"We did not think of the great open plains, the beautiful rolling hills, and winding streams with tangled growth as "wild". To us it was tame. Earth was bountiful and we were surrounded with the blessings of the Great Mystery."

Luther Standing Bear - Rosebud Sioux

Guardian of the Water Medicine

Guardian of the Water Medicine
Dale Auger

Dale Auger

Dale Auger: On Art, Blood and Kindred Spirits
by Terri Mason

Defining Dale Auger in one sentence is akin to releasing the colours of a diamond in one cut. It can’t be done. It’s the many facets that release a diamond’s true brilliance, as it is the many facets of Auger’s life, education, ancestry, experiences and beliefs that have shaped and polished his work into the internationally acclaimed and collected artist that he is today.

Born a Sakaw Cree from the Bigstone Cree Nation in northern Alberta, Auger’s education began as a young boy when his mother would take him to be with the elders. “I used to say to myself, ‘Why is she leaving me with these old people?’ – but today I see the reason; I was being taught in the old way.”

Auger’s respect for traditional teachings led him on a journey to study art, opening the door to a doctorate in education. He is a talented playwright, speaker and visual artist whose vividly coloured acrylics have captured the attention of collectors that reads like an international ‘Who’s Who’ spanning English to Hollywood royalty. The essence of his work is communication, and now Dr. Auger has come full circle, interpreting the life of his culture – from the everyday to the sacred - through the cross-cultural medium of art.

Read the rest here:

http://www.daleauger.com/printversionbio.cfm

Friday, May 2, 2008

2008 Recipient for Native American Traditions, Will Moreau Goins, Columbia, South Carolina

Will Moreau Goins has dedicated his life to preserving, presenting and performing Native American music traditions, beadwork and storytelling. He weaves the ancient past, mythology and the present with dramatic narratives and song.

He inherited his artistic inclinations from his family members, matriarchs and those who continued the traditions of his ancestors. The son of Cherokee artist Elsie Taylor Goins, he traces his musical heritage back to the ancient chants of the indigenous cultures of the Southeast. As a teenager, Goins was already teaching younger children and exposing them to a wide variety of Cherokee art forms, including beadwork, a tradition passed down to him by his great aunt, Corrie Sisney.

Forch Allen, Goins' great-great-grandfather, was a medicine man in Oconee County and practiced along the Tugaloo River. Forch's son, Alexander Allen, was also a medicine man who practiced throughout the Smoky Mountains and was referred to as "Doctor" in United States census records. Focusing on contemporary medicine men, Goins traveled throughout the Southeastern United States collecting and documenting data regarding medical practices among a variety of Native American tribes.

He has worked with Native American people, organizations and agencies for over 30 years and has an integral role with the Eastern Cherokee, Southern Iroquois and United Tribes of South Carolina Inc. This non-profit organization is "dedicated to the preservation and perpetuation of South Carolina Native American history, culture, and heritage."

Keep reading here: http://www.southcarolinaarts.com/folkheritage/Goins.shtml
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