Antone LeBeau is a self-taught
artist who began his career making artifacts. Antone learned
by reading books and teaching himself the techniques needed to
create each piece. Antone is also a Lakota Sun Dancer and Pipe
carrier.
Antone has been making traditional
art for fifteen years, initially making ceremonial pieces for
himself and his relatives. He feels that by continually educating
the public about his people’s history and lives, past and
present, he can overcome stereotypes. Antone plans to diversify
the his work through a grant awarded to him through the First
Peoples Fund project, which recognizes deserving artists who
have merit and have made significant contributions in their fields.
Antone has won numerous awards
over the years and has been featured in several publications,
including Native Peoples. His most recent awards include 3rd
Place – Traditional Accessories and Honorable Mention –
Traditional Accessories at the 2006 Eiteljorg Museum Indian Market,
and 2nd Place – Diverse Art Form at the 2006 Santa Fe Indian
Market. Antone received 2nd Place – Ethnic Arts at the Tesoro
Foundation’s Indian Market in 2005 and 2006.
Artist Statement:
My name is Antone LeBeau.
I am Cheyenne River Sioux. I am also a Lakota Sun Dancer and
Pipe carrier.
All of the materials used
in my creation are treated with the utmost respect. I am continually
thanking Wakantanka and the Tunkasilas (God and the Grandfathers)
for the materials I use. I also pray for the spirits and to Mother
Earth for the use of these materials.
I ask that my creations be
treated with the same respect, and I hope you enjoy them.
A design from a Teton Dakota
rawhide trunk. The trunk was made before 1930 on the Standing
Rock Reservation by Her Shawl, the wife of Chief White Buffalo,
the grandson of Sitting Bull.
It was collected by Harold
Schunk, at one time a teacher on the Cheyenne River Reservation,
who knew Her Shawl (Schunk was later made superintendent at the
Rosebud Agency).
Typical Dakota borders were
used to enclose a more or less realistic chokecherry design.
The arrangement of details and color varied in the design from
top to sides, to ends. This design is an example of the evolution
of Indian design. (Collection of Harold Schunk)
A delightfully well made parfleche
container made of elk hide and dressed with natural vegetal and
mineral pigments, this box houses a collection of sewing instruments
including:
- Deer antler awl, used to
punch holes in the hides used for clothing and lodging. A decorative
case has been created from both brain tanned leather (soft) and
rawhide (hard) to hold the antler awl. Elaborate bead work, matching
the parfleche designs, adorns the case, and vintage glass trade
beads are featured on the drawstrings.
- Buffalo bone sewing needles
have been carefully hand-fashioned, and are also included in
a matching case - similar to the antler awl (above).
- Hand knapped scraping stone
is included with leather wrap. This tool would have been used
to remove hair and fur from various hides to prepare them for
tanning and end use. Occasionally hides were tanned "hair
on" for colder climates and seasons.
- Natural sewing materials
have been prepared from brain tanned leather (soft), buffalo
sinew (strong), and rawhide (hard). These three elements make
up the essentials required for the construction and maintenance
of traditional leather goods.
