July 20, 2024

Music is often called the universal language. On July 26-27 in Sioux Falls, area residents can experience the expressive and communicative properties of music firsthand during the 2nd Annual All My Relatives Music Festival at Levitt at the Falls, 504 North Phillips Avenue.

The event is free to the public and is presented by Levitt at the Falls and the South Dakota State University (SDSU) Wokini Initiative. South Dakota Humanities Council (SDHC) sponsors the project.

The festival is grounded in four fundamental goals – celebrating Native American culture, spotlighting Native American musicians, engaging Native youth, and building meaningful cultural connections with tribal communities, leaders, and audience members to foster mutual understanding and respect for Native arts and culture.

Three scheduled mainstage appearances highlight the celebration. International award-winning singer, songwriter, and philanthropist Kelly Jackson (Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians) will perform July 26 at 7:45 pm. Jackson is widely-known for her soulful vocals.   

On July 27 at 10:30 am, Starr Chief Eagle (Siċaŋġu Lakota), Lakota Culture Interpreter and Hoop Dancer, will take the main stage. Chief Eagle imparts the traditional teachings of her father, Dallas, through art, language, dance, and song.

Innovative hip-hop artist Supaman (Christian Takes Gun Parrish), enrolled member of the Apsáalooke (Crow) Nation of Montana, is scheduled July 27 at 7:45 pm. Among multiple honors, he has received the 2017 MTV VMA Award for “Best Fight Against the System.” He inspires people through a message of hope, pride, and resilience.

Integral to the festivities are two discussions slated for July 27 at Rehfeld’s Underground, 431 North Phillips Avenue. At 11:30 am, Kelly Jackson’s “Music is Medicine” presentation explores the healing power of music and raises awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous women. Following at 1 pm, “Native American Resiliency in a Post-Boarding School World” examines the profound effects of these institutions on our collective history.

Other events include a fashion show, vendor fair, and children’s activities. For a complete festival schedule, click here.

For more information, contact SDHC at (605) 688-6113.

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