Four years ago, a Colorado-based creative team embarked on a fine-art photography project designed to celebrate life on north-central South Dakota’s remote Cheyenne River reservation, home to four bands of the Lakota nation. Richard and Heather Steinberger, a photographer-writer team from Bailey, Colorado, joined forces with Evergreen, Colorado-based photographer Matt Normann to develop a coffee table book that would introduce Cheyenne River’s landscapes, flora and fauna, communities, traditions and residents to a larger audience.
That book is now available to the public through Amazon, and the creative team has announced that 100 percent of the proceeds from book sales will benefit the 27-year-old, not-for-profit Cheyenne River Youth Project® in Eagle Butte. CRYP will use those funds to meet needs wherever they are greatest, from youth programming to family services.
“We’ve always strongly believed that Cheyenne River’s story is one of hope, not one of despair,” said Julie Garreau, CRYP’s executive director. “So when Heather, Richard and Matt first approached us with the idea for this project, we were very excited. Our community really got behind them, and the end result is a beautiful book that really was a team effort. We’re all very proud of it.”
Over the course of four years, in every season, professional photographers Steinberger and Normann captured the beauty that often lies in unexpected places, from the 2.8-million-acre reservation and its communities, to sacred Bear Butte, to the windswept prairie lands that stretch from Cheyenne River to the hallowed ground at Wounded Knee.
The images are accompanied by the words of those who know this place best — Cheyenne River’s young people,” said Heather Steinberger, who has worked closely with the youth project for nearly a decade. “Schoolchildren from two Cheyenne River school districts contributed their poems, essays and memoirs, reflecting on the concept of home and what it means to them. These precious pieces of writing represent the thoughts and feelings of the next generation, who are Cheyenne River’s greatest treasure, and its greatest hope for the future.”
The creative team also has made a selection of limited-edition fine-art prints available for purchase; 100 percent of the proceeds from these sales will support CRYP as well.
To order books, go to amazon.com, select “Books” in the search bar, and search for “Richard Steinberger.” When you view the book’s listing, be sure to click “See all 3 formats and editions” — three versions are available, from 8×10 to 11×13, in hardcover and paperback. To order more than 10 copies, please contact the creative team at heather@timberlinemediallc.com, as discounts may apply.
For more details about the project, and to order prints, visit cheyenneriverfineart.com.And, to stay up to date on the latest CRYP news and events, follow the youth project on Facebook (/LakotaYouth), Twitter (@LakotaYouth) and Instagram (@waniyetuwowapi).
The Cheyenne River Youth Project, founded in 1988, is a grassroots, not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing the youth of the Cheyenne River reservation with access to a vibrant and secure future through a wide variety of culturally sensitive and enduring programs, projects and facilities that ensure strong, self-sufficient families and communities.