He Sapa Style Show 2011

South Dakota doesn't celebrate Columbus Day - instead, they celebrate Native American Day. While the rest of the country commemorates the arrival of Christopher Columbus and his three ships (which didn't even make it to America, btw), people in South Dakota honor the Indigenous peoples who were here long before Columbus.

The Black Hills Powwow, or He Sapa Wacipi as it is known in the Lakota language, is one of the biggest celebrations, coinciding each year with the weekend before Native American Day.

It is a competition powwow held in Rapid City. Besides dance and drum competitions, there are also a wide variety of other events, such as a youth day symposium, hang game tournament, Miss He Sapa Win Contest, and a Style Show.

Above is a picture from the 2011 He Sapa Style Show featuring a design by Mildred Carpenter (photo by Dawnee LeBeau). Designers at this year's event included Darlene Perkins, Meghan Casey, Sina Shaw, Prarie Edge, Darla Brown, Bessie Sherwood, Mildred Carpenter, and Jackie Bird '2010 He Sapa Style Show Designer of the year.'