Lower Sioux 3

Establishing shot: Rita Good Thunder standing in the Lower Sioux Pottery holding a ball of Minnesota clay on the Lower Sioux Indian Community reservation in Minnesota.

Named locations: Lower Sioux Pottery, Lower Sioux Indian Community reservation, Morton Minnesota, Bloomington Minnesota, Berkeley California, St Cornelius Bishop Whipple Mission Chapel, Olivia Minnesota, Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), Santa Fe NM, Little Big Horn Big Horn County Montana

Major themes covered:   Lower Sioux 3 splits its focus between pottery and cultural revitalization.  Rita Good Thunder introduces the art of pottery making at the Lower Sioux Pottery.  She introduces the equipment and process as well as a history of the clay used and plans in the future to process the clay on the Lower Sioux Indian Community reservation. 

Throughout the second part of the video Father Bears Heart of the St. Cornelius Ministry, the first NDN priest to serve an all White congregation, addresses the importance of higher education for NDNs, art and science degrees, and institutions like IAIA.  Father Bears Heart discusses his son Wilbur Jr.’s art at the pottery and how he learned about NDN culture. Father Bears Heart also discusses history and how he was taught of NDN history by his grandfather, Arrow Head, who fought at the Battle of Little Big Horn. He addresses inconsistencies in history and gaps in history lessons taught in public schools that do not address NDN history.  He tells of his first lessons in NDN history at seminary school in Berkeley, California. Father Bears Heart's focus is on cultural revitalization, which includes language; he sees art and art education as well as the NDN language necessary for the continuation of the culture.

Individuals Named: Rita Good Thunder, Father Wilbur Bears Heart, Bears Heart’s eldest son David Bears Heart, Wilbur Bears Heart Jr., Arrow Head, Ted Listern, Douglas Pendleton, Joanne Pendleton.
Native language spoken: Father Wilbur Bears Heart recites the Lord’s Prayer and the Trinity Blessing in “Dakota”. There is also much discussion by Father Bears Heart about cultural revitalization including the Siouan language.
 

Other notes:
Vintage Lower Sioux Pottery can be found on eBay and other sites.

Wilbur Bears Heart Jr.’s art work “Shattered Dreams Between Two Worlds” appears on artnet.com

Lower Sioux Cultural Heritage Preservation: http://www.lowersioux.com/d-historicalpreservation.html

See also on AIFG:

Lower Sioux 1 http://aifg.arizona.edu/film/lower-sioux-1

Lower Sioux 2 http://aifg.arizona.edu/film/lower-sioux-2

Lower Sioux 4 http://aifg.arizona.edu/film/lower-sioux-4

Lower Sioux 5 http://aifg.arizona.edu/film/lower-sioux-5

--Kari Quiballo, 2013