See the Latest Addition to Mdewakanton: Dwellers of the Spirit Lake Exhibit
Visit the Mdewakanton: Dwellers of the Spirit Lake public exhibit to see a new addition installed in late July. Located within a rotating display featuring regalia and contemporary clothing handmade by members of the Oceti Ṡakowiŋ (the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota peoples of the Northern Plains), this woven ribbon dress was created by Leah Thomas, an enrolled member of the Prairie Island Indian Community.
Thomas handcrafted the dress for the 2025 Hoċokata Ṫi Fashion Show and its theme, Ṫate: The Wind Guides Us. Through its palette of varying blue tones representing the sky, the thoughtfully crafted piece reflects the show’s theme and embodies the spirituality of the Dakota belief system. The woven ribbons that form the body of the dress symbolize the wind and its connection to all living beings, reflecting its role as a guiding and unifying force within the natural world.
Read more about Leah and the dress in issue 6 of Wiċoṡkaŋ, the magazine of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.
The exhibit is open Wednesday-Saturday from 9am-4:30pm. Last entry is 3:30pm. Purchase tickets here.
