This summer, the Cheyenne River Youth Project is expanding the role of Wakanyeja Kin Wana Ku Pi (The Children Are Coming Home), its nearly 40-acre property near Bear Butte State Park, by creating new opportunities for Lakota youth to visit the Mato Paha (Bear Mountain) sacred site and strengthen their connection with the land. The nonprofit youth organization hosted its first day camp for young children in June and its first four-night teen camp in late July.
Together, the camps reflect CRYP’s growing vision for the property as a place where young people can experience cultural revitalization and healing.
“It’s important to start them young, giving them access to age-appropriate versions of our teen programs,” said Jerica Widow, CRYP’s programs director. “It’s interesting, because originally CRYP only had The Main, our youth center for 4- to 12-year-olds. Then we added the teen center 20 years ago, and not only is it a significant programming hub, it’s helping The Main evolve so we can better meet the little kids where they are and provide the opportunities they need.”
Children from The Main visited Wakanyeja Kin Wana Ku Pi on June 20 as part of activities connected to World Peace and Prayer Day. The day was founded by Cheyenne River Lakota spiritual leader Chief Arvol Looking Horse, who sought to unite people of all nations and faith traditions.
According to Hayley Dupris, The Main’s youth programs manager, the young day-campers explored the CRYP property, shared lunch and created prayer flags while nearby teens participating in World Peace and Prayer Day made prayer ties. Then they hiked the Bear Butte Summit Trail — a 3.7-mile out-and-back hike that features a 900-foot vertical climb to the 4,426-foot summit.
“One of our littles made it all the way to the top,” Dupris said. “They love hiking. I would like to bring even more kids out here next time. We’re so proud of them and can’t wait to see how their journey unfolds.”
Like Widow, Dupris believes introducing younger children to Wakanyeja Kin Wana Ku Pi helps establish a natural progression into CRYP’s programming at the Cokata Wiconi (Center of Life) Teen Center, which welcomes youth ages 13 to 18.
“It’s important for them to feel culturally connected, and I hope they are excited about what lies ahead,” she said. “They know the teens have been camping at the property, so this is a new pathway to help them transition to Cokata Wiconi when they turn 13.”
That progression continued on July 27-31 as 20 Lakota Culture Interns experienced four nights of camping at the Bear Butte property before returning to Eagle Butte to complete their program. The young women’s and young men’s internship cohorts began July 20 and concluded Aug. 6.
The cohorts established separate traditional tipi camps, and they spent the week immersed in Lakota language and teachings, outdoor experiences and community living. Their itinerary included visits to additional sacred sites throughout the Black Hills, such as Heháka Sápa (Black Elk Peak), Maka Oniye (Breathing Earth/Wind Cave), Pe’Sla (the Heart of Everything That Is) and Mato Tipila (Bear Lodge/Devil’s Tower).
Along the way, the interns learned creation stories and traditional plant knowledge, participated in daily prayer and smudging, made prayer ties, experienced traditional ceremonies and shared meals. They also enjoyed hiking, swimming, cookouts, campfires and simply spending time together on the land.
Survey responses revealed the camp’s impact from the participants’ perspective.
“The camp helped me forget about everything going on in my own life,” one teen wrote. “It made me feel free, and being on a camping trip with other youth was the best experience.”
Another participant reflected, “It made me feel calm. Singing was the best part, and hiking on Unči Mákha (Grandmother Earth) made me feel closer to nature.”
Others emphasized the camp’s cultural significance, with one camper noting, “Singing, praying and visiting the sacred sites gave me memories I’ll never forget.”
For Julie Garreau, CRYP’s founder and chief executive officer, the teens’ reflections reinforce her belief that camping trips at Wakanyeja Kin Wana Ku Pi are about far more than spending time outdoors. They are a continuation of a sacred legacy.
“Through Wakanyeja Kin Wana Ku Pi, we are restoring access to one of our most sacred places in the heart of our traditional homelands,” she explained. “You cannot separate Lakota culture from the land. In restoring our relationship with one, we heal our connection to the other.”
For nearly four decades, CRYP has worked to ensure Lakota youth have access to opportunities that strengthen cultural identity, build confidence and prepare them for adulthood. Acquired in 2024, the Bear Butte property has become an essential part of that vision, providing space for camps, internships, workshops and other experiences rooted in Lakota ways of knowing.
To learn more about the Cheyenne River Youth Project and its programs, and for information about making donations and volunteering, call (605) 964-8200 or visit lakotayouth.org. And, to stay up to date on the latest CRYP news and events, follow the youth project on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Vimeo and YouTube.
The Cheyenne River Youth Project, founded in 1988, is a grassroots, nonprofit organization dedicated to providing the youth of the Cheyenne River Sioux 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.