Read ND 2010; An Evening With S.D. Nelson

I THINK IT'S PROBABLY A COMBINATION OF DIFFERENT THINGS
THAT LEAD AN AUTHOR TO WRITE A
STORY AND HOW THEY WRITE A STORY.
THERE ARE STORIES THAT I HAVE
WRITTEN THAT ARE INSPIRED BY
ONE PARTICULAR EVENT FROM MY CHILDHOOD.
THEN THERE ARE STORIES THAT ARE
INSPIRED BY A CHARISMATIC FIGURE WHOSE LIFE AND WHOSE
WORK INSPIRES ME.
>> FUNDING FOR THIS PROGRAM IS
PROVIDED BY THE PARTNERS OF "READ, NORTH DAKOTA".
OUR AUTHORS, OUR STORIES.
AND BY THE MEMBERS OF PRAIRIE
PUBLIC.
IN THIS YEAR'S "READ, NORTH DAKOTA" FEATURED SELECTION,
BLACK ELK'S VISION, CHILDREN'S
AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR S.D. NELSON BRINGS TO LIFE THE
FAMOUS LAKOTA READER AND GIVES
YOUNG READERS A LOOK AT NATIVE
AMERICAN LIFE OF THE TIME.
>> ALL OF THE BOOKS THAT I'VE
PUBLISHED SO FAR HAVE BEEN NATIVE AMERICAN CHILDREN
STORIES.
AND FOR ME, THOSE STORIES COME FROM MY HEART.
I WAS RAISED IN KIND OF A NOMADIC LIFESTYLE.
NELSON GREW UP THE NOMADIC LIFE
OF A MILITARY FAMILY BUT YEARLY
SUMMERS WITH HIS MOTHER'S FAMILY ON THE STANDING ROCK
RESERVATION FORGED A BOND WITH
THE NORTH DAKOTA PRAIRIES.
>> I ALWAYS HAD THIS CONNECTION
THAT MY MOTHER HAD TO HER ROOTS
TO CLOUDS, LIKE CLOUDS YOU
DON'T SEE ANY OTHER PLACE TO EARTH AND SKY.
BY THE TIME I WAS 13, WE HAD
LIVED IN 15 DIFFERENT PLACES,
BUT NORTH DAKOTA BECAME IN MY
MIND AND STILL REMAINS MY HOME.
>> AFTER GRADUATING FROM FARGO
NORTH HIGH SCHOOL AND MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY MOORHEAD,
NELSON PURSUED A CAREER AS AN ART TEACHER AND IS NOW A
SUCCESSFUL AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR OF CHILDREN'S BOOKS.
CURRENTLY A RESIDENT OF FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA, NELSON
MAINTAINS STRONG TIES TO HIS
SPIRITUAL HOME IN NORTH DAKOTA.
WE WELCOME THE RETURN OF THIS
CELEBRATED CHILDREN'S AUTHOR TO
HIS SPIRITUAL HOME ON THE PRAIRIE.
"READ, NORTH DAKOTA" PROUDLY
PRESENTS "AN EVENING WITH S.D.
NELSON." [ APPLAUSE ]
>> GOOD EVENING.
MY NAME IS STEVE, I'M A RECOVERING DEMOCRAT.
[ LAUGHTER ]
>> SO I ROLLED INTO TOWN A
COUPLE OF DAYS AGO AND THEY PUT
ME UP IN THE HODO HOTEL, THE BUILDING IS COVERED WITH
BRASSIERES.
[ LAUGHTER ]
AND THAT LEFT ME A LITTLE BIT SHAKY.
BUT I GOT IN FOR THE LOBBY --
INTO THE LOBBY AND WENT UP THE
ELEVATOR AND OPENED THE DOOR TO
MY ROOM AND THERE WERE TWO BIG
WINDOWS AND MORE BRASSIERES, RIGHT OUTSIDE THE WINDOW.
THIS IS NOT THE FARGO I LEFT.
[ LAUGHTER ]
WELL, I AM A NORTH DAKOTA BOY.
I'VE GROWN UP IN MANY DIFFERENT
PLACES, TRAVELED AROUND THE
COUNTRY AND AROUND THE WORLD BECAUSE I WAS RAISED IN A
MILITARY FAMILY.
IN 1962, MY FATHER GOT STATIONED AT THE RECRUITING
CENTER HERE IN FARGO AND SO WE
MOVED AND FOR THE FIRST TIME I
WAS ABLE TO PUT DOWN SOME ROOTS.
I WENT THROUGH THE SCHOOL SYSTEM HERE IN FARGO, LIVED
HERE FOR WHAT FELT LIKE A GOOD
SOLID SIX YEARS AND I LIKED THAT.
I REMEMBER AS A YOUNGER KID IN
THE PRIMARY GRADES SEEING OTHER
STUDENTS DOING ARTWORK AND MYSELF DOING ARTWORK. I THINK WE ALL ENJOYED IT.
BUT I DO RECALL WHEN I WAS IN 8th GRADE AT HOLY SPIRIT
ELEMENTARY, IT HAD BEEN RAINY
THAT DAY AND TYPICALLY AFTER LUNCH WE WENT OUTSIDE FOR
RECESS.
BUT BECAUSE OF THE RAIN WE HAD TO STAY INDOORS.
SOME KIDS WERE GATHERED IN THE
CLASSROOM AND WE'RE TALKING M
ONE AREA AND ANOTHER GROUP WAS
OVER HERE TALKING IN ANOTHER
AREA AND KIND OF LIKE A NERD, I
GUESS, I WAS SITTING THERE AT MY OWN DESK DRAWING.
I HADN'T REALIZED IT, BUT NOW THAT I LOOK BACK, IT WAS
SOMETHING THAT HAD STARTED TO BECOME KIND OF A HABIT.
ONE OF MY CLASSMATES CAME OVER
AND LOOKED OVER MY SHOULDER AS
I WAS SITTING THERE DRAWING AND
HE WAS A KID WHO I REALLY DID
ADMIRE, ONE OF THOSE ALPHA MALE KIND OF GUYS WHO PLAYS HOCKEY
AND PLAYS FOOTBALL AND JUST
FEELS COMFORTABLE IN HIS OWN
SKIN AND SO HE LEANED OVER MY
SHOULDER AND HE SAID, WOW,
THAT'S GOOD! WHAT A DIFFERENCE THAT MADE.
IT'S AMAZING WHAT A FEW KIND
WORDS CAN DO, BUT THAT ALWAYS
REMAINED WITH ME, AND I'VE
CARRIED THAT WITH ME OVER THE YEARS.
I DID BECOME AN ARTIST AND ILLUSTRATOR AND A WRITER OF
CHILDREN'S BOOKS.
FOR 28 YEARS, I LIVED IN -- EXCUSE ME.
FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS I'VE
LIVED IN ARIZONA, IN FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA.
SO IT'S NICE TO COME BACK HERE TO FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA.
I DO FEEL A CONNECTION TO THIS PLACE.
AND FOR ANOTHER PARTICULAR
REASON AND THAT IS BECAUSE OF
ALL THAT NOMADIC WANDERING THAT
MY FAMILY DID WHEN I WAS GROWING UP.
SO I GUESS WE'LL GET STARTED WITH OUR SLIDE SHOW.
THIS IS MY MOST CURRENT BOOK, BLACK ELK'S VISION.
IT WAS RELEASED IN FEBRUARY.
I WROTE THIS STORY AND DID THE
ILLUSTRATIONS, AND AS YOU'LL
SEE THIS EVENING, MY WORK IS
GREATLY INFLUENCED BY PLAINS
INDIAN ART, TRADITIONAL LAKOTA ART.
MY FIRST BOOK WAS GIFT HORSE, A LAKOTA STORY.
I WROTE THIS ABOUT TEN YEARS AGO.
AND SINCE THEN, I'VE DONE TEN BOOKS.
I'M WORKING ON TWO BOOKS AT
THIS TIME THAT I'VE WRITTEN AND
I'M PRESENTLY ILLUSTRATING.
SOMETIMES I COLLABORATE WITH OTHER AUTHORS AND IN THIS
PARTICULAR CASE WITH SPIDER
SPINS A STORY, I COLLABORATED
WITH OTHER AUTHORS -- EXCUSE ME, OTHER ARTISTS AS WELL.
I WORK WITH ACRYLIC PAINT.
I LIKE TO WORK ON MACE NIGHT,
BUT MY PUBLISHERS PREFER THAT I WORK ON PAPER.
THAT WORKS OUT JUST FINE FOR ME.
I WORK ON A HEAVY WATERCOLOR
PAPER THAT HOLDS THE PAINT WELL
AND IT ALLOWS ME TO DO WHAT I
WANT TO DO WITH THE PAINT.
THE COVER FOR CRAZY HORSE'S
VISION, WRITTEN BY JOSEPH BRUSH
YAK, WHO HAS WRITTEN 70-PLUS BOOKS.
IT'S AMAZING HOW PROLIFIC SOME
AUTHORS AND ILLUSTRATORS ARE.
I'VE STOPPED TO THINK IN THE
LAST YEAR THAT, YOU KNOW, I'VE
WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED TEN BOOKS.
THAT'S PRETTY NEAT.
WHILE IT IS, BUT THERE ARE
PEOPLE THAT, LIKE JOE, THEY'RE OFF AND RUNNING.
WELL, MY INTEREST IN LAKOTA
PEOPLE WHO LIVE RIGHT HERE IN
DAKOTA, NORTH AND SED, MY INTEREST IN LAKOTA PEOPLE
STARTED AT APP EARLY AGE.
I CAN REMEMBER LOOKING THROUGH OUR FAMILY PHOTO ALBUM AND
SEEING THESE PEOPLE AND I WAS TOLD THEY'RE MY BLOOD
RELATIVES.
I DIDN'T THINK THEY WERE
PARTICULARLY UNIQUE, BUT THOSE
OF YOU THAT HAVE LOOKED BACK
THROUGH YOUR PHOTO ALBUMS, YOU
PROBABLY HAD THE SAME FEELING
OF JUST A CURIOSITY ABOUT THESE
PEOPLE AND THEY'RE GONE NOW,
BUT THEY LIVED THEIR LIVES,
THEY LAUGHED AND CRIED LIKE YOU AND ME.
ON THE LEFT IS MY GREAT GRANDFATHER.
ON THE RIGHT IS MY GREAT GRANDMOTHER.
I DIDN'T KNOW EITHER OF THOSE PEOPLE.
THEY PASSED AWAY BEFORE I WAS BORN.
BUT THEIR KIDS IN THIS PHOTOGRAPH WERE MY GREAT UNCLES
AND MY GREAT AUNTS.
AND THE GIRL OVER ON THE
RIGHT-HAND SIDE, THAT'S MY GRANDMA.
AND MY GRANDMA -- GREAT GRANDMOTHER ON THE RIGHT AND
HER HUSBAND WILLIAM ZAHN, THIS
PICTURE WAS TAKEN IN THE 1920s, I BELIEVE.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE DRESS
THAT MY GREAT GRANDMOTHER IS
WEARING, A DRESS THAT SHE MADE, YOU'LL SEE THAT IT IS A
TRADITIONAL RESERVATION-STYLE,
RESERVATION-TYPE DRESS WITH
WHAT'S CALLED A FULLY BEADED YOKE.
SO THE NECK, SHOULDERS AND ARMS, THEY WEIGH ABOUT THREE
POUNDS IN GLASS BEADS.
AND THAT'S A BEAUTIFUL DRESS.
NEXT PHOTOGRAPH, WE'LL SHOW YOU
MY GRANDMOTHER, WHO I SPENT MY
SUMMERS WITH WEARING THE SAME DRESS.
AND IT WAS COMMON FOR WOMEN TO
MAKE A DRESS AND PASS IT DOWN
FROM ONE GENERATION TO THE NEXT.
IN FACT, MY SISTER, WHO IS IN
THE AUDIENCE TONIGHT, THAT
DRESS SHOULD HAVE BEEN PASSED ON TO HER.
HOWEVER, IT WAS THE GREAT DEPRESSION AND MY GRANDMOTHER
SOLD THIS DRESS FOR $30.
I'M SURE IT'S IN SOMEBODY'S
COLLECTION, AND WRITTEN LETTERS
AND SENT PHOTOGRAPHS AROUND THE
WORLD INQUIRING ABOUT THIS DRESS.
I HAVE WRITTEN TO THE SMITHSONIAN, THE PEABODY, ET
CETERA.
NOBODY SEEMS TO KNOW WHERE IT
IS, BUT I HOPE IT TURNS UP ONE OF THESE DAYS.
NOT THAT I WANT IT, BUT I SURE
WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE HANDIWORK
OF MY GREAT GRANDMOTHER.
WELL, THIS PICTURE IS NOT WHAT IT SEEMS.
VERY DRAMATIC, I THINK, BUT IT WAS TAKEN IN HOLLYWOOD.
[ LAUGHTER ]
THAT'S MY GREAT UNCLE ON THE
RIGHT WHO WAS A TELLER OF TALL STORIES.
HE WAS A LIAR, ACTUALLY.
[ LAUGHTER ]
>> A LOT OF THE TIME.
BUT HE WAS ON THE SET FOR A FILM CALLED THEY DIED WITH
THEIR BOOTS ON.
HERE HE IS POSING WITH ONE OF
THE OTHER LAKOTA MEN WHO ALSO
WAS AN ADVISOR ON THE FILM WHICH STARRED ERROL FLYNN.
ANOTHER ONE OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS
THAT I OFTEN STOPPED AND LOOKED
AT WAS THE PHOTO OF MY MOTHER HERE IN HER FIRST HOLY
COMMUNION DRESS.
SHE GREW UP ON THE STANDING ROCK RESERVATION.
SHE WAS BILINGUAL.
IN OUR HOUSEHOLD, WE SPOKE ENGLISH.
THAT WAS OUR FIRST LANGUAGE.
BUT MY MOTHER WAS FLUENT, FULLY FLUENT IN LAKOTA.
UNFORTUNATELY, LIKE SO MANY KIDS GROWING UP IN OUR
GENERATION, MY GENERATION OF THE '50s AND '60s, A SECOND
LANGUAGE WAS NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU DID.
SO I KNOW NOUNS AND VERBS AND I
KNOW SONGS AND I KNOW SOME GREAT COYOTE STORIES.
BUT I DO NOT SPEAK THE LANGUAG LANGUAGE.
WELL, THIS INTEREST THEN THAT WAS IMPLANTED AT AN EARLY AGE,
I'VE CARRIED IT WITH ME INTO ADULTHOOD.
BECAUSE I REALLY DID TRAVEL SO
MUCH, I FELT UPROOTED.
AS A CHILD, ACTUALLY I WAS KIND OF DESPONDENT.
I WOULD MAKE FRIENDSHIPS IN A
NEIGHBORHOOD AND THEN LITERALLY
8 MONTHS LATER, WE WOULD MOVE.
SOMETIMES WE STAYED IN THE SAME
TOWN, BUT FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS IT'S JUST THE WAY IT
WORKED OUT.
WE WOULD MOVE TO THE OTHER SIDE
OF TOWN TO A DIFFERENT HOUSE.
THEN TEN MONTHS LATER, WE'D MOVE TO ANOTHER HOUSE.
SO THE FRIENDS THAT I MADE ALONG THE WAY I JUST GOT
DISCONNECTED WITH.
AS AN ADULT, I WASN'T CONSCIOUS
OF MY INTEREST IN NATIVE AMERICAN IMAGES AND SUBJECT MATTER.
NEXT PICTURE.
BUT I JUST TOOK IT UP.
I MADE DRUMS.
I STRETCHED RAWHIDE OVER A HOLLOWED LOGS.
I BUILT STONE-HEADED WAR AXES.
I DID BEAD WORK, EXTENSIVE BEAD WORK.
BEAD WORK TALKS A LOT OF PATIENCE.
IT'S A CHALLENGE.
IT'S TEDIOUS.
AT THE SAME TIME FOR ARTISTS
CRAFT-LIKE PEOPLE, I LOVE THAT STUFF.
SOMETIMES I'LL JUST GET LOST IN
MY ARTWORK AND HOURS CAN PASS.
AND I DON'T REALLY REALIZE IT
UNTIL IT'S MIDNIGHT AND TIME TO GO TO BED.
NEXT PICTURE.
SO THIS EVENING I'M GOING TO
TALK ABOUT SPECIFICALLY PAINTED
HORSES AND SYMBOLS OF THE LAKOTA PEOPLE.
TRADITIONAL SYMBOLS AND THE TRADITIONAL USE OF COLOR.
THE NATIVE AMERICANS OF THE
GREAT PLAINS HAD A CULTURE THAT
IS ABSOLUTELY UNIQUE WHEN YOU
SEE THEIR HOUSES, RICHARD -- WHICH ARE TEEPEES.
THEY ARE STANDOUT.
NOBODY ELSE HAS HOUSES QUITE LIKE THE PLAINS INDIANS.
THEIR RELATIONSHIP, THE ONE
THEY DEVELOPED WITH HORSES, IS ALSO UNIQUE.
YOU CAN LOOK AT OTHER CULTURES
WHO USED HORSES JUST AS MUCH AS
THE PLAINS INDIANS, BUT WHEN
YOU SEE PLAINS INDIANS PEOPLE, THEY ARE STANDOUT.
THE WAY THEY TIE FEATHERS IN
THEIR HAIR, THE WAY THEY TIE FEATHERS IN THEIR HORSE'S MAINS.
THE WAY THEY PAINT THEIR BODIES AND THEIR HORSES.
I STILL FIND IT EXCITING.
SO YOU'LL RECOGNIZE THE GREAT
PLAINS AND OVER IN THE EAST, IN
MINNESOTA, THE LAKOTA HAD LIVED
FOR MANY GENERATIONS UP AND TO
THE LATE 1600s AND EARLY 1700s.
AT THAT TIME THE CHIPPEWA OR
JIB WAY LIVED IN THE WOODLAND
OF MINNESOTA AND FURTHER EAST
HAD BEEN TRADING WITH FRENCH CANADIANS.
THE NATIVE AMERICANS TRAPPED
FURS AND TRADED THOSE FOR A NUMBER OF THINGS.
MOST IMPORTANTLY FOR THEM WERE GUNS.
MUSKETS, FIREPOWER.
SO WHAT THEY DID IN THE 1700s,
LATE 1600s IS THEY FORCED THE
LAKOTA WITH THEIR WEAPONS, THEY
FORCED THE LAKOTA OUT ON TO THE PLAINS.
AT THE SAME TIME, HORSES WERE BEING BROUGHT UP FROM THE
SOUTHERN STATES AND TRADED TO THE LAKOTA.
AND THE LAKOTA, INSTEAD OF SURRENDERING TO THAT KIND OF
PRESSURE FROM THE NORTH AND THE
SOUTH AND FROM THE EAST, THEY
USED IT AS AN INCENTIVE TO
CREATE THEIR HORSE CULTURE.
SO IN 1541, THE SPANISH CON QUIS DOR, CORONADO EXPLORED
PRESENT DAY KANSAS ON HORSEBACK.
IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT
NATIVE AMERICANS, INDIANS HAD EVER SEEN A HORSE.
HAD THEY FIRST SAW THE HORSE,
IT WAS QUITE AN ASTONISHING
THING FOR THE PLAINS INDIANS.
THEY HAD DOMESTICATED DOGS AND
THEY USED DOGS ALL OF THE TIME TO HELP TRANSPORT THEIR
BELONGINGS, THEIR TEEPEES,
THEIR ROBES, ALL OF THEIR ACUTE
RAMENTING -- ACUTE RAMENTS BUT
WITH THE HORSE ALL OF THAT CHANGED SUDDENLY.
THEY CALLED THE HORSE SACRED
DOG.
I CAN HEAR THE MICROPHONE DOING SOMETHING STRANGE. I'LL CONTINUE.
IN THE EARLY 1700s, THE FIRST HORSES THEN WERE ACTUALLY
TRADED AMONGST THE LAKOTA.
THE LAKOTA ACQUIRED HORSES FROM
THE SOUTH AND GUNS FROM THE
NORTH AND THE CULTURE THAT THEY
CREATED, IT REALLY ONLY LASTED FOR NOT MUCH MORE THAN A
HUNDRED YEARS.
150 YEARS AT THE MOST.
OUT ON THE PLAINS, THERE WERE
HERDS OF BISON THAT NUMBERED UP
TO ABOUT 30 MILLION AND THAT'S A CONSERVATIVE ESTIMATE.
YOU CAN HUNT BUFFALO ON FOOT
BUT ON HORSEBACK, IT'S AMAZING WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH BOWS AND
ARROWS WHEN HUNTING BUFFALO.
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THE LAKOTA DID.
THEY WERE ABLE TO TRAVEL INTO
WHAT IS NOW KNOWN AS NORTH
DAKOTA, SOUTH DAKOTA, MONTANA
AND ALL OF THE STATES IN THE
GREAT PLAINS AND DO THAT IN A
MATTER OF DAYS.
AS I HAD SAID, THEY TOOK ALONG
ALL OF THEIR BELONGINGS AND HORSES, HELPED THEM BECOME
MOBILIZED.
THEY USED TRA VOY OR WHAT ARE
ALSO CALLED PONY DRAG.
THEY SAW WHEELS, SETTLERS HAD
WHEELS ON THEIR WAGONS, BUT IT'S VERY INTERESTING AND
CURIOUS TO ME THAT THEY ADAPTED
SOME OF THE WAYS OF THE WHITE
MAN OR THE EURO AMERICANS.
THEY USE THE WHITE MAN'S ORS
HORSES AND ROETED HORSES BUT
THEY CONTINUED WITH THE PONY
DRAG MECHANISM THAT THEY HAD
USED WITH DOGS FOR GENERATIONS,
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.
NOW THIS IS NOT A PAINTING THAT I DID.
IT'S A SHIELD COVER FROM A
LAKOTA WARRIOR AND YOU'LL SEE
THAT THERE ARE PICK TOE GRAPHS
-- SIMPLE IMAGES ON THIS SHIELD
COVER, FOR EXAMPLE, TOWARDS THE
TOP CENTER IS A BEAR OVER TOWARDS THE LEFT IS A HORSE
WITH A RIDER AND THAT'S A EUROPEAN WITH A MUSKET AND A HAT.
THERE ARE SOME DRAGONFLIES DOWN
TOWARDS THE BOTTOM AND PICKET
GRAPHS -- PICK TOE GRAPHS ARE NOT WRITTEN LANGUAGE BUT
THEY'RE NOT JUST ART.
THEY HAVE A SYMBOLIC MEANING.
IMAGES LIKE A LIGHTNING BOLT MEANT NOT JUST A LIGHTNING
BOLT, BUT IT MEANT THE POWER OF
A THUNDERSTORM AND IF YOU PAINTED THAT ON YOUR BODY AND
ON YOUR HORSE, YOU BECAME IMBUED WITH THOSE POWERS.
SO CRAZY HORSE, FOR EXAMPLE,
AND HE WAS NOT UNIQUE IN THIS
WAY, HE PAINTED A LIGHTNING
BOLT DOWN HIS FACE AND ACROSS
HIS CHEST AND HE PAINTED SPOTS
OF PAINT THAT REPRESENTED
HAILSTONES LIKE THE POLKA DOTS
YOU SEE TOWARDS THE RIGHT.
ACROSS HIS SHOULDERS.
THAT GAVE HIM, HE BELIEVED, THE
POWER, THE WARRIOR POWER OF A THUNDERSTORM.
SO IN MY PAINTINGS, I'M AWARE
OF COLOR AND TRADITIONAL USES OF COLOR AND PICTOGRAPHS.
I'LL TALK MORE ABOUT COLOR A
LITTLE BIT LATER.
AGAIN, THIS IS THE COVER FOR CRAZY HORSE'S VISION.
AND WHEN DESIGNING A WORK OF
ART, A CHILDREN'S BOOK, ONE HAS
TO KEEP IN MIND NOT ONLY ENGAGING THE REEDER WITH ART,
BUT YOU HAVE TO ALSO KEEP IN
MIND THE PLACEMENT OF LETTERING OF TEXT.
THIS IS THE COVER, SO I HAD TO
ALLOW AN EXTRA SPACE AT THE TOP
FOR THE TITLE WHICH EVENTUALLY WAS PLACED IN THERE.
AGAIN, THIS IS ACRYLIC PAINT
AND I'M WORKING ON MASONITE FOR
THIS PARTICULAR PAINTING.
IT WAS KIND OF UNUSUAL AND SURPRISING, BUT THIS IMAGE WAS
ALSO USED ON A C.D. COVER FOR A
NATIVE AMERICAN ALBUM THAT GOT
NOMINATED FOR A GRAMMY AWARD.
THAT KIND OF SURPRISED ME.
I NEVER REALLY SET OUT IN MY LIFE TO BE INVOLVED IN THE
MUSIC BUSINESS OR GET A GRAMMY NOMINATION.
THIS IS AN ILLUSTRATION FOR THE
GIFT HORSE, AND THE SPACE THAT
YOU SEE OF THE LARGE WHITE AREA TO THE RIGHT, THAT'S AN
ALLOWANCE THAT I HAD TO MAKE
FOR TEXT.
BUT AGAIN, THE WAY THAT THE
LAKOTA AND OTHER TRIBES ON THE
GREAT PLAINS, THE WAY THAT THEY
USED THESE PICK TOE GRAPHIC
IMAGES SUCH AS THE HAND PRINT
AND THE UPSIDE DOWN U SHAPES,
THOSE ARE HORSESHOE MARKINGS AND REPRESENT ON THE WHITE
HORSE, THEY REPRESENT HORSE STEALING RAIDS.
THE HAND PRINT CAN REPRESENT A
NUMBER OF DIFFERENT THINGS.
FOR ME, PERSONALLY, THOUGH, PUTTING MY HAND PRINT ON
SOMETHING IS A WAY TO CONNECT
WITH, IN THIS CASE, THE HORSE,
BUT FOR THE PLAINS INDIANS, FOR
THE LAKOTA, EVERYTHING IN CREATION HAS A SPIRIT.
EVERYTHING -- SOMETIMES I FEEL IT.
I DON'T KNOW IF ALL OF YOU DO, BUT THERE'S KIND OF A VIBRATION.
IF YOU SIT STILL ENOUGH, EVERYTHING IS VIBRATING
TOGETHER.
AND THE PICK TOE GRAVS, THE
PAINTINGS, THAT LAKOTA PEOPLE
DID HELPED PUT THEM WITH THE
CREATION WE ALL EXPERIENCE.
THIS IS A PAINTING THAT I DID 15 YEARS AGO, NOT FOR A
CHILDREN'S BOOK BUT FOR MYSELF.
IT'S CALLED HORSE THIEF.
AND THIS IS BASED ON A TRUE
STORY THAT WAS PASSED DOWN TO ME BY ORAL TRADITION.
AND IT'S ABOUT HOW MY GREAT,
GREAT GRANDFATHER CAME TO HIS END.
HE HAD BEEN ON TWO SUCCESSFUL
HORSE STEALING RAIDS AND THE
DIFFERENT TRIBES ON THE PLAINS
TRADED FOR HORSES AND THEY STOLE HORSES.
ON HIS THIRD HORSE STEALING
TRADE WHICH WAS, IF SUCCESSFUL,
A WAY TO PROVE HER COURAGE AND
YOUR CUNNING AND YOUR LEVEL OF
TESTOSTERONE, WELL ON HIS THIRD
HORSE STEALING RAID, HE WAS NOT
AS FORTUNATE AS THE OTHER TWO TIMES.
HE GOT SHOT FULL OF ARROWS, THE
CROW INDIANS KILLED HIM.
MY GREAT, GREAT GRANDFATHER FLYING CLOUD.
NEXT IMAGE, PLEASE.
SO THE PLAINS INDIANS LIKE IT
SEEMS ALL OF HUMANITY WERE A
WARRIOR PEOPLE, BUT THEY ALSO SOUGHT PEACE.
LIKE US, WE AMERICANS, WE'RE A
WARRIOR NATION, WE'RE THE MOST
INDUSTRIALIZED WARRIOR NATION IN THE WORLD.
THAT THE WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN.
WE'RE INCREDIBLE IN OUR DESTRUCTIVE POWER.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE YEARNED FOR PEACE, WE YEARNED
FOR CONNECTION, FOR FAMILY, FOR LOVE.
WHAT A STRANGE PARADOX WE ALL HAVE TO WRESTLE WITH.
ONE OF THE STYLES OF ART THAT'S
BEEN VERY INFLUENTIAL IN THE
TYPE OF PAINTING THAT I DO IS LEDGER BOOK ART.
THIS IS A LEDGER BOOK DRAWING.
IT HAS BOLD COLORS AND BOLD SIMPLE SHAPES.
IT'S DONE ON-LINED PAPER.
IT TELLS A STORY.
BUT IT'S ALSO KIND OF CURIOUS.
NEXT PICTURE.
IN THAT THE DRAWINGS ARE DONE
ON LEDGER BOOKS, USED UP LEDGER BOOKS.
SOMETIME IN THE LATE 1600s,
PROBABLY MORE INTO THE 1700s,
NOBODY KNOWS FOR SURE BUT A
NATIVE AMERICAN, PROBABLY A MAN
TOOK UP A FILLED UP LEDGER BOOK, A BOOK USED FOR
BOOKKEEPING, FILLED UP WITH WORDS AND NUMBERS AND HE
STARTED TO DRAW ON THESE PAGES
THAT ARE FILLED UP WITH THE
WHITE MAN'S LANGUAGE, HIS SYMBOLS.
NEXT PICTURE, PLEASE.
AND THE DRAWINGS THAT THAT PERSON DID SOMEHOW CAUGHT ON
AND OTHER PEOPLE JUST, THEY LIKED IT.
THE OTHER NATIVE AMERICANS LIKED IT AND THE EURO
AMERICANS, THE EUROPEAN AMERICANS ON THE FRONTIER, THEY
PAID THE NATIVE AMERICANS FOR
THESE DRAWINGS BECAUSE THEY WERE QUITE UNIQUE. NEXT PICTURE.
THESE ARE MY LEDGER BOOK DRAWINGS.
BUT IT IS A TRADITIONAL ART
FORM AMONGST, IN PARTICULAR,
THE PLAINS INDIANS OF NORTH AMERICA.
THE NATIVE AMERICANS DRAWINGS,
THEIR ARTWORK, FLOATS ON TOP OF
THE WHITE MAN'S WORLD, ON TOP
OF HIS GRID, HIS LINES, HIS NUMBERS AND LETTERS.
AND THE TWO DIFFERENT CULTURES NEVER SEEM TO FIT.
THEY'RE LIKE OIL AND WATER.
NEXT PICTURE.
AND THAT'S THE WAY IT IS TODAY TOO.
IT'S THE 21st CENTURY, BUT SOMETIMES IT AMAZES ME, IT
FEELS LIKE, IT SEEMS LIKE WE -- DIFFERENT CULTURES ARE
DISCONNECTED.
GREAT EFFORTS HAVE BEEN MADE
FROM BOTH SIDES TO BRING US TOGETHER.
AND I REALLY AM HOPEFUL ABOUT
THE FUTURE OF A COMING TOGETHER
OF ALL PEOPLES IN OUR NATION AND ON THIS PLANET EARTH.
I NEVER IMAGINED THAT WE'D HAVE
A BLACK PRESIDENT IN THE WHITE HOUSE.
I NEVER COULD HAVE IMAGINED THAT.
EVEN IF YOU DIDN'T VOTE FOR BARACK OBAMA, IT'S QUITE --
IT'S A HUGE STEP.
NEXT IMAGE.
THIS IS AN ACRYLIC PAINTING FROM CRAZY HORSE'S VISION.
IT SHOWS THE INSIDE OF A SWEAT LODGE.
ONE OF THE SACRED CEREMONIES OF
THE LAKOTA SIOUX IS THE CEREMONY, THE SWEAT LODGE CERTIFICATE MOAN HE.
TRADITIONALLY, IT WAS DONE JUST BY MEN.
TODAY, WOMEN AND CHILDREN ARE
OR CAN BE INVITED INTO THE CEREMONY.
FOR ME, IT'S A CEREMONY THAT I
FORTUNATELY HAVE BEEN INVITED
TO MANY TIMES, HUNDREDS OF
TIMES, AND I'VE BEEN TRAINED IN SWEAT LODGE WAYS BY
SUNDANCEERS.
IT'S NOT THE KIND OF EXPERIENCE
THAT ALL PEOPLE SEEK, BECAUSE IT'S HOT.
IT'S REAL HOT.
BUT IT FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS
CREATES A PRAYERFUL, SPIRITUAL SPACE.
THE STONES THAT ARE HEATED UP
OUTSIDE IN A FIRE, THEY'RE BROUGHT INTO THE LODGE AND
PLACED IN A PIT IN THE CENTER OF THE INE PI.
THEY'RE HEATED UP STONES.
BUT ON ANOTHER LEVEL, THEY'RE THE STONE PEOPLE.
THEY'RE THE ANCIENT ONES.
WHEN THEY GLOW RED HOT LIKE
THEY DID WHEN THEY WERE BORN FROM THE FIRES INSIDE THE
EARTH, THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO,
IT'S A WONDERFUL -- FOR ME,
IT'S A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE.
ANOTHER SWEAT LODGE ILLUSTRATION.
THIS IS FOR GIFT HORSE.
SOME OF THE OLD SONGS THAT WE SING IN THE CEREMONY ARE
ABSOLUTELY UNIQUE.
SONGS THAT I KNOW DATE BACK TO
THE LAST ICE AGE.
THIS IS AN ILLUSTRATION FOR
BLACK ELK'S VISION AND BLACK
ELK WAS A -- A MEDICINE MAN.
HE LIVED DOWN ON THE PINE RIDGE
RESERVATION BEFORE SETTLING THERE.
HE ROAMED THE PLAINS WITH ALL
OF THE OTHER LAKOTA PEOPLE.
ROAMED FREELY UPON THE PLAINS
BUT ENDED UP BEING FORCED ALONG
WITH THE OTHER NATIVE AMERICANS
ON TO THE RESERVATION DOWN ON PINE RIDGE.
ANYWAY, I'M DIGRESSING A LITTLE BIT.
BUT LET ME TALK ABOUT THE ART
HERE AND THEN I'LL TALK ABOUT THE STORY.
THE TEXT WHICH IS NOW PART OF THE DESIGN HAS TO BE
INCORPORATED INTO THE IMAGE AND
I WROTE THE TEXT IN THIS CASE BUT WHERE IT WAS GOING TO BE
PLACED IN THE BOOK WAS
DETERMINED BY NOT JUST MYSELF BY THE EDITORS.
THEY DIVIDE UP THE TEXT AND
TYPICALLY A CHILDREN'S BOOK HAS
OH, 16 SPREADS.
IT DOES VARY.
BUT 16 FULL DOUBLE PAGE
PAINTINGS IS PRETTY COMMON.
SO THE TEXT BECOMES PART OF THE
DESIGN AND IN THIS PARTICULAR
SCENE, BLACK ELK WHO -- HAD AN
AMAZING VISION AS A YOUNG BOY.
HE'S GOTTEN VERY SICK.
HE WAS ABOUT NINE YEARS OLD.
GOT VERY SICK WITH A FEVER AND
IN THAT FEVER, HE HAD HIS VISION.
IN THAT VISION, HE STEPPED OUT
OF HIS TEEPEE AND INTO THE CLOUDS.
HE WAS TRANSPORTED INTO, FOR
THOSE OF US THAT PRAY OR FOR
THOSE OF US THAT KIND OF SENSE
THERE'S SOMETHING IN THIS WORLD
OTHER THAN JUST WHAT WE SEE IMMEDIATELY.
WHAT ARE OUR FIVE SENSES EXPERIENCE.
HE WAS TAKEN TO THAT PLACE.
THAT PLACE OF SPIRITS IF YOU WILL.
AND THERE IN THAT PLACE, HE ENCOUNTERED THE SIX
GRANDFATHERS, THE ANCESTRYIAL
FIGURES OF LAKOTA MYTHOLOGY AND RELIGION.
YOU'LL HAVE TO READ THE BOOK TO
FIND OUT WHAT THE MESSAGE WAS
THAT THEY SHARED WITH HIM.
NEXT PICTURE.
BUT IT WAS A GOOD MESSAGE.
THIS WAS AN ILLUSTRATION FOR
GIFT HORSE AND IN THAT STORY,
THE HERO, THE PROTAGONIST FWS
ON A VISION QUEST AND IN
TRADITIONAL LAKOTA WAY, A YOUNG MAN, WHEN HE'S 13, 14,
THEREABOUTS, IS SENT OUT INTO
THE WILDERNESS BY HIMSELF TO SEEK A VISION.
SO IN THE STORY GIFT HORSE, THE
PROTAGONIST, HE GOES TO SEEK A VISION.
TYPICALLY, ONE GOES FOR FOUR DAYS AND FOUR NIGHTS WITH MAYBE
A LITTLE WATER BUT NO FOOD.
AND IF YOU COULD FOUR DAYS AND
FOUR NIGHTS WITHOUT FOOD, YOU
WOULD PROBABLY HAVE A VISION TOO.
BUT IN LAKOTA TEACHING, WE
SPECIFICALLY GO OUT SEEKING A VISION.
AND IN THE STORY, THE BOY HAS A
VISION OF THE STAR PEOPLE, OF
THE UNIVERSE, OF THE CIRCLE OF LIFE.
HE HAS A VISION THAT ALL THINGS ARE CONNECTED.
NOT JUST PEOPLE, BUT WE TWO LEGGED CREATURES, THE
FOUR-LEGGED CREATURES, THE WINGED ONES, EVEN THE CREEPY
CRAWLIE CREATURES, WE'RE ALL TRAVELING TOGETHER.
WE REALLY ARE.
FOR THIS SHORT, THIS BRIEF MOMENT IN TIME.
WE'RE LIVING OUR LIVES TOGETHER
TRAVELING IN THIS CIRCLE OF LIFE.
LET'S LOOK AT THIS IMAGE FROM
AN ARTISTIC POINT OF VIEW FOR JUST A MINUTE.
I I CAN'T A BRUSH -- I USE A BRUSH TO APPLY MY PAINT.
I ALSO USE A SPONGE TO APPLY MY PAINT.
I SOMETIMES SPRAY THE PAINT THROUGH AN ATOMIZER, IT'S A
STRAW-LIKE MOUTH DEVICE.
WHEN I LAID OUT THIS DESIGN, OF
COURSE, I HAD TO FIRST OF ALL
BE THINKING ABOUT THE STORYLINE
AND CERTAIN IMAGES WERE COMING TO ME.
I ALSO HAD TO THINK ABOUT HOW
MUCH TEXT IS GOING TO BE ON THIS SPREAD.
AM I GOING TO PLACE THAT TEXT
UP TO THE RIGHT, DOWN TO THE RIGHT, HOW AM I GOING TO
INCORPORATE THAT INTO THE DESIGN.
NEXT PICTURE.
AND HERE YOU CAN SEE THE WAY I
USE A SPONGE TO APPLY PAINT.
THIS IMAGE IS ON PAPER.
I HAD TO THINK THERE FOR A MINUTE.
THIS IMAGE IS ON HEAVY WATERCOLOR PAPER.
I USE DIFFERENT TYPES OF BRUSHES.
THEY ACCOMPLISH DIFFERENT THINGS.
JUST LIKE DIFFERENT WRENCHES TURN DIFFERENT NUTS AND
ACCOMPLISH DIFFERENT END RESULTS.
I USE A SPONGE JUST THE TYPICAL KITCHEN SPONGE THAT YOU
PROBABLY HAVE AT HOME, YOU
KNOW, THE PINK ONES, THE YELLOW ONES, THE GREEN ONES.
I CUT THOSE UP TO FIT MY NEEDS.
SOMETIMES I'LL HAVE LARGER
SPONGES, SOMETIMES REALLY QUITE
SMALL, SOMETIMES I'LL USE THE
EDGE OF A SPONGE TO LAY DOWN A
LINE, A SPONGED LINE.
I THINK I DID A LITTLE BIT OF
SPRAYING ON THIS IMAGE AS WELL.
NEXT PICTURE.
SO AT A YOUNG AGE, I CAN REMEMBER.
I WAS TEN YEARS OLD, IT WAS THE SUMMER OF 1960.
WE WERE OUT ON THE STANDING ROCK.
AT THAT TIME MY FAMILY LIVED IN MISSOURI.
WE WERE UP HERE FOR A SUMMER VACATION.
TWO AND A HALF WEEKS, THREE WEEKS.
AND I REMEMBER FEELING THAT VIBRATION THAT I SPOKE OF EARLIER.
AND THAT SHOWS UP IN MY WORK AS
IT DOES, I HOPE, IN THIS PARTICULAR PAINTING.
BUT IN THE SUMMER OF 1960, I
CAN REMEMBER BEING OUT IN MY
GRANDMOTHER'S BACKYARD AND MY
MOTHER, WHO, SHE COULDN'T HAVE
BEEN MORE THAN 33, JUST A YOUNG
WOMAN, SHE TOLD MY SISTER AND
MY BROTHERS AS WE WERE LOOKING
AT THE VAULT OF STARS AND YOU KNOW WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE OVER
THE PRAIRIE, THERE'S YOUR
GREAT, GREAT GRANDFATHER RIDING HIS HORSE.
YOU SEE THE STARS.
I LOOKED AND -- TO SEE MY GREAT, GREAT GRANDFATHER AND
SHE SAID, WELL, WAIT, LOOK OVER HERE.
THAT STAR, THAT'S THE STAR THAT
DOESN'T MOVE, THE NORTH STAR, POLARIS, IT'S CALLED.
IT DOESN'T MOVE.
ALL THE OTHER STARS, THEY MOVE
ACROSS, THEY MOVE ACROSS THE SKY AT NIGHT.
AS SHE SPOKE, I STARTED TO
UNDERSTAND WHAT SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT.
THE SPIRIT OF MY ANCESTORS WAS IN THE STARS.
AND I BELIEVE THAT.
NEXT IMAGE.
IN THE STORY GIFT HORSE, THE
PROTAGONIST GOES ON HIS FIRST BUFFALO HUNT.
AND RIDING ON A HORSE UP NEXT
TO A BUFFALO, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE
ENORMOUS ANIMALS AND SHOOTING
ARROWS, IT'S GOT TO BE PRETTY EXCITING.
SO THIS BOY KILLS HIS FIRST
BUFFALO AND HE JUMPS OFF HIS
HORSE AND HE HOULS LIKE A WOLF.
IT'S A STRANGE THING.
THE WAY WE REALLY DO CELEBRATE
POWER OVER OTHER CREATURES.
WE DO.
I MEAN, I DID IT.
I USED TO HUNT WHEN I WAS A BOY AND A YOUNG MAN.
AND THERE'S -- I'M NOT MAKING EXCUSES.
THERE'S A STRANGE THRILL THAT
COMES WHEN YOU KILL ANOTHER ANIMAL.
AT THE SAME TIME, THERE'S ANOTHER DYNAMIC.
IN THIS STORY, THE BOY AFTER HE
KILLS HIS BUFFALO AND HE'S SO EXCITED, HE'S THRILLED.
HE GOES OVER TO THE BUFFALO,
THE WAY HE WAS TAUGHT AND HE
LEANS DOWN MEX TO THE BISON AND
-- NEXT TO THE BISON AND SPEAKS
INTO HIS EAR AND SAYS BROTHER
BUFFALO, I'M SORRY, I KILLED YOU.
I PROMISE YOU THAT WE'LL EAT
YOUR MEAT, ALL OF YOUR MEAT.
WE WILL USE YOUR BODY.
I PROMISE YOU THAT WE WILL USE YOUR HIDE.
I WILL MAKE A WARM WINTER ROBE FROM YOUR HIDE.
HOW IS IT THAT WE CAN TAKE LIFE AND IT SEEMS LIKE WE'RE
THRILLED BY THAT PROCESS AND
HOW IS IT THAT WE'RE HUMBLED
BECAUSE WE KNOW WE TAKE LIFE,
WE HAVE TO, WE TAKE AWAY THE LIFE OF PLANTS AND OTHER
ANIMALS TO SUSTAIN OURSELVES, TO NOURISH OURSELVES.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME.
NEXT IMAGE.
WELL, NOW I'D LIKE TO TALK A
LITTLE BIT ABOUT COLOR AND ITS SYMBOLIC TRADITIONAL USE
AMONGST THE LAKOTA.
NEXT IMAGE.
SO ALONG WITH PICTOGRAPHS THAT
ARE -- THEY'RE NOT WRITTEN WORDS, BUT THEY ARE ALMOST
BECOMING WRITTEN WORDS.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, THE HAILSTONES
YOU'LL RECOGNIZE NOW, I HOPE,
ON THE LEFT-HAND SIDE ON THE
HORSE ON THE LEFT-HAND SIDE.
THAT IS THE POWER OF A
THUNDERSTORM, THE SWEEPING
MASCULINE OVERPOWERING POWER OF A THUNDERSTORM.
COLOR LIKEWISE CARRIES A POTENCY.
BLUE REPRESENTS THE SKY AND A
CONNECTION WITH THE SPIRIT WORLD.
RED REPRESENTS THE EAST, THE DAWN.
IT ALSO REPRESENTS THE BATTLE
HARDENED STRENGTH OF A WARRIOR.
THE COLOR YELLOW REPRESENTS THE
SOUTH AND SUMMER AND GROWING THINGS.
THE COLOR BLACK REPRESENTS THE
WEST, THE THUNDER BEAMS.
RAIN, THUNDERSTORMS.
OFTEN IN LAKOTA TEACHING, I WAS
TAUGHT THAT WE TALK ABOUT THE
STONES AS STONE PEOPLE, WE TALK
ABOUT THE CLOUDS AS CLOUD PEOPLE.
THEY ARE OUR EQUALS.
AND SO THE THUNDER X, WHEN THEY
-- BEINGS WHEN THEY COME FROM
THE WEST AND IT'S AUGUST AND
IT'S HOT AND DRY, IT HASN'T
RAINED FOR MONTHS, WE WELCOME THE THUNDER BEINGS.
NEXT IMAGE.
TO THE DIRECTION NORTH, WHITE
IS THE COLOR THAT REPRESENTS
THE MEDICINE OR THE POWER THAT
COMES FROM THE NORTH.
FROM THE NORTH WE GAIN WISDOM AND PATIENCE.
FROM THE NORTH WINTER COMES IN ITS HARSHNESS.
IT'S THE TIME WHEN WE'RE TESTED.
AND WE'RE ALL TESTED AS YOU KNOW.
AND SOME ARE TESTED MORE THAN OTHERS.
I FEEL INCREDIBLY BLESSED IN MY
LIFE THAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO BE
A TEACHER, I TAUGHT IN THE
PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN ARIZONA FOR 28 YEARS.
AND I WAS ABLE TO RETIRE FROM
THAT AND PURSUE A SECOND CAREER AS AN ARTIST.
AS A PAINTER AND A TELLER OF STORIES.
NEXT IMAGE.
SO A LITTLE HISTORY AGAIN.
IN 1868 AT THE BATTLE OF WASH AT THAT, GEORGE ARMSTRONG
CUSTER LED AN ATTACK AGAINST A CHEYENNE VILLAGE.
MORE THAN A HUNDRED MEN AND WOMEN WERE KILLED.
800 INDIAN HORSES WERE ROUNDED
UP AND THEY WERE ALL SHOT.
THE INDIANS IN THAT VILLAGE NO LONGER HAD ANY MEANS OF
TRANSPORTATION AND NO MEANS OF ESCAPE.
THEY WERE FORCED ON TO A RESERVATION.
WELL, THE CAVALRY THAT SHOT THE
HORSES, THOSE GUYS LOVED HORSES TOO.
THEY RODE HORSES.
THEY LOVED HORSES.
THEY DEPENDED ON HORSES.
BUT THEIR COMMANDER AND IT WAS
PART OF MANIFEST DESTINY, YOU KNOW ABOUT IT.
IT WAS THIS FIST OF EUROPEAN
AMERICAN CULTURE GOING RIGHT THROUGH NATIVE AMERICAN
CULTURE, SLAMMING RIGHT INTO IT.
THE EURO AMERICANS FELT THEY
HAD TO DO SOMETHING WITH THE
INDIANS TO GET THEM OUT OF THE WAY.
IN SOME CASES THEY KILLED THEM.
IN OTHER CASES THEY FORCED THEM ON TO THE RESERVATION.
WITHOUT HORSES AND WITH THE DWINDLING POPULATION OF
BUFFALO, THE NATIVE AMERICANS
IN THIS CASE THE CHEYENNE, THEY
DID END UP ON A RESERVATION.
WHEN THE CAVALRY SHOT THE HORSES -- WHEN YOU READ
HISTORY, IT'S NOT JUST WORDS IN A BOOK.
HISTORY IS REAL PEOPLE WITH
EXPERIENCING REAL FEELINGS LIKE YOU AND ME.
WHEN THEY SHOT THE HORSES, THAT
HAD TO BE PRETTY TRAUMATIC.
800 HORSES DYING IN FRONT OF THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN, IN
FRONT OF THE CAVALRY.
IT WAS A SAD MOMENT IN OUR HISTORY. BUT IT'S A REAL MOMENT.
YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THESE THINGS.
AT LEAST ACKNOWLEDGE THEM.
I THINK IT MAKES US STRONGER AND MORE HONEST.
NEXT IMAGE.
I THINK KIDS CAN LEARN ABOUT THIS AND I HOPE THAT -- IT
SEEMS LIKE FROM THE REVIEWS
THAT I GET THAT I DO MANAGE TO
DO THAT, TO TOUCH ON SOME OF
THESE TOPICS OF CONFLICT BUT
HANDLE THEM IN A WAY THAT IS EDUCATIONAL AND NOT
OVERWHELMING FOR YOUNG READERS.
IF YOU LOOK AT THIS FROM AN
ARTISTIC STANDPOINT, YOU'LL SEE
THE INFLUENCE OF LEDGER BOOK DRAWING.
YOU'LL SEE THAT I'M USING
COLORS THAT ARE PRIMARY, SECONDARY COLORS, VIVID COLORS
THAT THE LAKOTA PEOPLE WERE
PARTICULARLY DRAWN TO, AND THEY
DO HAVE SYMBOLIC MEANING.
YOU'LL SEE THE PICTOGRAPHS, THE
IMAGES THAT THE LAKOTA CARRIED
WITH THEM IN THEIR CULTURE.
STILL DO TODAY.
NEXT IMAGE.
ON DECEMBER 29th, 1890, IN SOUTH DAKOTA, THE BATTLE OF
WOUNDED KNEE TOOK PLACE.
IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER, THE
UNITED STATES ARMY ATTACKED A
LAKOTA VILLAGE IN SOUTH DAKOTA.
340 LAKOTA MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN WERE KILLED.
IT IS THE LAST BATTLE OF THE INDIAN WARS.
AFTERWARDS, THE DEFEATED NATIVE
AMERICAN PEOPLE SURRENDER.
WITH THE BUFFALO GONE AND NEAR
STARVATION, THEY MOVE ON TO THE
INDIAN RESERVATIONS WHERE THEY REMAIN TO THIS DAY.
NEXT PICTURE.
SO AS AN ARTIST, AS A TEACHER,
AS A STUDENT OF ART, MAN, I'D LOVE COLOR.
I JUST DO.
THAT'S MAYBE MY FAVORITE THING.
I LIKE TO DRAW, I LIKE TO
PAINT, BUT COLOR IS AN EXCITING
THING FOR ME TO WORK WITH, TO USE.
AND I CREATE TEXTURES BY THE
WAY I USE A SPONGE AND A BRUSH.
NEXT PICTURE.
I ALSO CREATE TEXTURES USING THIN WASHES OF COLOR
TRANSPARENT WASHES OF COLOR AND
WHILE THE PAINT IS STILL WET, I
CAN MANIPULATE THAT COLOR.
SOMETIMES I TAKE CLING WRAP,
PLASTIC WRAP AND I PRESS IT INTO THE PAINT.
I'LL LAY MY PAINTING DOWN ON A
FLAT SURFACE ON A TABLE OR ON A FLOOR.
I'LL SPREAD CLING WRAP, PLASTIC
WRAP INTO THE PAINT AND KIND OF WRINKLE IT UP.
NEXT PICTURE.
AND THAT PLASTIC WRAP CREATES
SOME OF THE TEXTUAL PATTERNS, I
THINK YOU CAN SEE IT IN THE
BLUE HORSE, MAYBE IN THE SHADED
AREA BENEATH THE HORSE AND THE
TWO FIGURES IN THE FOREGROUND.
WHEN I ATTENDED MOORHEAD STATE
COLLEGE, I WANT TO CALL IT
BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THIS USED
TO BE AND THEY'VE CHANGED THE
NAME I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY TIMES, BUT THE UNIVERSITY OF
MINNESOTA AT MOORHEAD, WHEN I
ATTENDED COLLEGE THERE AS AN
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT, MAN, I HAD SOME GREAT TEACHERS.
MY LIFE, IT WAS -- I LOVED ART.
I KNEW THAT WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL.
BUT AS A SENIOR, I REALLY
COULDN'T MAKE UP MY MIND, DID I
WANT TO -- DID I WANT TO MAJOR
IN BIOLOGY, WHICH I ALSO FIND
FASCINATING, OR DID I WANT TO MAJOR IN ART?
I DECIDED ON ART AND WHEN I GOT
INTO MY FIRST CLASSES AND MY
FRESHMAN CLASSES, IT WAS LIKE A ROCKET SHIP TAKING OFF.
IT WAS JUST THE RIGHT THING FOR ME.
I LEARNED ABOUT TEXTURE.
I LEARNED DIFFERENT WAYS OF APPLYING TEXTURE.
I LEARNED THAT THE POSITIVE SPACE IN A PAINTING.
NEXT PICTURE, IS IMPORTANT BUT
NEGATIVE SPACE IS IMPORTANT TOO.
SO IN THIS PICTURE, THAT GUY WAY OVER THERE, HE'S THE
POSITIVE SPACE.
THE BACKGROUND IS THE NEGATIVE SPACE.
IT DEMANDS AS MUCH ATTENTION AS
THE NEGATIVE SPACE DEMANDS AS
MUCH ATTENTION AS THE POSITIVE SPACE.
THEY ARE OF EQUAL IMPORTANCE
AND THEY COULD BE PUSHED AND
PULLED IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS.
NEXT IMAGE.
SO THE HORSE CULTURE OF THE PLAINS INDIANS, IT IS
MEMORABLE.
FOR ME AND I HOPE TO THE YOUNG
READERS WHO PICK UP MY BOOKS.
NEXT IMAGE.
I HAVE BEEN TRULY BLESSED TO BE
ABLE TO BE AN ILLUSTRATOR.
I WRITE BOOKS BUT I HAVE TO
TELL YOU, MY REAL PASSION IS TO DO THE ARTWORK.
SO WRITING A BOOK JUST BETWEEN
YOU AND ME, IS AN EXCUSE TO PAINT PICTURES.
[ LAUGHTER STHCHLT [ A COUPLE
OF AWARDS THAT I'VE WON, THIS
PARTICULAR BOOK, THE WESTERN
WRITERS OF AMERICA AWARD, ONE OF MY OTHER BOOKS TOO.
I COULD NOT BELIEVE WHEN I GOT THAT AWARD.
ME? I DON'T THINK SO. I'M FROM FARGO.
[ LAUGHTER ]
STEVEN AMBROSE HAS RECEIVED THAT AWARD.
THE GUY THAT WROTE LONESOME DOVE, THE T.V. MINISERIES.
THAT'S PROBABLY BEFORE YOUR TIME.
HE RECEIVED THAT AWARD.
THE GUY WHO WROTE DANCES WITH
WOLVES RECEIVED THAT AWARD.
THE SPUR AWARD.
THANK YOU FOR THAT.
WESTERN WRITERS OF AMERICA.
HOW WONDERFUL.
NEXT IMAGE.
SOMETIMES MY PAINTINGS TEND
TOWARDS NATURALISM AND THE REAL WORLD.
I THINK MAYBE COYOTE CHRISTMAS
IS MORE REALISTIC, NATURAL IS
PARTICULAR THAN ANY OF MY OTHER BOOKS.
CERTAINLY MORE THAN MOST OF MY BOOKS.
WHEN I PAINT TODAY, I'M NOT
TRYING TO PAINT THE WORLD THE
WAY YOU AND I SEE IT, LIKE A CAMERA SEES IT.
THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT.
I KNOW SOME PEOPLE PAINT IN A WAY THAT'S CALLED PHOTO REALISM.
IN FACT, ONE OF MY CLASSMATES THAT I WENT TO NORTH HIGH WITH
AND WHO I ALSO WENT TO, IS IT MOORHEAD STATE COLLEGE OR
YOOVRT OF MINNESOTA AT MOORHEAD.
WHO I ALSO WENT TO COLLEGE ART CLASSES WITH, HE IS AN
INCREDIBLY TALENTED ARTIST AND
DRAWS AND PAINTS USING PHOTO REALISM AND PEOPLE LOVE IT
BECAUSE IT LOOKS JUST THE WAY
HIS WORK LOOKS JUST THE WAY THE REAL WORLD LOOKS.
THAT'S A GOOD THING.
BUT FOR ME, I LIKE COLOR AND I
LIKE TEXTURE IN THE WAY THEY LOOK.
NEXT IMAGE.
THE QUIET HERO.
IRA HAYES.
IT'S INTERESTING.
THE PHOTOGRAPH THAT MOST OF YOU
WILL RECOGNIZE AND SCULPTURE,
THE IMAGE OF THE MARINES AND
ONE NAVY CORE MAN RAISING THE -- CORPS MAN RAISING THE
AMERICAN FLAG ON EYE WOE JIMA
IS PROBABLY THE MOST REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPH ON EARTH.
AND CERTAINLY, AMONGST AMERICANS THE MOST
RECOGNIZABLE.
IN THE STORY, I TELL A STORY
THAT'S HARD TO TELL ABOUT IRA HAYES.
MANY OF YOU KNOW THAT HE WAS A
SERIOUSLY TROUBLED ALCOHOLIC.
AND EVEN THOUGH HE HELPED RAISE
THAT FLAG ON IWO JIMA.
THAT PHOTOGRAPH IS AMAZING.
THE BRONZE SCULPTURE IN D.C. IS
A WONDERFUL SCULPTURE.
HIS PERSONAL DEMONS, THE BATTLE
HE FOUGHT WITH ALCOHOL WAS MORE
TESTING, MORE TRYING, AND HE LOST THAT BATTLE.
NEXT IMAGE.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO READ TO YOU
AS WE CLOSE UP HERE JUST A
BRIEF EXCERPT, A PAGE FROM BLACK ELK'S VISION.
DO WEAVE WE HAVE TIME FOR THAT?
>> OKAY.
SO YOU'LL RECALL.
I MENTIONED THAT I HAVE TO WEAR GLASSES.
YOU'LL RECALL THAT I MENTIONED
BLACK ELK AS A BOY HAD COME
DOWN WITH THIS FEVER.
I AWOKE WITH A FEVER.
BUT I STILL SEEM TO BE SLEEPING AND DREAMING.
LOOKING OUT THE DOORWAY OF OUR
TEEPEE, I COULD SEE THE SKY.
TWO SPIRITS CAME DOWN OUT OF THE CLOUDS.
THESE CLOUD PEOPLE CALLED TO ME.
THEY CALLED FOR ME TO FOLLOW.
I SAT UP, MY LEGS DID NOT ACHE ANYMORE.
SO I STEPPED FROM OUR TEEPEE INTO THE CLOUDS.
THE CLOUD PEOPLE LED THE WAY.
MOUNTAINS OF CLOUDS ROSE ALL ABOUT.
THUNDER RUMBLED.
THEN GALLOPING SPIRIT HORSES
APPEARED FROM THE FOUR SACRED DIRECTIONS.
TO THE WEST, HORSES SNORTED LIGHTNING.
TO THE NORTH, THEY KICKED UP A SNOWSTORM.
FROM THE EAST, HORSES PRANCED
WITH EYES THAT SHONE LIKE STARS AT DAWN.
AND FROM THE SOUTH, HORSES
APPEARED WITH WINDBLOWN MANES
GROWING WITH GRASS AND THE LEAVES OF LIVING TREES.
THEY WHEELED ABOUT ME IN A GREAT CIRCLE.
THE PLUNGING HORSES WERE IN NUMBERS TOO MANY TO COUNT.
BEFORE MY EYES, THEY CHANGED INTO OTHER FOUR-LEGGED
CREATURES, DEER, COYOTES, RABBITS.
THE SWIMMING BEINGS, TAD POLLS
AND FISH, THE WINGED BEINGS, MOTHS, RAVENS AND EAGLES.
ALL OF THE DIFFERENT ANIMALS OF
THE WORLD DANCED ABOUT ME IN THE GREAT CIRCLE OF LIFE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
[ APPLAUSE ]
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