Native American Heritage Month: Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe

Carolyn Cook-Rittenhouse is a tribal member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of South Dakota; her Lakota name, given by her parents is Hwo Was’te Winyan which is “Good Voice Woman”.  She is a Millersville University graduate who will display her Plains Indian Tipi Project on the Stevens Campus. 

The tipi was given to Carolyn by her stepfather, Gilbert Red Dog, in summer 2010.  In July 2011, Carolyn received a grant from the Millersville University Women’s Commission and the Commission on Cultural Diversity that allowed her to travel to Cheyenne River to do research and conduct interviews regarding the tipi’s origin and its connection to Lakota Sioux cultural history and stories.

She has worked extensively on the Cheyenne River and Pine Ridge Reservations of South Dakota, in Pennsylvania, and at Millersville University to educate others on the lives, sacred sites, and traditions of Native peoples.