Lighting of the Teepees
Illuminating Indigenous Peoples’ Day
October 2021
Burke Park on Peets Hill
Bozeman, MT
Lighting of the Teepees: Illuminating Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Peets Hill, October 2021
Lighting of the Teepees was a collaborative project with the Pretty Shield Foundation, the Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council and the City of Bozeman. Seven illuminated teepees were placed on the bluff that overlooks Bozeman for the 10 days that surrounded Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
This dramatic display invited all to consider and acknowledge the longer history of Bozeman's landscape. As Bozeman's population rapidly grows, it is important to amplify and illuminate the presence of the original residents to prevent further erasure of Indigenous cultures.
Lighting of the Teepees honored the contributions of American Indians to our community, economy and rich culture & history. They were installed on the ancestral lands and traditional use area of the Bitterroot Salish, Pend d’Oreille, Kootenai, Blackfeet, Northern Cheyenne, Crow, Chippewa Cree, Assiniboine, Gros Ventre, Dakota, and other Indigenous nations of this region.
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Proclamation to Recognize and Celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day on the Second Monday of Each October
Mountain Time Arts proudly supports the City of Bozeman's "Proclamation to Recognize and Celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day" as read by Mayor Cyndy Andrus on Monday, October 11, 2021 at the Lighting of the Teepees.
Mountain Time Arts is dedicated to amplifying "the distinct and unique cultural heritage of American Indians" per the Proclamation. Just as the Proclamation states, "the region's rich American Indian history and contemporary cultural influences" contribute to our diverse community, and in our minds, create great art such as the "Lighting of the Teepees - Illuminating Indigenous Peoples Day".
Thank you for standing with Mountain Time Arts and the City of Bozeman to declare the importance of Indigenous Peoples' Day and the everlasting triumph of Indigenous culture!