On Tuesday, August 9, 2022, the Sisseton-Wahpeton College dedicated the Ehanna Wicohan Oyake Tipi, the new co-ed student dormitory that began serving students in 2020.
The dorm is named in memory of Dr. Elden Lawrence, member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, whose Dakota name was ‘Ehanna Wicohan Oyake.’ According to the plaque at the entrance of the dorm, the rough English translation of his Dakota name is ‘Long ago, it was told this way…’
The dedication program featured moving tributes from friends, colleagues, his children and those who didn’t know him personally but have been inspired and moved by Lawrence’s spirit of education and service.
A Dakota Christian prayer was offered, as well as an Honor Song. An open house in the dorms followed and featured cake and memorabilia showcasing Lawrence’s career and gifts of writing, education, administration, and celebrated guitar playing. The naming and program was a fitting tribute to a gifted storyteller and educator.
Lawrence began his life of service in the US Army from 1953-1956 and 1958-1961, where he earned his GED and received several medals of recognition. Upon his return, he traveled the country working and arrived in Minneapolis where he met his wife Kim Johnson. They married in 1969, eventually returning to South Dakota, and began their family, which would include one son, Derrick, and one daughter, Debbie.
At the age of 44, Lawrence embarked on the next leg of his educational journey, seeking an academic career as a family man intent on providing a better and more stable life for his family. He earned his Associate’s Degree in Business Administration from Sisseton-Wahpeton College, his bachelor’s degree in Human Services from Moorhead State University, his master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of South Dakota, and in 1999 received his Ph.D. from South Dakota State University.
He would go on to serve on the Sisseton-Wahpeton Tribal Council and the Sisseton-Wahpeton College in various capacities as council man, instructor, administrator, and SWC President and SWTC Secretary.
A Dakota Christian, Lawrence’s writing, music and service was respected as someone who followed Jesus and let that journey, especially through his education and writing, shed light on the atrocities committed by the American government and churches against his people. A peace seeker, he wrote unflinchingly as a good Dakota relative and mentored, educated and encouraged the next generation to do likewise.
In addition to columns and academic journals, Lawrence also wrote four books, The Peace Seekers: The Indian Christians and the Dakota Conflict (2005), Stories and Reflections From an Indian Perspective (2008), Stepping Off the Keelboat (2013), and Stories and Reflections From an Indian Perspective, Volume 2 (2014). He was a contributing author in four other books, including the Oak Lake Writers’ Society anthologies, This Stretch of the River (2006), and He Sapa Woihanble (2011).
A founding member of the Oak Lake Writers’ Society in the 1990s, Lawrence’s attention to history and the stories that have not been told continue to shape the vision of the Oak Lake Writers’ Society today. In attendance from the Oak Lake Writers’ Society and community was Dr. Charles Woodard, long-time friend and colleague, Dr. Nels Granholm, colleague, and Tasiyagnunpa Livermont Barondeau, executive director of the Oak Lake Writers’ Society and a mentee of Lawrence’s during several OLWS Annual Writers’ Retreats.
Due to Covid-19, the dedication was two years in the making. Lawrence died July 4, 2014.
Plaque photo and Facebook video courtesy of Sisseton-Wahpeton College. All other photos by Tasiyagnunpa Barondeau.