WCD Missing Home

 9" x 12" in.
Screenprint

Life back home is full of memories and being with family is worth more than what money can offer. On the reservation, I was always in ceremonies since I was two years old when I first started dancing in powwows and after all this time, I have been dancing as a Fancy Shawl dancer for 21 years. I have also been to sweat lodge ceremonies just as long as I have been dancing in powwows and been a part of the Crow Dog’s Paradise Sundance for the last 11 years. As I progressed in our culture and traditions, the language was the main foundation that pulled me onto the Red Road at such a young age, and I have my elders to thank for. Before graduating high school, I use to sit with my grandparents – Duanne Hollow Horn Bear, Ione Quigley, Leta Brandis, Sam High Crane, Stella White Hat, Shirley Witt, and Marion Running Horse – during lunch and every time they had conversations in Lakota, I would sit and listen. Their teachings in the Lakota language have followed me since I was in elementary school, and they taught me stories of our people and how we came to be. Hearing our songs in Lakota makes me feel proud and reminds me what life truly means – the power of prayer is everything. The colors green and yellow remind me of the plains at home and how much of it I can see over the horizon. And I miss it. Santa Fe, New Mexico is beautiful and filled with rich lands of the mountains, but it is not compared to how beautiful home is.