54. That was my thought too! 👍 nt

[Progressive Jones]

30. I've seen this work of art in person twice. Photos don't do it justice. nt

[niyad]

34. How wonderful!

[niyad]

32. Thank you for sharing this beautiful image. Would you consider cross-posting it in Women's

rRights And Issyes? Thanks in advance.

[malaise]

38. K & R

Stunning!

[malaise]

39. K & R

Stunning!

[BobTheSubgenius]

41. Gorgeous!

If I was in the general area, I'd definitely travel to see that, or if I could see it by merely altering my route through that part of the US, I would.

[LT Barclay]

42. Amazing, but will it hold up to a thunderstorm?

[wendyb-NC]

43. Breath taking

So beautiful.

[seta1950]

44. Beautiful

Love it

[burrowowl]

46. Beautiful!

[Maru Kitteh]

47. That is an absolutely gorgeous 50ft tornado sail.

The most beautiful I have ever seen.

[Silent3]

48. "...Albertson Engineering of Rapid City, SD ensured the sculpture would endure the strong winds...

...common in the area"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dignity_(statue)

Whether that covers tornadoes or not, I can't be sure, but someone's at least thinking about wind stresses.

[soldierant]

51. This statue is so filled with spirit that it almost breathes.

(or maybe she does breathe.)

My first thought was in reference to how lonely she must feel - not due to being out in the near-wilderness, but lonely like the Statue of Liberty on account of so many deserting the principles she stands for.

Of course, strong women are capable of dealing with that - but why should they have to?

[Raine]

53. Absolutely BEAUTIFUL, just gorgeous! 👍 nt