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Native American Collection
The Native American Collection consists of over 800 objects representing
20th Century Plains Indian Art. The primary focus is on works from the
Dakota, Nakota, and Lakota Tribes, with representation of the Midwestern
Woodlands, Southwestern, and Northwestern Tribes.
The Lakota and Dakota Nations
A common impression of Native American tribes in South Dakota is of the Lakota
Plains warrior, atop his horse wearing an eagle feather headdress. While this
vision is partially accurate, it doesn’t address the experiences of women
in the tribes and excludes the eastern, or Dakota Tribe’s heritage, who
are more closely tied to woodlands cultures.
What has been historically referred to as the "Sioux" nation is actually split
into three dialect groups: the Lakota (western), Nakota (central) and Dakota
(eastern). In historic times the Lakota’s culture was nomadic, economically
based on the horse and buffalo. Much of the artwork you see in this gallery reflects
a minimalist lifestyle based on travel. This does not mean that the Lakota lacked
aesthetics. Surfaces of most possessions were personally decorated with natural
elements such as porcupine quills, shells, natural pigments and bone. Later,
introduced trade items such as beads, allowed an explosion of artistic innovation
on the part of Lakota women. Geometric designs predominate in much of Lakota
artwork, perhaps inspired by the vast and open mountainous landscape.
Historically, the Dakota tribe’s artwork and agricultural lifestyle is
influenced by woodlands culture. Buffalo were important to the Dakota, as well
as deer, wild rice and birch bark. Dakota Indians’ artistic heritage is
often curvilinear and plant-oriented, perhaps representing indigenous plant knowledge.
The flower designs are usually created in beadwork or with porcupine quills reflecting
the more densely wooded areas of Minnesota, where the Dakota migrated from.
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