|
Yá'át'ééh (Hello)
My name is Lionel Thundercloud Shi' ei, ma'iideeshgiizhinii nish lei, (coyote pass) naakaaii dine' e ei ba, shi', chiin. (Mexican/Navajo) naashgali dine', e, doo' (Lipan Apache) tlizilani da, shi' Chei. (Manygoats). I was born in Ft. Defiance Arizona on the Navajo Nation. My mother is full-blooded Navajo and my father was Lipan Apache from South Texas. Creative credit must be given to my parents. They instilled an appreciation for art in my brothers and I through necessity and ingenuity. We grew up without electricity or running water which meant we had no television. This forced us to utilize the material and tools on hand. Wood, leather, hammer, chisels and bailing wire became our outlet to create anything our minds could conceive. My parents worked as substance abuse counselors for Native American Communities across the Western United States and Canada. They also made and sold Native American art such as pottery, rugs and silver jewelry on the pow-wow circuit, galleries, museums and trading posts. Thus, we had the opportunity to visit museums and art galleries in different states on our travels. These adventures lead us to mountains, oceans, rivers and lakes; often opening gates on back roads late at night. Hence we travelled, our trusty jeep, a canoe tied on top and our three legged dog Spunky. The confines and borders of the reservation were greatly expanded by these excursions. I'm grateful to have been exposed to these various aspects and sometimes cruel and difficult hardships. This is reflected in my art. Ahéhee (Thank you) |