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Glacier Park's 2021 Native America Speaks Artist-in-Residence program continues

| September 16, 2021 12:00 AM

Glacier National Park's Native America Speaks Artist-in-Residence program continues Friday, Sept. 17, with Valentina LaPier, a multi-disciplinary artist and educator who works with the Blackfeet Nation, Glacier Park and the Metis community. She is a board member of the Michif Heritage Keepers and Friends of the Plains Indian Museum and a recipient of the 2012 Blackfoot Art Awards in recognition of her contributions to Blackfoot identity, pride and inspiration.

LaPier’s program will be an acrylics demonstration that shows how Blackfeet culture and warriorism resonates in her art.

Both programs begin at 6:45 p.m. at the Apgar Amphitheater.

On Sept. 22, Leon Rattler, a member of the Blackfeet Tribe, will present. Rattler has 30 years of experience in American Indian education, cultural curriculum development and tribal leadership. He is a member of many traditional societies including the Southern Blackfeet Crazy Dog Society. He is also a Sundance leader, Beaver Bundle keeper, traditional artist and dancer, and Vietnam veteran.

Rattler’s program will be an exploration of holistic healing through the arts. He will take the environmental surroundings and use social, emotional, physical and mental awareness to connect the participants to the spirit of self. To Rattler art is where the earth meets the sky, the relationship with color, time of day, seasons, how it makes us feel, and how it heals us.

The Native America Speaks program began in 1982 and is the longest running indigenous speaker series in the National Park Service. These evening programs and cultural presentations provide opportunities for local tribal members to share their rich history and culture through singing, storytelling, presentations and hands-on learning.

The Native America Speaks Artist-in-Residence pilot program is an extension of the Native America Speaks program. Through week-long residencies, the program highlights local Native American artists, their artistic disciplines and their culture.

All Native America Speaks programs are made possible through a donation from the Glacier National Park Conservancy.