Our
research project with the Smithsonian's National
Museum of the American
Indian in 2005 let us to
find many different types of utensils that we
didn't know
existed since we have no museums or documentation
of those things here on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
We
found buffalo horn cups, horn spoons and small "mini
spoons" for individual use. The spoons
we saw were each adorned with porcupine quill
work
and in
later dates, beads. We also discovered cups
that we made from the whole horn cap. On a
very few
cups and spoons we found some to have been
carved and
also inlaid with different earth colors. Red
earth colors mostly but, also yellow and only
one that
was inlaid with a dark blue color. We weren't
too surprised to learn that that particular
cup belonged
to one of our most courageous leaders, Crazy
Horse.
Something
we found to be very simple yet whose beauty varied
so much was the small
spoons
that were made
for individual use. Each spoon was very different
and showed the care and love that went into
the making of such pieces.
The
buffalo horn spoons that we make take anywhere
from a few weeks to a few months to make. Our designs
all come from universal designs and imagery that
come from stories that have been past down for
many generations. Also, as a contemporary human
being and having gained an awareness of all things
around me, have much to say about our human condition
and the treatment of all Indigenous Peoples.
Our
work have been described as "A breath of
fresh air in the contemporary native art world", "Culturally
rooted, Historically conscious, and currently relevant", "compelling
and important in it's originality"
We
recently began making the horn cups and small spoons
and have had great response to both new
works.
