"Never forget your dreams" - Crazy Horse

South Dakota was the first state to officially celebrate Native Americans’ Day each year on the second Monday in October. Elsewhere, the day is observed as Columbus Day.

The South Dakota Legislature established the Native Americans’ Day holiday at the urging of Gov. George S. Mickelson. He declared 1990 as a “Year of Reconciliation” and called for the first Native Americans’ Day observance to be held at Crazy Horse Memorial, where the likeness of the Lakota leader is being carved to honor the Native Americans.

At the first holiday gathering, held at Crazy Horse Memorial, Gov. Mickelson told more than 1,200 people, “We can’t turn back the clock. We can only turn to the future together. What we can do as leaders, both Native American and white, is teach others that we can change attitudes.”

https://crazyhorsememorial.org/

Standing Bear was determined. He would not rest until there was a memorial, which honored his people, was located in the Black Hills, and was equally large in scope and vision as the memorial being carved at Mt. Rushmore. At one point, he even approached Gutzon Borglum to advocate for a Native American addition to the Shrine of Democracy. Borglum likely dismissed the idea as no such addition transpired; however, in keeping with the legacy of persistence and advocacy that he created during his lifetime, Standing Bear refused to give up. His continued search would eventually lead him to prize-winning sculptor, Korczak Ziolkowski . . .





https://goo.gl/maps/aewHj