Community Held Ninth Annual Memorial Walk in Rapid City
Participants gathered to honor Native American children who died while attending a former federal boarding school.
Updated on Oct. 13, 2026 in Native American
Community members in Rapid City gathered for the ninth annual Remembering the Children Memorial Walk to honor students who died at the former Rapid City Indian Boarding School. Participants added three newly identified names to the site's granite memorial wall during the event.
Why it matters
The annual walk serves as an acknowledgment of the lasting impact federal boarding school policies had on Native American families. It highlights ongoing efforts to uncover historical truths about the children who lost their lives while attending the institution.
The memorial site features over 4,000 feet of walking trails and a six-foot mural by artist Delaena Uses Knife. Three additional names were added to the existing granite memorial wall this year.
The players
Delaena Uses Knife
Delaena Uses Knife is an artist who created a six-foot mural featured at the Remembering the Children Memorial site.
The details
Participants began the walk at 9:00 a.m. at Sioux Park, retracing historic steps to the site of the former boarding school. Researchers continue to utilize historical documentation shared by health center partners to identify children who died at the institution.
Timeline
The ninth annual Remembering the Children Memorial Walk took place on October 12, 2026.
Culture Shift
This event reflects the broader societal shift toward acknowledging the historical traumas caused by the federal boarding school system. The walk follows a pattern set by federal Indian boarding school research and memorialization initiatives.
Residents should note that the memorial site is accessible to the public, though it operates on specific hours. Visitors to the site can utilize the 4,000 feet of walking trails that connect visitors to the memorial history.
The takeaway
The memorial walk provides a space for the public to engage with the history of the boarding school era through reflection and active commemoration. Attendees can support these efforts by participating in future annual walks or learning about the ongoing research into burial records.
Further reading
Learn more about local historical acknowledgments in the Native American section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Kotatv.
