Arthur Douglas Amiotte Enter a
feeling, not
a gallery.
Choose a mood and the room itself answers — the light cools or warms, the air changes pace, and only the works that carry that feeling step forward from the dark. Everything else recedes into shadow.
Arthur Douglas Amiotte
Arthur Douglas Amiotte: A Life in Lakota Art Early Life and Heritage Born: 1942 in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Lakota Names: Initially named Warpa Tanka Kuciyela (Low Black Bird), later received a second Lakota name in 1972. Family History: Descendant of Standing Bear (Mató Nájin), who fought at the Battle of Little Bighorn, connecting Amiotte to a rich historical lineage. Raised between Pin
e Ridge and Custer, SD, immersing him in Lakota culture from a young age. Education and Influences Formal Education: Bachelor of Art Education from Northern State College (1964) and a Master of Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Montana, Missoula. Key Mentors: Grandmother Christina Standing Bear, who taught him the heritage of his great-grandfather; Peter Catches, Sr., a respected Oglala Lakota elder. Artistic In…