Embossed Paper 6/30, 1990
14k Gold Leaf Frame

Gold Leaf, Chinese Silk, Watercolor, Acrylic

Image: 14″ x 11.5″
Framed: 24″ x 21″

“SHIELD BIRDS”
“GIVES BACK SONGS”

The figure is a man of the Crow nation or Asperopa, which means Children of the Raven or Bird People. This image depicts a blessing for tobacco.

Tobacco was a sacred herb because it carried the smokers prayers to God as well as to the four directions. It was said that one could not lie after smoking this sacred plant. The men of the tribe would plant separate rows of ceremonial tobacco and mark them in special identifying ways. Each blessing was personal and individual songs and ceremonies were sometimes created to bless the tobacco.

Although face and body painting were matters of personal taste and whim, much of what he wears is identifiably Crow. His knife sheath is a Crow pattern and colors. The shield holds a yellow headed Blackbird, one of the symbols of the Crow. The small packets on the shield containing tobacco needs are distinctively Crow.

The hair bows are made of Demtillian shells and decorated with blue pony beads. These shells were so valued that six shells could be traded for one human. The shells originally found on Vancouver Island, are now extinct. On the back of his head he wears a hairdrop. This is made from hanks of hair, (horse or human) held together with pitch to form a long drop. The Blue Heron feather and mule deer tail, which decorate the shield are personal objects to keep the blessing.