Lightfeather Art and Lectures

Lightfeather Lectures
& Art

My sincere thank you goes to the riders and the giving of their gifts of strength and endurance. Thank you to all of those who sponsored this hundred-mile trek.

In honor of you for your support, I would like to share a display of Lightfeather's artwork with their spiritual meanings. The art work designs below were created by Lightfeather. They are wood burnings of either original or authentic Native Designs. Each piece was made from selected pine and took anywhere from 8-18 hours to create. After the pieces were completed, four coats of polyethylene were applied to protect the art work for years of enjoyment.

I hope you enjoy viewing and reading about the designs
and their distintive spiritual meanings.

Thank You, Talking Otter

Creators Precious Gifts The tree in the center is to represent the people living in harmony and balance. An entire people as a whole. The river of life, mountains, sky, moon, sun, stars and the mirroring of the sky to the earth. Small medicine wheels sometimes worn had the colors red, white, black, and yellow. These are also the color of man long before any knowledge of their existence.

	The Hoop of Life This hoop design represents all the various aspects of life. It symbolizes the never-ending circle of life which starts with birth, then goes to maturity, then to old age and death with completion of the hoop in rebirth here or in the spirit world. The individual who has his life in order stands in the center of the hoop to see, understand and be guided by the various paths of life around the hoop. The background has sixteen points which represent the sixteen different aspects of life which the holyness of the Great Mystery is manifest-sun, sky, earth, stone, moon, wind, falling star, thunder being, buffalo, two-legged(bear and man), the four winds, the whirlwind and four mysteries having to do with shadows, shade, soul and potency.

Spirit Keeper *"Completing The Circle"*

Deer

Deer & Elk

Both of these animals are very graceful and were respected by the Native American. They provided food, and gifts for the people. The hides were used for clothing, moccasin's, drums and shields.

Elk

Black War Bonnet Society Just like the headress as you look at it from the back it looks like a sunburst pattern. Only highly respected warriors and leaders could wear this emblem of war medicine. Black is the dominant color of the society. In traditional Lakota black means danger, death and intense spiritual devotion. White in the design is for life after death, the spirit world of ancestors and past warriors. Red is the sacred color of life, the color of blood and lends its name to the red road, the path of proper conduct. Symbolically this says the owner will not go from this life into the next until the proper time. Putting this emblem on a buffalo skull and placing this near the tipi or encampment tells you that the people there are of the Black War Bonnet Society Many thanks to Standing Owl for his help with the page.
	Wolf Native Americans respected and honored the wolf and they lived together with great harmony.The wolf taught the people about hunting in groups. The medicine people watched the wolf and found ways of healing from sickness by what they ate.Respect of family and protection of the pack (village) were very similar to both the wolf and the people.
Eagle The Eagle is also known as the Soloar Bird. The people believed he carried messages from the Great Spirit as he could fly so high. Earning a Eagle feather was the highest honor a warrior could receive. It was said, "He would give up his wife and home before loosing his Eagle feathers."
	Buffalo Track A Buffalo skull was displayed outside of the lodge or tipi and then the pipe would be lit and prayers would be said to ask the Buffalo to re-appear and provide food for the people. Every part of the Buffalo was used and nothing ever went to waste. Bones were used for jewelry and hoofs were used in rattles. Bladders were used for water bags and hides were used for sleeping robes or coverings for lodges or tipi's. In 1860 whiteman had a great demand for hides and by 1873 around 10,000 Buffalo hunters were on the plains. There also was a great demand for the tongues and many Buffalo were left to rot. Many whitemen thought to rid the plains of Buffalo would also get rid of the Native American. By 1885 there were just a handful of Buffalo left.

Music Used by Kind Permission of Jeff Ball

Home Site Lecture Memorial Prayers Regalia Medicine Wheel