The footprint left by All American Indian Days stands as a unique community effort.

Memorial

All American Indian Days Memorial 
The footprint left by All American Indian Days stands as a unique community effort from 1953 to 1984. In the early 2000’s, Sarah Johnson Luther (Diné), former Miss Indian America XIV, visited Sheridan and decided this amazing story of race relations needed to be publicly and permanently recognized. This launched the idea for a commemorative memorial statue, and was the start of forming The Honoring Project. This organization blended two titleholders from AAID with a family member of one of the local Sheridan founders, and three advisors, including Father Peter J. Powell, who worked together as a team to complete the All American Indian Days Memorial.

Mitákuye Oyaśin
Mitákuye Oyaśin “Mi-tá-ku-ye O-yaś-in”, Lakota language translation is We Are All Related, was sculpted by Jon DeCelles (Aaniih "White Clay People" and Assiniboine tribes who is an award winning sculptor. Traditional Native leaders blessed the ground prior to the site's construction and when the sculpture was unveiled. Their prayers and songs not only protect it but also remember and honor those who sought to eliminate descrimination against Native Americans.

"Mitákuye Oyaśin" is made of Indiana Limestone and stands 8 feet tall on a 4 foot base. The stone (Inyan) has a durability that reflects Native American people. The Sacred Hoop atop the sculpture unites the races of humanity and celebrates the Four Directions: East is white; South is yellow; West is red; and North is black.  Each of the four sides of the base has a panel that tells the story of All American Indian Days.

The Tipi Village
Over one thousand tipi poles from the Bighorn Mountains supported the Tipi Village at All American Indian Days. Families cooked and slept in their tipi and welcomed visitors and tourists. Each tipi was different in size, shape and color depending on the tribe. From the vast plains of the North came the Blackfeet, Assiniboine, Apsáalooke-Crow, and Cheyenne, their tipis standing tall. The Yakama and Nez Perce journeyed in from the Northwest, while the Arapaho and Shoshone traveled eastward from the mountainous West. The Lakota and Dakota arrived in strength. From across the Canadian border came the Blood and the Piegan. All joined the gathering with shared traditions.

Eagle Headdress An eagle feather headdress is the highest honor given to a Native person. It is earned and worn with humility. The Outstanding Indian of the Year held this honor.

Pipe Ceremony At the start of each evening program, Donald Deernose (Apsáalooke-Crow) held a pipe ceremony. He said, “With gladness in my heart…we meet to knit closer relationships among friends.” This showed appreciation for non-Natives who worked with Native people. 

Miss Indian America Miss Indian America was an advocate for racial equality.  Porcupine quillwork decorated her crown, and she wore a sash over her shoulder. Twenty-nine Miss Indian America titleholders were crowned in Sheridan, Wyoming.

Outer Circle
The circle signifies the cycle of life: everything and everyone is connected. The four open paths in the circle reflect that people came from all directions. Native people from over 60 tribes across the United States and Canada traveled here. Tourists came from as far away as Europe. Sheridan residents welcomed them all.

Memorial Benches and Pavers
Each memorial bench honors those persons who gave years of service. This includes Pageant Judges, Church leaders, Host Families, and Native American founders. All offered generous leadership. Each memorial paver around the bottom of the sculpture honors a person who helped make All American Indian Days successful.

Thank You Memorial Donors
We thank the City of Sheridan, the Sheridan Rotary Club, and the Sheridan Public Arts Committee who will maintain this Memorial in the future. The Honoring Project is indebted to its Advisors, the late Father Peter J. Powell, Kendra Heimbuck, and Mary Jane Edwards. Support from The Brinton Museum and the Jentel Foundation has been priceless. Assistance from the Museum At The Bighorns, the Wyoming Room of the Sheridan County Fulmer Public Library, and Michael Dykhorst is deeply appreciated. We thank the generous contribution by Mullinax, Inc., Thompson Master Masons, the Hill Law Firm, and the support of Kuchera Kane Memorial and the Fletcher Construction Company. We also thank all contestants and former Miss Indian America titleholders who helped make the story of All American Indian Days.

Our thanks to the individual donors and foundations who value the legacy of All American Indian Days and gave support to this unique Memorial. Father Peter J. Powell, Sarah Johnson Luther, Vivian Arviso, Virginia P. and Bradley C. Stratton, Williamette “Willi” Youpee Bussard, William D. and K. Kathy Patton, Family of Jack and Doris Mullinax, Sandy Clark Kolb, Sharron Ahtone Harjo and Family, Lorraine C. Johnson and Family, Peter Clark, Susan Morrison, Michele Portwood Robinson, Greg Nickerson, Linda St. Clair, James Rhodes, Family of Emmie D. Mygatt, Barbara Hail and Family, Tom Yellowtail, Wallace Bearchum, Arlene Wesley James, Virginia Stroud, Bethany Yellowtail, Birdie Real Bird, Eva Whitman Runs Him McCrary, Jerry Berger, John C. and Deborah B. Patton, and many more generous people.

Foundations: Foundation for the Preservation of American Indian Art and Culture, Anne and Scott Nickerson Family Foundation, Homer A. and Mildred S. Scott Foundation, Joe and Arlene Watt Foundation, BNSF Railroad Foundation, Robert and Eleanor Demple Family Foundation, George E. Ewan Family Foundation.

We appreciate grant support towards the All American Indian Days Memorial. Supported in part by a grant from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, a program of the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources. We are also most grateful to the Wyoming Humanities Council.


Plan Your Visit
The All American Indian Days Memorial is located in Rotary Park at the corner of 5th Street and Broadway Avenue in the Historical Railroad District in Sheridan, Wyoming.

Sheridan Inn
Directly across the street from the All American Indian Days Memorial is the Historic Sheridan Inn. The Inn, which opened in the summer of 1893, featured the first electric lights turned on in Sheridan. The Inn's 69 Gables are referenced in Ripley’s Believe It or Not.

The Sheridan Inn was originally fabricated to accommodate businessmen, politicians, and families needing a place to stay as they fulfilled their roles in the economic expansion of the West. The arrival of the Burlington & Missouri Railroad in 1892 transformed Sheridan into the region’s industrial and commercial center; both of Sheridan’s train depots still stand today.


Cultural Exchange Today In Sheridan, Wyoming…

City of Sheridan Annual Pow Wow
The First Peoples’ Pow Wow and Dance is a one-of-a-kind event held on the lawn of the Sheridan Inn during Sheridan WYO Rodeo Week. Unique in its pageantry and participation, the Pow Wow features social dancing with dancers and drum groups from various Native American tribes. This enduring tradition stands as a testament to Sheridan’s commitment to honoring the diverse threads that have shaped its past and continue to enrich its community today.

Sheridan WYO Rodeo
The history of the annual Sheridan WYO Rodeo included a single All American Indian Day in 1953. Today, the evening rodeo features riders who demonstrate their skill and daring on the racetrack in the exciting and popular Indian Relay Races. Starting with the unprecedented selection of Lucy Yellowmule as the 1952 Sheridan WYO Rodeo Queen, there have been several Native American women chosen for this honor through the years.

The Brinton Museum and the American Indian Advisory Council 

The Brinton Museum, located in Sheridan County, is an internationally renowned institution dedicated to Western and American Indian Art. The Brinton Museum collaborated with The Honoring Project as their fiscal sponsor for both the memorial project and our current book project. We are truly grateful for their guidance and support.

The museum believes that American Indian art is essentially sacred, reflecting life lived in a universe filled with supernatural life and power. Thus, it is to be protected and treated with respect. The Brinton Museum is guided by an American Indian Advisory Council, inaugurated in 2015, which provides expertise and advice regarding matters of interest or concern to the Native nations represented in its collections.

The All American Indian Days Memorial is a tribute to the cooperation of non-Natives and Natives from 1953 to 1984.  We honor the respect for Native people and their vision to eliminate racial discrimination. In our thoughts and in the words of our many Native languages, Thank You, Sheridan.

  • Marajah Pease (Apsáalooke-Crow) and her sister Guillauma Pease (Apsáalooke-Crow) from Wyola, Montana, before they do the Lord's Prayer in Sign Language at the 2023 Dedication of the AAID Memorial.

  • Lucy Yellowmule's family treasure. The dress that she wore when she competed and won the 1952 title of Miss Sheridan WYO Rodeo Queen.

  • The Tipi Village with the colorful Blackfeet tipi is on the eastern panel of the base of Mitakuye Oyasin (We Are All Related).

  • The Eagle Headdress, representative of the honor given to the Outstanding Indian of the Year, is on the southern panel of the base of Mitakuye Oyasin (We Are All Related).

  • This panel represents the sharing of the pipe between the Native people and the Sheridan townspeople.  It is the western panel on the base of Mitakuye Oyasin (We Are All Related).

  • The Miss Indian America Crown and Sash are carved on the northern base of Mitakuye Oyasin (We Are All Related).

  • Master sculptor, Jon DeCelles, (Aaniih "White Clay People" and Assinboine tribes in Montana), installs Mitakuye Oyasin (We Are All Related) at the All American Indian Days Memorial in Sheridan, Wyoming.

  • The All American Indian Days Memorial is located in Rotary Park at the corner of 5th Street and Broadway Avenue in the Historical Railroad District, across from the Sheridan Inn, Sheridan Wyoming.

  • The Sacred Hoop is a significant symbol in many indigenous cultures, representing the interconnectedness of all life and the cyclical nature of existence. The colors represent the four cardinal directions and their associated elements and spiritual meanings.

  • In the lingering summer evening light, Mitakuye Oyasin (We Are All Related) offers a striking presence.

  • Each memorial paver honors a person who helped make All American Indian Days successful.

  • Each memorial bench honors people who offered and gave years of generous service.

  • Sundance Chief Tom Yellowtail (Apsáalooke-Crow) and a descendant of two original AAID advisors conducted the Pipe Ceremony at the Dedication.

  • Rhonda Holy Bear (Cheyenne River Lakota), Vice President, Foundation for the Preservation of American Indian Art and Culture and Member of the Indian Advisory Council for the Brinton Museum presented her poem, One Blesses the Other, at the Dedication.

  • Harbee Tharldson, Cantor at St. Peter's Episcopal Church sang The Lord's Prayer for the Dedication.

  • Mayor Richard Bridger looks over his notes before the Gift Acceptance of the All American Indian Days Memorial to the City of Sheridan.

  • Wallace Bearchum, a Northern Cheyenne Traditional leader, gave a prayer, and Donovan Taylor sang an Honor Song.

  • Constance Yellowtail Jackson (Apsáalooke-Crow), surrounded by Tom Yellowtail (Apsáalooke-Crow), Sarah Luther (Diné), Vivian Arviso (Diné), and Jon DeCelles (Aaniih "White Clay People" and Assiniboine tribes of Montana) at the Dedication.

  • Ranchester Mayor and AAID descendant Peter Clark; Rotarians: Terry Weitzel, Sheridan City Council Member; Stuart McRae, Sheridan City Manager, and Pete Olson, Sheridan Rotary "Rotary Park" Beautification Committee Chair.

  • Cantor Harbee Tharldson, Sarah Johnson Luther (Diné), and Jon DeCelles (Aaniih "White Clay People" and Assiniboine tribes of Montana), Master Sculptor for Mitakuye Oyasin (We Are All Related) gather around the sculpture.

  • Jon DeCelles (Aaniih "White Clay People" and Assiniboine tribes of Montana), Master Sculptor for Mitakuye Oyasin (We Are All Related) and Tom Yellowtail, (Apsáalooke-Crow) Sundance Chief share a moment of reflection after the Dedication.

  • Amya Whispering Rain Whelan (Eastern Shoshone, Northern Arapaho, Ojibwa), World Champion Hoop Dancer and Student at  Central Wyoming, K. Kathy Patton, and friend enjoy socializing after the Dedication.

  • Members of the Brinton Museum American Indian Council at the AAID Memorial Dedication. L to R; Tom Yellowtail (Apsáalooke-Crow); Vernon Whiteman (Apsáalooke-Crow); Vivian Arviso (Diné); Rhonda Holy Bear (Cheyenne River Sioux); and Wallace Bearchum (Northern Cheyenne).

  • The Brinton Museum, nestled into the hillside, is anchored by a two-foot thick, 51 foot high, 209 foot long arced rammed earth wall. The design symbolically defines the space, bringing together the geological and spiritual nature of its Western and American Indian Art collections.

    Photo: Tom Hochstetler

  • The expansion of The Brinton Museum was deeply influenced by Father Peter J. Powell, the original advisor to the Honoring Project, whose spiritually resonant collection of Plains Indian and cultural materials was donated through the Foundation for the Preservation of American Indian Art, Inc., becoming the cornerstone of the To Honor the Plains Nations exhibition.

    Photo: Tom Hochstetler

  • In the John and Adrienne Mars Gallery of American Indian Art, visitors may experience the unique culture of the Plains Indians with the finest examples of their blankets and robes, war bonnets, painted war shirts, beaded dresses, jewelry, horse gear and more.

    Photo: Tom Hochstetler

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