Title: Beadsoup Reflection

Artist: Salisha Old Bull

Tribal Affiliation: Salish/Crow

Year Completed: 2022

Medium: Czech seed beads, nylon thread, brain-tanned smoked deer hide, crystal beads, sinew,
stabilizer, cotton material

Dimensions (HxWxD): 7" x 4" x 1"

Description/Inspiration:

Beadsoup means different things to different tribes throughout Indian Country. To me it is a reflection of the resourcefulness that beadworkers exhibited within their craftsmanship. This case is a reflection of the past belief to utilize all of the beads and value them because one does not know when they will be able to afford or obtain beads. Floral work is incorporated into this concept to reflect the dominance of floral patterns within Salish and Crow tribal designs. It has a contemporary twist by emanating a functional phone case.

Artist Bio/Statement:

Salisha Old Bull was born in Eastern Montana and raised on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Western Montana. Her mother is Salish and father is Crow so she has a well rounded bundle of Indigenous teachings from the Montana area. She is married to Shandin Pete and has 5 children. She was an aspiring artist as a child but chose to follow a different career path. She kept art in the background of her life and expressed most of her creativity through beadwork. She was taught to bead by her maternal grandmother, Rachel Arlee Bowers when she was a very young child and considers her earliest memories of beading at about her second grade in elementary school. In addition, painting, photography, digital art, and drawing are other favorite mediums. She gains inspiration from traditional ecological knowledge from both Salish and Crow tribes and uses this imagery within her artwork. These aspects of cultural knowledge are the attributes that empower Indigenous people.

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