This wonderful nativity was created by Leonard Yellow Horse who was born in 1971 in Chadron, Nebraska. He is a self taught artist who in 1991 started working with cottonwood root sourced from dry river beds mostly on the Pine Ridge Reservation or in the Badlands.

Leonard has a very distinctive technique he inherited from his family. He hand carves his figures and then uses a torch to create additional detail.

Of his work he says: “My work is calling from the Elders who want to be seen again, but through the roots. It’s not what I put into the root; the root has a voice and a character of its own. No two pieces are the same. Each piece is unique.”

This nativity is a great example of an artist depicting the many figures of the Nativity narrative in their own image. The Magi for instance are presented as Lakota elders. Jesus, Mary and Joseph are Lakota. And the traditional ox and donkey are replaced with buffalo.

This elegant Flight into Egypt was created by Jack Black.

Jack Black, a member of the Navajo Nation was born in Galveston Texas. He was introduced to Navajo art as he grew up and received his formal education at the Institute of Design in Chicago.

Jack Black’s work is a tribute to the Southwest. His style is modernist Navajo with graceful lines and minimalist design. His sculptures though only partially glazed are smooth to the touch and pleasing to the eye. The colors he used are reminiscent of the beauty of the Southwest with its blue sky, ochre canyons and sand-colored panoramas.

After sketching each piece Jack Black created the original sculpture. From that a production mold was made. Then stoneware figures were cast from the molds. After the figures were cleaned and detailed by hand, they were fired at 1900 degrees. They were then sanded, cleaned again, and fired with multiple coats of glaze. Though created in a mold, each one of Jack Black’s sculptures is unique.

Mr. Black died in 2002. At that time all the molds were destroyed. This insured the value and rarity of the existing pieces.