Mahkato

31st Annual Traditional

Wacipi

A group of inmates at South Dakota State Prison in Sioux Falls are attempting to form an arts and crafts collective to enable themselves to purchase materials, create arts and crafts, and sell these products to generate an income to be used to purchase personal items such as: coffee, envelopes for writing home, personal hygiene items, etc. (An excerpt from their business plan is included below.)

To view some of their Current (2003) Work, Click Here

In 2002, the Mahkato Mdewakanton Association was approached, by a friend, to help this group through the sale/auction/raffle of two paintings produced by one of the artists. The club enthusiastically embraced this idea and suggested that we raffle one of the paintings and sell the other via silect auction during the upcoming wacipi.

This year, 2003, we have some new items that we will raffle. Each item's raffle will be conducted on a single day. We have placed photographs of both painting on our web site for your viewing. Click on the links below.

OVERVIEW OF PRISON ARTS AND CRAFTS
Within the walls of the South Dakota State Prison an inmate finds himself with endless hours of idle time, spent for the most part within the confines of a cell. The only exceptions to this daily schedule is for those who attend some type of educational program or for those who were fortunate enough to secure a job assignment that may earn them $30-$40 per month. For those without job assignments, which is approximately half of the prison population, there are no opportunities to earn an income to purchase essential necessities such as coffee, envelopes for writing home, personal hygiene items, and so forth.

Thus, for many D/N/Lakota inmates, their only source or opportunity to earn some personal spending money is through the sale of their arts and craft products. For those Lakota artists and craftsmen who can afford to invest in a minimal amount of materials, the sale of their finished products represents a livelihood in prison, rather than a casual hobby/craft. The problem for many artists and craftsmen is that they simply cannot raise the initial start-up capital to purchase raw materials from which finished products can be sold. This is an ever-present obstacle for many potential artists and craftsmen who simply do not have the financial resources to become economically self-reliant and self-sufficient with the context of the prison's socioeconomic structure.

It is this very problem or obstacle that this small business proposal is concepted to address. That is, to secure the necessary start-up capital from which materials can be purchased and distributed to generate finished products.

CURRENT MARKETING OF ARTS AND CRAFTS
Currently, there is no organized effort within the prison to develop long-term marketing outlets for D/N/Lakota arts and craft products. For the most part, each individual artist and craftsman must rely on his own resources to market and sell his products. For many, this means that he must depend on a family member or trusted friend, who then tries to sell his products to whomever can be interested in buying something. This unplanned individualized approach to marketing is not only time consuming but, in many instances, results in a bartering exchange whereby the products are sold at a bare minimum price. This is so because of the artist/craftsman's need to quickly convert his products into cash so that he can quickly reinvest his money into materials and thereby continue his survival and selfreliance in this particular form of trade and enterprise.

The Native American Council of Tribes, an inmate organization, attempts to provide a market outlet for arts and craft products during the Wacipi (gathering) held at the prison. This market outlet is limited to selling items to outside guests who attend these functions.

Other than marketing their products through family or friends or through the Wacipis held four times a year, there does not exist an organized marketing liaison between artists and craftsmen, community sales contacts, and prospective buyers with interests in making large volume purchases of quality Native American arts and craft products.

This then translates into income opportunities for those artists and craftsmen who would otherwise not have this opportunity to derive a source of income from their natural talents and skills as artists and craftsmen.

A brief description of the types of arts and crafts that are produced behind the walls here at the South Dakota State Prison are listed as follows:

1. Pencil and ink drawings

2. Paintings (various mediums)

3. Traditional singing and ceremonial drums

4. Beadwork designed leather vests, belts, and moccasins

5. Beaded jewelry and accessory items (wide variety)

6. Hair-pipe chokers and breastplates

7. Bead and quill earrings and chokers

8. Hide Paintings

It is estimated that there are possibly 50 to 60 capable artists and craftsmen behind the walls and, yet, there are only 10 to 15 who actually have the resources to continually produce and sell their products and to reinvest their profits to replenish their material supplies.

With that stated, the potential represented by these artists and craftsmen, with regard to their collective potential output of finished products, could best be described as a potential arts and crafts factory that would be comparable to many existing craft industries within the state. That is, if this potential were to be organized.

This web site and its design is the Copyright © 2001, 2002 of the Mahkato Mdewakanton Association.
All Rights Reserved.