Radmilla Cody by Robert DoyleS'edav Va'aki Museum (formerly the Pueblo Grande Museum)
Film, fashion, comedy, photography: there isn’t a single creative medium that Native American culture hasn’t influenced. Here are 5 artists you should know more about.
Radmilla Cody (1975-present; Navajo)
Breaking tradition by being crowned Miss Navajo World (being half African-American), Radmilla Cody later recorded songs primarily in her native Navajo. Growing up in the Navajo nation, her chores included weaving, an important tradition in Native American culture similar to Quillwork. Cody often spent this time singing, influenced by chants sung by her grandfather, a medicine man. Her haunting voice gets full focus in Shi Keyah: Songs for the People, a Grammy-nominated album.
Titled "Morning in the Indian Village" (1975) by Joan HillBureau of Indian Affairs Museum Program
Joan Hill (1930-present; Muskogee Creek)
Untitled Abstract (March 1967) by Lloyd Henri "Kiva" NewBureau of Indian Affairs Museum Program
Lloyd Kiva New (1916-2002; Cherokee)
Lloyd Henri New evolved from a fashion designer to a powerful influence, driving generations of Native American artists to turn their visions into sustainable careers. Born in the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma in 1916, he began teaching art on Indian reservations and later co-founded the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe. New strongly believed artists should retain creative links to tradition without being bounded by it.
Man's MoccasinWyoming State Museum
Supaman (1974-present; Crow)
Hailing from Montana’s Crow Reservation , Supaman (aka Christian Parrish Takes the Gun) combines traditional Native American music with hip-hop. He’s known for performing from head to moccasin in full headdress and tales of reservation life, with similarities to inner-city hip-hop stories. “Dance like your children are watching, your ancestors, your family. Dance for those who are hurting, those who can't dance, those who lost loved ones and those who suffer injustices throughout the world.”
By Alfred EisenstaedtLIFE Photo Collection
Maria Tallchief (1925-2013; Osage)
The first major prima ballerina for the New York City ballet, Tallchief was born in Oklahoma’s Osage Indian reservation in 1925. She was the muse of choreographer George Balanchine and best known for her powerful performance in Stravinsky’s “Firebird.” During her long career, she maintained close ties to her community and refused to compromise her cultural identity.
Explore more with the Bureau of Indian Affairs Museum Program.
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