Nellie Two Bear Gates (Mahpiya Bogawin, Gathering of Clouds Woman). Valise, 1903. North or South Dakota. Lakota (Teton Sioux). Commercial and native-tanned leather, glass beads, metal. Collection of Berte and Alan Hirschfield
Early Reservation Life, 1880–1910
On individually allotted reservation lands, communities grew with the establishment of government substations, day schools, churches, and non-Indian trading posts. Religious groups established boarding schools near the reservation agencies. Distant boarding schools sprang up, some in eastern U.S. cities, to remove Native students from tribal society and acculturate them to American lifestyles.
—Arthur Amiotte, Oglala Lakota Artist and Scholar
There must have been an inner strength in our ancestors. As Plains Indian people seemed to reach the nadir of their existence, they did not die off or disappear into the larger American society. Instead, they experienced a renewed sense of creativity.
—Emma I. Hansen, Pawnee Scholar
Despite poverty and hardship, creative expression continued. Artists developed new forms to maintain traditions and support community life. Religious movements, the Ghost Dance, and the Native American Church inspired ceremonial regalia. Wild West shows and Fourth of July celebrations encouraged artists to make clothing and gifts. Need and opportunity stimulated the creation of works for outside markets.
—Gaylord Torrence, Curator
Early Reservation Life, 1880–1910 section of the exhibition
