Native Heritage and Home on the High Plains

Also known as Juaske yah Niya, meaning “Wandering Boy,” Harrison Begay was a Dine (Navajo) painter, printmaker, and illustrator. 

Considered one of the most famous Dine artists of his generation, Begay attended the Santa Fe Indian School and is known for his genre scenes of Dine life and the natural world.

Awa Tsireh was a San Ildefonso Pueblo painter, silversmith, and dancer, known for his distinctive palette and precise style of painting.

Also known as Alfonso Roybal and Cattail Bird, Tsireah was recognized by the Santa Fe Artists community and his work is held in the collections of several museums, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Known for his flat, colorful style of painting and minimal backgrounds, Beatien Yazz (1928-2013) was a Navajo American painter born near Wide Ruins, Arizona. 

Also known by his English-language name, Jimmy Toddy, and variations of Bea Etin Yazz, which means “Little No Shirt” in Navajo, Yazz attended the Santa Fe Indian School and is featured in the collections of various museums.

Quanah Parker was a noted Comanche warrior. He led the Quahadi Indians in the Battle of Adobe Walls in 1874, against Ranald S. Mackenzie in the Red River War, and in the settlement into reservation life. 

Quanah became a rancher and entrepreneur and formed bonds with a number of influential men, including U.S. presidents. The headdress and ceremonial lance in this case belonged to Quanah. Both were beaded by his last surviving wife, Topai.