Lakota Nation Invitational

Lakota Nation Invitational, LNI, is an annual multi-event tournament, which includes sporting, academic, arts, and cultural events. The tournament began in 1976 as a basketball tournament and has expanded to include archery, art show, chess, handgames, knowledge bowl, Lakota language bowl, business plan, oral interpretation, skateboarding, pow wow, student council conference, volleyball, wrestling, and cheer/dance competition. The tournament was started in 1976 by Byran Brewer on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. At the time, he was the athletic director for Pine Ridge High School and teams did not want to travel to Pine Ridge to play basketball, citing racial and other tensions in the area. Byran reached out to various colleagues and friends about the idea of the tournament, all whom supported it. The first tournament was held in 1976 in Pine Ridge, it was such a success the space wasn’t big enough and the tournament moved to Rapid City the following year. It has been held in Rapid City ever year since.

The mission of Lakota Nation Invitational is to organize the tournament while promoting Lakota culture and heritage. LNI also strongly believes in reconciliation between cultures and races and the tournament provides that space. The Tournament provides a space for students to come together, learn about their history and culture, while showcasing their talents, and instilling sportsmanship. The Tournament also builds brides between communities, strengthening relationships between students and communities on the Native American Reservations and off.

Innovation has led the Lakota Nation Invitational to be a truly unique event with no other events like it. There are other Indigenous tournaments and Pow wows but there are no other events that combine sporting, cultural, and academics to extent of LNI, while keeping it strictly a youth event. In fact, Lakota Nation Invitational has had many states, tribes, and schools reach out and ask how they can duplicate what was created here.

Lakota Nation Invitational honors past, present, and future Indigenous leaders and trailblazers, inviting them to attend, speak about their path and challenges, and getting the students a chance to connect. Giving leaders the platform to share their journey and students a platform to connect and showcase their skills, opens up possibilities for the youth and their communities.

The majority of the schools that attend LNI are from various Reservations across South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Minnesota. These reservations have some of the highest poverty rates in the US and the Indigenous youth from these communities are high risk for poverty, gang violence, and suicide. The various sporting, academic, or cultural events provided at LNI, help keep these youth engaged in school and out of trouble. The Tournament holds these youths to a standard and provides them with the opportunity to show their talents and connect with others. Lakota Nation Invitational also has access to various scholarships and provides space for post secondary schools to setup, encouraging and promoting higher education to students.