Museum of Nebraska Art Celebrates Native American Heritage Month

Nov 1, 2023 By Admin in Native

KEARNEY, Neb. (KSNB) – The Museum of Nebraska Art is celebrating Native American Heritage Month with Oglala Lakota storyteller Jerome Kills Small.

Kills Small tells children’s stories and animal stories that have been passed down for generations as part of the Lakota and Dakota Sioux traditions. Among the types of stories covered are iktomi (trickster tales) and ohunkanka (old legends).

The event is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 13 at 3:30 p.m. at Kearney Public Library. This event is free and open to the public.

Jerome Kills Small is an Oglala Lakota from Porcupine, South Dakota, on the Pine Ridge Reservation. A 1997 graduate of the University of South Dakota with an M.A. in Selected Studies, he retired after 20 years at USD. He taught Lakota Language, American Indian Thought, Siouan Tribal Culture, Early Native American History. He is featured in the book Wounded Warriors: A Time for Healing and has a story in the Silver Anniversary Anthology published by the South Dakota Humanities Council. Kills Small has parts in the videos: Sucker Punched, Nagi Kicopi (Calling Back the Spirit,) Lost Landscapes, and Bones of Contention: Repatriation and Reburial (BBC.) A storyteller for public schools, museums, and colleges, he translates, explains, and sings Lakota ceremonial, sweatlodge, powwow, rabbit, round dance, warrior, vision quest, and sundance songs. He sings with the Iron Wing Singers of Wagner, SD. He is a powwow organizer, announcer, and arena director, and he helps in conducting Lakota ceremonies. He portrayed Tecumseh, a Shawnee Chief and British General. He also portrayed Dr. Charles Alexander Eastman, the first Dakota Medical Doctor. Kills Small is on the Board of Directors for the Native American Advocacy Program.

For information detailing the available speakers and guidelines visit www.humanitiesnebraska.org (Speakers section) or contact Humanities Nebraska at 215 Centennial Mall South, Suite 330, Lincoln, NE 68508, phone (402) 474-2131, fax (402) 474-4852 or e-mail info@humanitiesnebraska.org.