386 - Lisa Lunde and Adri Norris
My name is White Eagle Woman, Lisa Lunde. I was adopted by Lakota’s in a hookah ceremony. I am a teacher. I live in Long Soldier District. I am from Devils Lake. I have my 30-year-lifetime teaching certificate. I’ve taught English, art, reading, and library. I haven’t done much painting for many years. I have pieced together moccasins and pieces of a fancy dance outfit for the young man I helped raise. I have an art degree in addition to my teaching license, and I used to teach K-12 in this building where the mural is installed. I also have my Master’s degree in secondary curriculum and education.
In the beginning, we were paired with an artist and assigned a wall. My mentor Adri and I had a Zoom together for the mural before the meeting in person during the event. We started using a graffiti grid with chalk that was our base to work from, then sketched the mock-up over and used paintbrushes and rollers for the piece. Adri, the muralist, chose the elder who was painted and I agreed that it was an important person to honor while she was still alive. Adri created a unique portrait as I did the research to develop the art piece. I gave her as much information as I could about the person because I know her personally. We added the star quilt behind because of Phyllis’s skill making them. She’s a water protector who advocates for renewable resources and indigenous rights. She has traveled the world standing up for the Standing Rock community.
Adri was a patient teacher. We did the grid together, and I put together the pieces of the star while our muralist focused on the portrait. She had motivating and uplifting words to help me move forward to complete the project. The circles represented the seven council fires. The river with the arrows are symbols of our water protector, Oyate. The teepees are representative of the various districts on Standing Rock. The sun up at the top represents solar power. Phyllis told a story to some scientists. She said she made them cry because they didn’t understand the power of the sun and it’s like the ultimate provider for warmth, heat, and can even represent your heart. Red is the background of the painting because Phyllis was in aim. This is also represented in the detail of her earring. Through research, Adri found a fitting quote to include with the mural. I’m honored to have been chosen to be a part of this project.