Identifier
MA 103
Title
Oak Lake Writers’ Society Records
Dates
1989-2016
Physical Description
2.94 linear feet [7 document cases]
Name of Creator(s)
Oak Lake Writers’ Society
Language
English
Repository
South Dakota State University Archives and Special Collections
Hilton M. Briggs Library (SBL) Room 241, Box 2115
300 North Campus Drive, Brookings, SD 57007
Phone: 605-688-5094
Email: arcrefs@sdstate.edu
Access Note
Open. This material does not circulate and may be used in-house only.
Preferred Citation
Name of item, ID, box #, folder #, TITLE, South Dakota State University Archives and Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library, Brookings, South Dakota.
Abstract
The Oak Lake Writer’s Society hosts annual retreats for Indigenous writers. The focus of the retreat is to strengthen and preserve Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota culture, oral traditions, and histories. This collection is composed of materials related to the Oak Lake Writers Society and their summer retreats.
Historical Note
In 1993, the Oak Lake Writer’s Society was founded by Charles Woodard, an English professor, and Lowell Amiotte, an assistant professor in Counseling and Education. That same year, the Oak Lake Writer’s Society held their first retreat at the Oak Lake Field Station.
Oak Lake is located roughly 23 miles northeast of Brookings and was once a camp for girl scouts. In 1988, the Department of Schools and Public Lands bought Oak Lake from the girl scouts and transferred the land to South Dakota State University. The Oak Lake Field Station is considered a multi-use facility that holds many activities including biology labs, bird watching, canoeing, club events, and Oak Lake Writer’s Society retreats.
The first Oak Lake Writer’s Society Retreat was titled “Storytelling and Storykeeping” and hosted guest speakers N. Scott Momaday, Pulitzer Prize winning author, and Elizabeth Cook-Lynn, a novelist and editor. The retreat serves three main purposes. First, it promotes interest in Oceti Sakowin literature. Second, it brings acclaimed Native American writers to the area. Third, it provides an opportunity for Oceti Sakowin people to improve and develop their writing skills. The Oak Lake Writers Society has continued to foster these three main purposes but has also gained another purpose of publishing society members' work. The Oak Lake Writer’s Society had since published three anthologies which are Woyake Kinikiya (1995), This Stretch of the River (2006), and He Sapa Woihanble (2011).
The Oak Lake Writers Society continues to hold retreats, but in 2021, the society became a nonprofit organization and was no longer tied to South Dakota State University.
CONTENT and ARRANGEMENT
Contents Note
This collection is composed of materials related to the Oak Lake Writers Society and their summer retreats. A large portion of the collection is email correspondence between Charles Woodard, a member of the English department at South Dakota State University, and applicants. Folders also contain newspaper clippings, application forms, written stories, and funding materials.
Subject Headings
- Oak Lake Writers’ Society
- Oak Lake Writers’ Society – Literary collections
- Dakota Indians – Literary collections
- Lakota Indians – Literary collections
- Indians of North America – South Dakota – Literary collections
RELATED MATERIALS
Publications
- Renville, Florestine Kiyukanpi, and Oak Lake Writers' Society. We're Still Here: Oak Lake Writers 20th Anniversary Publication. 2013. Print. Archives/Upper level: PS508.I5 W47 2013
- Howe, Craig Phillip., Kimberly. TallBear, and Oak Lake Writers' Society. This Stretch of the River. South Dakota: Oak Lake Writers' Society, 2006. Print. South Dakota Collection/Upper level: F592.4.T44 2003
- Woyake Kinikiya: A Tribal Model Literary Journal. (1994). Print. South Dakota Collection/Upper level: PS508.I5 W69
- Howe, Craig Phillip., Lydia Whirlwind Soldier, Lanniko L. Lee, and Oak Lake Writers' Society. He Sapa Woihanble : Black Hills Dream. St. Paul, Minn.: Living Justice, 2011. Print. South Dakota Collection/Upper Level: E99.D1 H4 2011
ACCESS
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open to researchers without restrictions. The materials in the Archives do not circulate and may be used in-house only.
Researchers conducting extensive research are asked to make an advance appointment to access archival material. Please call or e-mail prior to visiting the collection and indicate as much detail as possible about a particular topic and intended use.
Physical Access
South Dakota State University supports access to the materials, published and unpublished, in its collections. Nonetheless, access to some items may be restricted as a result of their fragile condition or by contractual agreements with donors.
RIGHTS
Copyright Notice
Researchers may quote from the collection under the fair use provision of the copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code). Requests to publish should be arranged with the SDSU Archives and Special Collections.
Box | Folder | Description | Date(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Applicants | 1994-1996 |
1 | 2 | Lowell Amiotte | 1993-1996 |
1 | 3 | History | 1994-1996 |
1 | 4 | Participants | 1995-1997 |
1 | 5 | Writings | Undated |
1 | 6 | Retreat History | 1994 |
1 | 7 | Mentors | 1996-2000 |
1 | 8 | Indian Ed Summit | 2006 |
1 | 9 | Devils Tower | 1989 |
1 | 10 | Reflection Papers | Undated |
1 | 11 | Environment (1 of 3) | 1990 |
2 | 1 | Environment (2 of 3) | 1990 |
2 | 2 | Environment (3 of 3) | 1990 |
2 | 3 | English Ed | 1991-1993 |
2 | 4 | Enemy Swim Course | 1999 |
2 | 5 | Elders | 2000 |
2 | 6 | Economic development | 1990s-2000s |
3 | 1 | Grants | 1990s |
3 | 2 | Letters | 1993 |
3 | 3 | Writings | 1993 |
3 | 4 | News Stories | 1993 |
3 | 5 | Clippings | 1993 |
3 | 6 | Joyzelle Godfrey | 1994 |
3 | 7 | Correspondence | 1994 |
3 | 8 | Correspondence | 1995 |
3 | 9 | Correspondence | 1996 |
3 | 10 | Retreat | 1999 |
3 | 11 | Education 2000's (1 of 3) | 2000 |
4 | 1 | Education 2000's (2 of 3) | 2000 |
4 | 2 | Education 2000's (3 of 3) | 2000 |
4 | 3 | Oak Lake Writers' Retreat Story | 2000 |
4 | 4 | Retreat History | 2000 |
4 | 5 | News Articles | 2000 |
4 | 6 | Oak Lake News Stories | 2000 |
4 | 7 | Writings | 2001 |
4 | 8 | Retreat | 2001 |
5 | 1 | Writings | 2002 |
5 | 2 | Retreat | 2002 |
5 | 3 | Retreat | 2003 |
5 | 4\ | Correspondence | 2003 |
5 | 5 | Retreat | 2004 February |
5 | 6 | Correspondence | 2004 |
5 | 7 | Retreat | 2005 |
5 | 8 | Retreat | 2005 February |
5 | 9 | Correspondence | 2005 |
5 | 10 | Correspondence | 2006 |
6 | 1 | Retreat | 2007 |
6 | 2 | Correspondence | 2007 |
6 | 3 | Retreat | 2008 |
6 | 4 | Article | 2008 |
6 | 5 | Retreat | 2009 |
6 | 6 | Correspondence | 2009 |
6 | 7 | 2010 | |
6 | 8 | Retreat | 2010 |
6 | 9 | Reports | 2011 |
6 | 10 | Retreat | 2011 |
6 | 11 | Correspondence | 2011 |
6 | 12 | Writings | 2012 |
6 | 13 | Oak Lake Writers Society | 2012 |
7 | 1 | Oak Lake Writers Retreat | 2012 |
7 | 2 | Chuck Woodward Photos, essays, etc | 2012 |
7 | 3 | Correspondence | 2013 |
7 | 4 | Anniversary Conference | 2013 |
7 | 5 | Oak Lake Film | 2014 |
7 | 6 | Retreat | 2016 |