Fort Pierre sculpture honors Lakota family’s role in saving the buffalo
New monument recognizes Fred Dupree and Mary Good Elk Woman's legacy in bison restoration
Tribal leaders, descendants and community members gathered July 3 in Fort Pierre, South Dakota, to dedicate a new sculpture honoring Frederick "Fred" Dupree and his Lakota wife, Mary Good Elk Woman, for their role in helping preserve the American bison, according to reporting from Native Sun News Today. Sculptor John Lopez unveiled "Dupree, Fort Pierre's American Bison," while the Wakinyan Maza Drum Group performed an honor song during the ceremony. The event also included the dedication of a companion water-carrying woman sculpture.
Descendants said the couple rescued orphaned buffalo calves in 1883 when bison populations had nearly disappeared from the Northern Plains, according to the Native Sun News Today reporting. Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Chairman Ryman LeBeau recognized the family's contributions with an executive proclamation, saying their actions reflected Lakota teachings of thinking seven generations ahead. Speakers also highlighted Mary Good Elk Woman's role in preserving the buffalo and her family's cultural responsibility to the Buffalo Nation.
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