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Mission
Statement
History provides tools for defining our diverse
cultural identities and understanding our past. The Office of History/South Dakota State
Historical Society shall promote, nurture and sustain the historical and cultural heritage
of South Dakota by collecting, preserving, researching, and interpreting evidence of the
state's irreplaceable past and making it available for the life-long education and
enrichment of present and future generations.
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| A
masterpiece of Lakota sculpture, the Sioux Horse Effigy dance stick,
ca. 1870, was probably carved to honor a wounded horse and is considered one of the greatest
equine sculptures in the world. This singular piece of the museum's collection is
incorporated into the Society's logo.
Carved out of wood, this
3-foot-long sculpture is enhanced by its real horsehair mane and tail.
Leather reins and bridle exhibit care with which this sculpture was
made. The horse is also riddled with holes, bullet wounds. Red paint,
blood, seems to seep from these wounds, suggesting that it died in
battle. Blood also runs from the horse's mouth in the form of red
horsehair. Its ears are backward slanting, showing fear and pain. The
horse's elongated body and forward leaping motion suggest a leap from
life to death. |
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