Fred Donath, Jr. Memorial Gallery
Treaties are living documents that are “the supreme law of the land” and remain legally binding agreements that establish the political relationship between Native Nation and the United States government. These agreements have established land boundaries, resource rights, reservations; they determine Tribal Nation citizenship and outline mutual obligations. The Influence of treaties and the policies surrounding them has been profound, shaping both traditional and contemporary Indigenous art and ways of making. This exhibition explores how treaties continue to resonate through Native creativity and expression.
Wíwahokičhiyapi: They Promised Things to Each Other is an overview of treaties in this country with a focus on those that pertain to our region. This exhibition is developed in collaboration with the National Museum of the American Indian and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. Plains Art Museum partnered with Lakȟóta Archeologist Tyrel Iron Eyes and Giiwedinnong Treaty Museum’s Logan Monroe, Don Wendl, and Winona LaDuke. Our partners contributed research that informed and shaped the development of this exhibition.
