CENTER ACTIVITIES

       

Oniyan Wakan Inaugural Wacipi
The Black Hills Center for American Indians Health sponsored a wacipi on Saturday, August 18th to promote a commercial tobacco free Lakota Nation. Rapid City has an American Indian population of approximately 12,000 and has among the highest smoking rates in the country. More than 51% of American Indians living in Rapid City are active smokers. These high rates of smoking are accompanied by alarming rates of mortality from cardiovascular disease and lung cancer (conditions which are leading causes of death among this population). Despite these shocking rates the evidence points to the fact that few American Indian smokers are quitting. The event was held on the South lawn of the Journey Museum.