BLACK HILLS, SOUTH DAKOTA (KXNET) — The Crazy Horse Memorial is celebrating 75 years in the Black Hills of South Dakota — but it’s more than just a mountain-side sculpture.

In addition to the tremendous sculpture, the area is also the site of the Indian University of North America, as well as the Indian Museum of North America. Everything near the site has a cultural focus on our nation’s tribes — including those in North Dakota.

According to the Memorial, the Indian University of North America began in 2010 with the 7TH GEN Summer Program and has since added the Wizipan Fall Program, which commenced in Fall 2020. Students who attend the Indian University of North America of Crazy Horse Memorial learn how to navigate college while completing a semester of college in a worldly setting filled with influences from tribes throughout the country. Members of our native tribes, including here in North Dakota, can attend the school and also receive scholarships to do so. The art museum, meanwhile, features works of art and historical artifacts from all our tribes — including Standing Rock, the MHA, and Turtle Mountain.

This year, there are many changes coming to the Memorial’s event schedule. Most notably, the “Legends in Light” display — which turns the mountainside into a screen to display a stunning laser light show — is ending this year. The show ends on September 30, so those who are interested in seeing it one last time still have time to do so.

In addition to this cancelation, the University states that they are currently expanding on-site, and are currently constructing several halls and places to learn and grow — including a medical program, which plans to open up over the next few years.

Right now, the Memorial showcases Crazy Horse’s face and hand, with fingers and fingernails all carved out in the granite. They are privately funded, and plan to stay that way throughout the process.