Dragonfly Buffalo Horn Spoon
Kevin Pourier, Oglala Lakota / American, born 1959
2020
Buffalo horn cut, carved, textured and inlaid with mother of pearl
Overall: 12 × 2 5/8 × 3 3/8 in. (30.5 × 6.7 × 8.5 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Purchased through the Miriam H. and S. Sidney Stoneman Acquisition Fund
2021.1
Geography
Place Made: Scenic, United States, North America
Period
21st century
Object Name
Mixed Media
Research Area
Native American
Native American: Southeast
Mixed Media
Not on view
Inscriptions
Signed and dated, incised, edge of spoon: K + V Pourier '18 lakol; titled, incised, edge of spoon on opposite side: 'Make Love Not War"
Label
Kevin Pourier is one of only a few artists today working with incised buffalo (American bison) hornas a medium, and because buffalo do not shed their horns, his ability to work with this material is limited. Creating spoons and vessels, Pourier reinvigorates an artistic practice rooted in Lakota subsistence lifeways with his detailed carvings. The addition of complementary materials introduces striking imagery to inspire thought, growth, and learning.
"Most buffalo ranchers raise their buffalo for meat and discard everything else. Additionally, the large bulls are kept as herd bulls, and if they are butchered, their heads are usually kept as trophies. Traditionally, Northern Plains peoples used every part of the buffalo . . . nothing went to waste. The hides were used to make drums and Tipis, the horn caps were used to make horn spoons, cups, and adornment. The bones were used to make sleds, children’s toys, and game pieces." —Kevin Pourier
From the 2022 exhibition Unbroken: Native American Ceramics, Sculpture, and Design, curated by Dillen Peace '19, Native American Art Intern and Sháńdíín Brown '20, Native American Art Intern
Course History
NAS 30.21, Native American Art and Material, Jami Powell, Spring 2021
NAS 30.21, Native American Art and Material, Jami Powell, Spring 2021
NAS 30.21, Native American Art and Material, Jami Powell, Spring 2021
ANTH 3.01, Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, Sienna Craig, Winter 2022
Writing Program 5.24, Photographic Representations, Amanda Wetsel, Winter 2023
Writing Program 5.25, Photographic Representations, Amanda Wetsel, Winter 2023
Art History 38.04, Food and Art: Global History, Nicola Camerlenghi, Spring 2023
Art History 38.04, Food & Art: Global History, Nick Camerlenghi, Fall 2023
Exhibition History
Unbroken: Native American Ceramics, Sculpture, and Design, Ivan Albright Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, January 22, 2022-March 12, 2023.
Provenance
The artist, Kevin Pourier, Scenic, South Dakota; sold to present collection, 2021.
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