Native American Women Artists – Charlene Holy Bear
We have been looking at the stories of Native American female artists who are renowned for their beadwork, basketry, pottery, sculpting, quilting, patchwork, dolls, and clothing. The work of these artists helps to preserve the Native American heritage and culture. This week we feature a woman whose artistic talents include doll making, quill work, and parfleche (dried animal skins).
This week we include bonus material! Have you ever wanted to make your own cornhusk doll? A great video of a Native American homeschool mom will show you how.
Charlene Holy Bear – (Standing Rock Lakota Sioux)
Children have played with dolls in almost all of the Native American cultures. Sometimes they were for play, but other times they were meant to teach children by using them as models for adult behavior. Other dolls teach about the dress and cultural values of the various tribes. The dolls have been used to teach the tribes about each other and also to teach European Americans about the various native tribes. In modern times you can find dolls in the native dress of many tribes.
One woman whose work demonstrates both the traditional dress as well as modern styles in dolls is Charlene Holy Bear.
Charlene Holy Bear grew up in Northern New Mexico. Her older sister, Rhonda taught her to make her first doll when she was only 5 years old.[1] Two years later, at age 7, Charlene was encouraged to enter a doll in a youth competition. She won second place, the first of many awards throughout her life.
Charlene and her sister Rhonda have exhibited their dolls in many places including the Morning Star Gallery in Santa Fe and the Santa Fe Indian Market. Charlene’s dolls are in a number of collections in such places as the National Museum of the American Indian, Washington DC; the Foundation for the Preservation of American Indian Arts and Cultures; Chicago’s Mitchell Museum, St. Augustine’s Indian Center, and Father Peter Powell.
She has won many competitions many times at the Eiteljorg Museum including Best of Show, Best of Division and First Place in the Annual Eiteljorg Museum Indian Market and Festival. She received a major award for her beaded purse in 2011.
Charlene was the feature story and her picture with one of her amazing dolls was on the cover of the 2012 May/June issue of Native Peoples magazine.
Charlene has spent many years working with antique Venetian seed beads. She loves to work on shoes, called “vans” and has sold many pairs. At her shows you can see her laying out every pattern and hand-stitching every single little bead in place using traditional methods. Each custom pair of vans can take up to two weeks to finish.
If you want to meet her and see her work, here are several videos on YouTube that you can enjoy:
YouTube Video of her at “The Road to Indian Market 2010: Charlene Holy Bear ‘Best in Class’ Lakota Sioux Doll Maker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReY-Wb7roek
If you want to see her work and/or purchase some vans go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjL_0LCXR0M
https://c-holy-bear.square.site
You can also purchase her work online.
Bonus:
Many American girls past and present have enjoyed dolls. In the nineteenth century when families traveled to the West in covered wagons, some girls had only homemade dolls to play with. They may have been taught by friendly Native Americans how to make corn husk dolls. I actually tried this with my cousins when I was a little girl. There is something so fascinating about making your own doll.
I found a great video of a home-school mom teaching her children how to make a corn husk doll.
The Tattooed Women has a well put together instructional video.
https://thetattooedmomma.com/easy-corn-husk-doll-tutorial-native-american/
Charlene Holy Bear’s use of blending traditional beadwork techniques with contemporary color schemes and applications is helping to preserve Native American art forms. It also helps to make crafting relevant and appealing to newer generations and audiences beyond the Native American communities. People appreciate the way that her innovation adds to the survival and flourishing of traditional arts, ensuring they will continue as they are adapted and celebrated in new contexts.
[1] Rhonda Holy Bear is a renowned artist as well. Her website is: http://www.rhondaholybear.com
