Set within the Black Hills in the state of South Dakota is one of the most famous landmarks in the U.S.A., the Mount Rushmore National Memorial: four monumental portraits of the most famous American presidents that have been carved into the granite and symbolize a kind of spectacular tribute to democracy.

Since their unveiling in 1941 the huge faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln have created a good deal of interest. The area around Mount Rushmore is also most striking as the Black Hills’ mountain range is a masterpiece of nature.

Twenty five kilometres south west of Mount Rushmore another stone image towers up from the landscape, the Crazy Horse Memorial. Created in 1947 it commemorates the famous chief of the Oglala Sioux. Its dimensions are even larger than those of Mount Rushmore and when completed it will be a hundred and ninety five metres long and a hundred and seventy two metres high!

But the Mount Rushmore area is far more than just a symbol of American history. It is also steeped in the rich culture and traditions of North America’s native Indians.