The first Lakota Nation Invitational Storytelling Competition began on Wednesday.
Sixteen students are participating in the competition. They are sharing traditional Lakota and Dakota stories, contemporary stories and family knowledge.
"Something like this preserves our oral traditions," Lydia Whirlwind Soldier told The Rapid City Journal.
Nellie Two Elk, a sophomore at Todd County High School, described a story she learned from her grandmother.
She said she had to fight back tears as she described how the U.S. 7th Cavalry massacred hundreds.
"Can you imagine the terror?" Two Elk said, the Journal reported. "We as Indians of Sioux blood can hear those screams."
The 31st annual Lakota Nation Invitational is taking place in Rapid City this week. It includes a basketball tournament, a language bowl and hand games.
Get the Story:Storytelling connects LNI students with cultural tradition (The Rapid City Journal 12/20) $rl Lakota Nation Invitational - http://lakotaelite.com -
