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COVID-19 PANDEMIC

News of the spread of Coronavirus/COVID-19 has brought a great deal of uncertainty and concern to our community. As a unified institution comprised of our four schools, our parish, its six churches, and The Heritage Center, we are all committed to doing everything we can to ensure the health of our staff, students, families, parishioners, artists, and all others who are a part of Red Cloud’s thiyóšpaye—our extended family.

At the recommendation of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s Border Monitoring Ordinance, we have decided to suspend tours until further notice.

If you have any questions in regards to booking a tour or visiting The Heritage Center in the future, please call 605-867-8257.

Experience Lakota Culture
The Heritage Center at Red Cloud Indian School
Experience Lakota Culture
The Heritage Center at Red Cloud Indian School
Experience Lakota Culture
The Heritage Center at Red Cloud Indian School

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Red Cloud Indian School welcomes visitors year round to learn the history of the Lakota people and the vibrancy of Lakota arts and culture today. Tour our historic campus, where Chief Red Cloud himself is laid to rest. Experience Lakota and other Native art exhibits in The Heritage Center fine arts gallery and support local Lakota artists by purchasing authentic Native-made goods in our gift shop.

Chief Red Cloud (1822-1909) was a great leader who fiercely defended the lands and rights of the Oglala Lakota. As the U.S. government encroached further and further on tribal sovereignty throughout the nineteenth century, Chief Red Cloud, or Maȟpíya Lúta as he is known to the Lakota, recognized that education was essential to the future survival of his people. In 1888, he joined with the Jesuits, or “black robes,” to create a school for Lakota children at the southern end of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

Over 130 years later, the organization that bears his name—Red Cloud Indian School—continues to honor his spirit and his deep commitment to his people. By teaching Lakota history and spirituality, by actively revitalizing the endangered Lakota language, and by creating opportunity for Lakota artists, we are working to deepen understanding of Lakota heritage, culture, and values.

We welcome all visitors to join us at Red Cloud—to learn more about the history of the Lakota people and to experience the vibrancy of Lakota arts and culture today.

A Red Cloud graduate will guide you on a tour of our beautiful campus and the historic cemetery where Chief Red Cloud himself is laid to rest. As part of your tour, you will experience Lakota and other Native art exhibits in The Heritage Center gallery. You’ll also have the opportunity to purchase authentic Native-made goods in The Heritage Center’s gift shop—and help to provide a sustainable source of income for local Lakota artists on the Pine Ridge Reservation. We look
forward to welcoming you!

Virtual Tours

Due to our campus being closed to visitors we are unable to offer in-person tours.

We are happy to share these virtual tours until we can see you in person.

Holy Rosary Church Tour

You will walk you through the special details of our new church and showcase its award-winning architecture and design.

Historic Cemetery Tour

We will walk you through our historic cemetery on our Red Cloud campus. This cemetery is the final resting place of community members, Indian Scouts, Jesuits, Franciscan Nuns, and Chief Red Cloud.

The Tour

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Red Cloud Indian School is situated in the beautiful rolling hills of the Pine Ridge Reservation, southwest of the majestic Badlands and just north of the Nebraska border. Your guided tour includes a walk around campus, including visiting Chief Red Cloud’s memorial gravesite and a look inside our award-winning Holy Rosary Church, which honors both the Catholic and Lakota values that have shaped Red Cloud’s history. After a formally guided tour, guests can view Lakota and other Native American fine arts in The Heritage Center’s gallery and purchase handmade jewelry and other Lakota arts in our onsite gift shop. During the summer, visitors can experience the Red Cloud Indian Art Show—the largest and longest-running Native art exhibition of its kind and one of only a few held in an indigenous community.

Throughout the tour you will learn about:

Chief Red Cloud’s vision for a school on the Pine Ridge Reservation—and its extraordinary success in empowering Lakota students today
The history of the Lakota people, and the trauma and injustices that unfolded during the reservation era, and the cultural revitalization that is happening on the reservation today.
The importance and prevalence of the arts in Lakota communities—and how Lakota artists are keeping traditional practices alive today.

Your Guides

As well as being staff members, our tour guides are all graduates of Red Cloud Indian School.

Rilda ’08

Marcus ’12

Tour Times

Monday – Friday 10 am, 1 pm, and 4 pm

Tours last approximately one hour.

If you happen to be here outside of our regular tour schedule, please call. We love giving tours
and, if our staff is available, we will do our best to accommodate you.

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Rates

Price: $12 per person

Children under 12 and Oglala Sioux Tribe members tour for free
Red Cloud benefactors can receive complimentary tours; please call ahead to schedule.

Groups

$200 per bus (14 or more)

Recommendation for Groups

Groups are welcome! We encourage you to call ahead so your guests will get the best visitor experience.

If you have more than 20 people, we will split you into smaller groups and have each tour guide begin at different sections of the tour.

Contact Us

Wóphila Tȟáŋka!

(Many Thanks!)

COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Experience Lakota Culture

Experience Lakota Culture

Experience Lakota Culture

Virtual Tours

Holy Rosary Church Tour

Historic Cemetery Tour

The Tour

Throughout the tour you will learn about:

Your Guides

Rilda ’08

Marcus ’12

Tour Times

Rates

Groups

Recommendation for Groups

Contact Us

Wóphila Tȟáŋka!

How to Reach Us

Hours of Operation