Identifier

MA 17

Dates

1970-2017

Extent

48.0 linear feet (48 records boxes)

Abstract

This collection documents the history and activities of the South Dakota Humanities Council, founded in 1972 to support and deliver humanities programming across the state. The records span from the Council’s origins as the South Dakota Committee on the Humanities through the early twenty-first century and include administrative correspondence, meeting files, financial records, grant proposals, publications, program documentation, and audiovisual materials. The collection provides detailed evidence of governance, fiscal management, and grant administration, including partnerships with the National Endowment for the Humanities. Program and project files document statewide initiatives in literature, history, Native American language and cultural preservation, media, and public humanities outreach. Together, the materials illustrate the Council’s role in promoting public engagement with the humanities, supporting community-based programs, and advancing cultural preservation and civic dialogue throughout South Dakota.

Historical Note

The South Dakota Humanities Council (SDHC), founded in 1972 in response to an act of Congress, is the only cultural organization whose sole mission is to deliver humanities programming to the people of South Dakota. Through literature, history, and other humanities subjects, the Council promotes increased cultural awareness and appreciation of the state’s rich cultural heritage while emphasizing the importance of understanding the universal human experience. This programming vision forms the core mission of SDHC.

The agency supports and promotes public programming while providing grant funding to South Dakota non-profit and educational organizations for programs in traditional humanities disciplines. For 35 years, the SDHC has offered a wide range of opportunities. Financial grant support is available for community organizations through Discussion Grants, Media Grants, and Research Grants.

The Council is operated by a staff of five full-time professionals and governed by an 18-member volunteer board of South Dakotans who set policy, provide guidance, and determine programming goals and missions. The board includes citizens from varied backgrounds, with four members appointed by the Governor of South Dakota.

Content Notes

The South Dakota Humanities Council Records document the administrative, financial, and programmatic history of the organization from its founding as the South Dakota Committee on the Humanities through the early twenty-first century. The records illustrate the Council’s mission to promote public engagement with the humanities, support community-based programs, and manage federally funded initiatives in partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).

Materials include administrative correspondence, meeting files, financial records, grant proposals, publications, program documentation, and audiovisual materials. Correspondence features communications with Council members, partner institutions, public officials—including Governors George S. Mickelson and William J. Janklow—and representatives of the NEH. Meeting records document the activities of the Council, Executive Committee, Membership Committee, and Program Committee, with sessions held across the state in cities such as Pierre, Sioux Falls, Chamberlain, Mitchell, Rapid City, and Aberdeen.

Financial records form a substantial portion of the collection and include audits, ledgers, balance sheets, vouchers, receipts, and statements of receipts and disbursements. These materials document the Council’s fiscal management, including re-grant activity, Reading Series and Resource Center expenditures, and accounting for the affiliated South Dakota Humanities Foundation. Audit reports and NEH compliance plans demonstrate adherence to federal and state grant requirements.

Grant and project files comprise a major component of the collection, containing proposals, applications, reports, correspondence, fiscal records, and publicity materials. Topics represented include Native American language and cultural preservation, South Dakota history, literature, women’s studies, rural depopulation, arts, and media. Projects include “Lakota Language Project,” “Lost Bird of Wounded Knee,” “Living Roots of Music,” “Oscar Micheaux Film Festival,” “Barn Again!,” “Choices for the 21st Century,” “Vietnam War: A Season of Remembrance,” “Yesterday’s Tomorrows,” “Staking a Claim: The People, Places, and Stories of Mining in the Black Hills,” and “Text, Discourse, Grammar: A Summer Institute for Lakota Language Teachers.”

Program files document the Speakers Bureau, Reading Series, Chautauqua, and other statewide initiatives. These include funded and rejected proposals, correspondence, scholar and coordinator packets, study guides, evaluation forms, and promotional materials illustrating the Council’s efforts to expand public access to the humanities. Later program records include files for Prime Time Family Reading, Key Ingredients, Farm and Ranch Stories, Between Fences, We the People, One Book South Dakota, The Big Read, and the South Dakota Festival of Books. Publications such as The Human Adventure, What’s Up, Perspectives on South Dakota, Report to the People, and the South Dakota Humanities Council Newsletter document Council outreach, publicity, and communication with the public.

The collection also includes audiovisual and photographic materials depicting Council programs, community events, and participants from approximately 1980 through 2005. These visual records provide evidence of public engagement through lectures, exhibits, and cultural festivals sponsored by the Council.

This collection offers a comprehensive record of the South Dakota Humanities Council’s growth from a state committee to a central public humanities organization. It reflects the Council’s collaboration with the National Endowment for the Humanities, its role in administering grant funds, and its leadership in advancing humanities programming throughout South Dakota. The materials document the Council’s influence in promoting cultural preservation, education, and civic dialogue, particularly within rural and Native American communities, and serve as an essential resource for studying the development and impact.

SDSU Archives and Special Collections

This document is a descriptive inventory of the collection in the SDSU Archives and Special Collections. It contains:

  • An overview of the collection, including information about the person or organization and a brief description of the materials and subjects found within.
  • A detailed inventory listing, organized by boxes and folders.
  • Information on how to access the materials, including any restrictions or special conditions.

In most cases, the materials in the collections have not been digitized and are not available online. If you would like to know more about the contents of the collection, please contact the SDSU Archives at:

Language

English

Publisher

South Dakota State University Archives and Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library, Brookings, South Dakota.

Rights

In Copyright This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses, you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). Materials in this collection may be subject to Title 17, Section 108 of the United States Copyright Act. Users are responsible for ensuring compliance with copyright, privacy, trademark, and other applicable rights for their intended use. Obtaining all necessary permissions is the user's responsibility. Written authorization from the copyright and/or other rights holders is required for publication, distribution, or any use of protected materials beyond what is permitted under fair use.

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