Cultural diversity celebrated in SDAC apprenticeship program

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.

An example of Wade Patton’s beadwork, learned from Molina Parker during his apprenticeship.

In Brown County outside Frederick, weaver Annikki Marttila is teaching Finnish rya knot weaving to Lyla Agius of Ipswich. Lyla is already an accomplished weaver, but wanted to learn this specific style, rya knot weaving, from Annikki. Lyla is hoping to earn a Certificate of Excellence from the Handweavers Guild of America, and rya knot weaving is one of the final techniques she needs to master for the certification.

Annikki Marttila instructs Lyla Agius in the traditional art of Finnish rya knot weaving.

In Kyle, Dallas Chief Eagle has been teaching hoop dancing to his 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 performing with Dwight Lamb in Madison, Wisconsin, at the Sustaining Scandinavian Folk Music in the Upper Midwest symposium.

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. They performed and discussed their experiences learning and teaching traditional music through SDAC’s Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program.

Finally, we have a new set of apprenticeships about to be announced. The artists will begin working together starting in July. Stay tuned for more information about the incredible traditional arts that thrive in South Dakota!

For more information about the South Dakota Arts Council Traditional Arts Program, visit https://artscouncil.sd.gov/tradarts/intro.aspx

Published by Arts South Dakota www.ArtsSouthDakota.org #ArtsSD