Dignity of Earth and Sky is a sculpture on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River near Chamberlain, South Dakota. The 50-foot (15.24 meter) high stainless steel statue by South Dakota artist laureate Dale Claude Lamphere depicts an Indigenous woman in Plains-style dress receiving a star quilt. The quilt has more than 100 blue diamond shapes that move in the wind It honors the culture of the Lakota and Dakota peoples who are indigenous to South Dakota.
Norm and Eunabel McKie of Rapid City, South Dakota, announced their gift of Dignity to the State in 2014, in honor of the 125th anniversary of South Dakota statehood. It was erected in September 2016.
Dignity represents the courage, perseverance and wisdom of the Lakota and Dakota culture in South Dakota. My hope is that the sculpture might serve as a symbol of respect and promise for the future. Dale Lamphere
