Vickie Knepper-Adrian

My intention when I designed War Cry was to create a horse that epitimized the defiance of the Lakota Sioux with the U.S. Goverment and the plan for forced relocation to reservations. The Lakota Sioux as well as other plains tribes were trying to maintain their free, nomadic lifestyle during the summer of 1876, when they were attacked by the 7th Calvary at the Little Big Horn. The war lance has been thrust into a red neck tie that was worn by the 7th Calvary troopers, in a show of defiance by the Lakota Sioux  and to symbollize their defeat of the 7th Calvary that hot July day.

I have hand made all the accoutrements the horse is wearing,resembling period pieces that the Lakota Sioux would have used during the summer of 1876.

Warriors from tribes across the Plains often wore feathers that were cut, marked and painted in ways that told visual stories of their accomplishments in battle. In this fashion they would sometimes intimidate opponents who would be scared away after “reading” the accomplishments related on the feathers. Sometimes they might become the target of a warrior who sought such encounters with powerful opponents as a way of gaining personal power. 

I knew when I created Wounded Knee that I wanted to create a Trail Of Tears piece that would touch people in the same way. To do this I had to tear apart the usual design form and reposition the front leg to give it a more faltering step, drop the head way down to show the struggle, changed the mane, tail and of course added the all important tear and Cherokee Rose. The meager belongings are wrapped over the shoulders to indicate the hurried exodus, forced by the Government for Tribal relocation in Oklahoma.

The Nez Perce bred horses that were known far and wide for their coloration and also had the qualities that allowed them to handle the everyday demands of the lush valley and mountain terrain with strength, agility and sure footedness.

When the Nez Perce fled their homeland in the Wallowa Valley to avoid the persecution by the US Government, it was these very characteristics of the Appaloosa that helped the Nez Perce on a 1600 mile/3 month journey that tested the determination and limits of a people and horse.

This piece was created for my entry in the Appaloosa Horse Club 75th Anniversary Art Competition hosted by The Trail of Painted Ponies. Not chosen to be produced, this is a one of a kind piece of art that celebrates the Appaloosa horse and the Nez Perce's journey for freedom.

The games we play as young children, times shared as a family become more sophisticated the older we get only to return once again to the simplest of games. The life lessons we learn from participating in "playing games" becomes a part of who we are as adults, we teach our children these same values and this process repeats all over again with each succeeding generation.

The original design was done in a school bus yellow but was changed to a black body color for the reproduction figurines.