Akta Lakota Museum 

I found the Akta Lakota Museum and Cultural Center in Chamberlain, South Dakota, a little off the beaten path but very interesting. The Sioux Nation has always fascinated me, and I want to write a novel including them sometime. So far, I've only included Cherokee, Comanche, and Chickasaw in my novels. However, in an upcoming book, Beckett's Brides, the land where gold was discovered in South Dakota belonged to the Sioux. Settlers flocked to the gold, towns such as Deadwood were established, and disputes ensued. As typically happened, the government eventually ruled in favor of the settlers.

The museum was established in 1991 and is filled with displays and artifacts that tell the Lakota's story. The exhibits are set up according to the four directions on the medicine wheel. The East or Circle Camp shows the Lakota culture before Euro-American contact. The South represents when the two worlds meet with the arrival of explorers, traders, missionaries, and settlers. West speaks to the interactions with the U.S. government and the establishment of reservations, and the North addresses how the Lakota have adapted and their culture continues to do so.

The exhibits are informative. I wish I had the space to show them all, but here are just a few that I hope speak for themselves, although the photos don't do the displays justice.