Cultural diversity celebrated in SDAC apprenticeship program
T
By Josh Chrysler, South Dakota Folk Arts Consultant
The yearly cycle of our Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program is coming to a close for fiscal year 2018, with apprenticeships focused on four different South Dakota traditional art forms, representative of the diversity of creative folk culture across the state. This year, we have master artists teaching Lakota beadworking in Rapid City, Finnish rya knot weaving in Frederick, Lakota hoop dancing in Kyle and Missouri Valley style fiddling in Canton. The master artists will continue working with their apprentices, passing along their traditional art forms, through the end of June. In Rapid City, Lakota artist Molina Parker has been teaching Wade Patton beadworking. Wade has proven to be a fast study and is now incorporating beadwork into his artwork. Molina started beading at a young age, learning in a traditional manner from her mother. Molina and Wade both continue to find the balance in their beadwork between honoring tradition and finding ways to evolve, change and grow the tradition. In Brown County outside Frederick, weaver Annikki Annikki Marttila instructs Lyla Agius in the traditional art of Finnish rya knot weaving. Marttila is teaching Finnish rya knot weaving to Lyla Agius of Ipswich. Lyla is already an accomplished learning and teaching traditional weaver, but wanted to learn this music through SDAC’s Traditional specific style, rya knot weaving, Arts Apprenticeship Program. from Annikki. Lyla is hoping to earn Finally, we have a new set of a Certificate of Excellence from the apprenticeships about to be Handweavers Guild of America, and announced. The artists will begin rya knot weaving is one of the final working together starting in July. techniques she needs to master for Stay tuned for more information the certification. about the incredible traditional arts In Kyle, Dallas Chief Eagle has that thrive in South Dakota! An example of Wade Patton’s beadwork, learned from Molina been teaching hoop dancing to his Parker during his apprenticeship. daughter, Delacina Chief Eagle. Dallas has passed this traditional dance form on to three of his daughters now through our apprenticeship program, ensuring this tradition has a vibrant present and future in South Dakota. Both Dallas and Delacina view hoop dancing as being so much more than an art form— for them it is a way of life. Bill Peterson and his apprentices Rynn Lamb, Josh Scott and Carol Skallerud play traditional music regularly at The Wheel, a local watering hole in Canton. Bill has been passing along the unique regional Missouri Valley fiddling style that he previously learned through an SDAC apprenticeship with Dwight Lamb, National Heritage Fellow in Iowa. In addition, Bill Peterson and Dwight Lamb recently traveled to Wisconsin, where they participated in a symposium organized by the University of Wisconsin-Madison on Sustaining Scandinavian Folk Music in the Upper Midwest. Bill Peterson performing with Dwight Lamb in Madison, Wisconsin, at the Sustaining Scandinavian They performed and discussed their experiences Folk Music in the Upper Midwest symposium.
www.ArtsCouncil.sd.gov
Page 11
