Bronze eagle feathers for gravesite of Oglala Sioux Good Will Ambassador, Paha Ska
One of the best compliments you can receive as an artist is that, after an extensive and complicated search, your talent is exactly what they were looking for.
I experienced that sense of pride and accomplishment tenfold recently when I began working with Barbara Salway-Jensen on a custom piece that held a special place in her heart.
When Barb approached me at a show in Scottsdale, Arizona, the story she had to tell me was remarkable.
Barb asked me if I would help her by sculpting a set of bronze eagle feathers for her Native American father’s burial stone, and I couldn’t help but say yes.
The journey she went through to arrive at my work and the sheer magnitude of importance of this piece made me feel truly honored to be a part of this project.
Paha Ska’s influence and artwork were widely acknowledged and appreciated
“He was not a famous person, but he will be part of the history of our state forever.”~ Barb Salway, daughter of Paha Ska
Barb’s father was a member of the Oglala Sioux tribe in South Dakota who went by the name of Paha Ska. He was a well-known painter who also spent much of his time greeting tourists in the city of Keystone while wearing his native regalia.
For more than 50 years, Paha Ska was a symbol of Keystone for tourists heading up to see Mt. Rushmore. He would greet them and embrace the opportunity to share and sell his artwork with a new audience.
As Barb said, “He was not a famous person, but he will be a part of the history of our state forever.”
In recognition of his contributions to the state and the tourism industry, the South Dakota governor declared Paha Ska Day on May 24, 1997 and named him a Good Will Ambassador to Keystone.
In 2007, he was also inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame for his talents as an artist and his contributions to the state.
Paha Ska also received honors from his native tribe as well. He received a ceremonial staff, which made him known as an elder in the Oglala Sioux tribe.
Facing up to immense pressure and responsibility
When Barb received her father’s ashes several years after he died, she was not aware that she would be responsible for designing a burial stone for him. She felt an immense sense of pressure and responsibility to make sure that this stone would represent her father and his life, while respecting the Native American heritage he held so dear.
She kept the ashes in her Arizona home for a while to spend time with his spirit in hopes that she would be inspired to find the best option for his burial stone.
Period of research and reflection leads to a concept
Barb spent “countless hours” at art shows and galleries to see different artists’ styles, hoping to find one that would mesh well with her vision. She searched bookstores and even spent time in graveyards to get a feel for some other burial stones.
“I came to realize a burial stone reflects the final words to the world about who we are, what we did and how we lived,” she said.
Through this period of reflection, she determined that her father’s burial stone should represent his life and his artwork with respect.
She wanted to acknowledge something the native people of South Dakota would be comfortable with and that would show his love of painting, his Native American culture and horses.
Using a sacred symbol from Paha Ska’s headdress
Paha Ska was known for wearing an elaborate headdress while he greeted visitors and sold his artwork in Keystone. It was not held in the same regard as a traditional headdress that might symbolize leadership within the tribe, but it was still a symbol that Paha Ska took great pride in.
Barb remembered that each spring, he would take care in the process of its renewal, hand-stitching eagle feathers, beadwork, animal pelts and plumes onto it.
This process and the end result allowed him to recall the culture of his past and signify his personal successes.
Eagle feathers are precisely the sacred symbol Barb was looking for to include in her father’s burial stone.
These feathers would withstand the test of time, so that years from now, people who visit his burial stone will immediately understand the meaning and significance of this great piece and important man.
Collaboration led to a great final piece
When I met Barb at the Arizona Fine Art Expo in Scottsdale, I could see how important this project was to her and I was incredibly honored to be asked to work with her on such a significant piece of familial and Native American history.
Barb said her first impression of my work was that it was incredibly detailed and rustically beautiful. She could see and understand the depth in each of my pieces and appreciated that each piece told its own story of the past. She thought these were characteristics her father would have appreciated as an artist.
After Barb explained to me a vague idea of what she would want, I began brainstorming with her how we could go about this project.
Together, we came up with the idea to add the medicine wheel and the colors of the four directions, which personalized the piece to my father even more.
The working relationship with Barb on this project was one of the most fulfilling of my career. I was touched by the history of Paha Ska, by Barb’s devotion to preserving the spirit of her father, and by her honesty and dedication in a search to find what she thought would be the perfect artist.
A transforming experience for both of us
Barb has expressed to me her sincere gratitude for my involvement in this piece, and I am thrilled that she is so pleased with how it turned out.
“The detail in the beadwork of the medicine wheel gives the feathers even more meaning and has such powerful significance to our culture,” Barb said. “Whenever I show it, silence fills the room because its beauty and meaning cannot be put into words.”
That Barb saw the potential for what she calls “artistic empathy” and greater meaning in my work, and felt her father would approve of my involvement in this project is the ultimate compliment.