RAPID CITY, S.D. — After years of discussions and development, hopes are to break ground on the He Sapa Otipi community center in 2026.With support from both the Vision Fund and the community, organizers recently launched a capital campaign to raise the final $3 million to get the project under way.

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The He Sapa Otipi community center has been in the works for the past decade. The center is designed to provide a valuable community space for the indigenous community.Sitting on six acres of land donated by the NDN Collective, the center will serve as an area to hold wakes and funerals, celebrate culture and language, host workshops and other events.“A looming issue that we’ve always had is we’ve never had a space of our own, to have our own celebrations, to have wakes and funerals hosted by the indigenous community. This is a new solution. It’s a positive solution for our community, a place for our indigenous community, but it’s a place for everyone. It’s hosted by the Lakota community,” said Cante Heart, Executive Director, He Sapa Otipi.The He Sapa Otipi community center will be located north of Rapid City just off Haines Avenue near Country Road. Organizers hope to raise $21 million for the 40,000 sq. foot project which will be done in three phases.He Sapa Otipi kicked off a capital campaign in April. Currently they have some grant money, $9 million from 2022 Vision Funds, $1 million donated from NDN Collective, and are raising $3 million in the capital campaign to break ground in 2026.“We’ve invested, supported He Sapa Otipi with grant money. They’ve also received the money from Rapid City, which is massive, but they’re not quite there, where they need to be in terms of their overall fundraising efforts. And it’s going to take everybody, every single community, person here in Rapid City, supporting that making a contribution, and we’re going to continue to be supporting them all along,” said Wizipan Little Elk Garriott, President, NDN Collective.He Sapa Otipi will be a place to teach heritage and community to both the indigenous and the area community.

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While it was created in 2016, the vision for the project has spanned generations.“This isn’t the first effort in creating a community center. It first began in the 1960s with the Winona Club, with the grandmothers, who brought forth the community center, who wanted a space to have a sewing circle, to carry on our language, to teach our language, and dances and singing. And so we always think of them when we do this work,” Heart said.

By
Jerry Steinley

Jerry Steinley has lived in the Black Hills most of his life and calls Rapid City home. He received a degree in Journalism with a minor in Political Science from Metropolitan State University in Denver in 1994.