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Noah Long sculpts clay into small figurines to bake and sell at his table during the 10th annual Fredericksburg Pow-Wow.
Noah Long, who has bipolar disorder American Indian artist Stacey Leigh Littledeer works on a mask as her son, Noah Long, 8, creates a sculpture in their Spotsylvania home's studio. |
METICULOUSLY, LOVINGLY, tirelessly, Stacey Leigh Little- deer is sculpting a future for herself and her young son out of the raw material that is the Cherokee Nation's past.
Littledeer, a 36-year-old Spotsylvania resident, is part Cherokee and part Mattaponi; an American Indian artist whose riveting clay sculptures, bold paintings and one-of-a-kind traditional Cherokee medicine masks will be on display at the 10th annual Fredericksburg Pow-Wow this Friday through Sunday at the Fredericksburg Fairgrounds.
She is now featuring art cards and handmade Cherokee Medicine Women sculptures.
"The strength of women, the spirituality of our culture," are major themes in her work, said Littledeer, a single mother.
To support her 8-year-old son, Noah Long, who is acutely bipolar and has Tourette's syndrome, she also sells silver jewelry, leather works and pottery--some made by friends and family.
Bipolar disorder can involve severe mood swings, fits of rage and obsessive behavior. Tourette's is characterized by involuntary movements and sounds and compulsive rituals or behaviors.
Undeterred, Noah is attending public school classes and is a highly precocious artist. He already has begun sculpting animals and painting symbols on spirit stones. And he will help his mother at the Fredericksburg Pow-Wow.
In spite of--and, perhaps, in part because of--the difficulties with which Noah is confronted in life, he has great imagination, Littledeer said.
Last year, he won first place for a painting entered in a Courthouse Elementary PTA fine-arts contest in Spotsylvania. His mother praises the school's principal, Mitchell McCrumb, for his understanding and his efforts to help Noah.
Littledeer herself began creating such art at age 7, and became quite accomplished before taking a break after Noah's birth, partly because of his special needs.
Pow-Wow Chairman Barry Richardson said, "Stacey's work encompasses contemporary and traditional Native American art."
Richardson hopes the works of artists such as Littledeer inspire others to emulate them while also teaching mainstream America about Indian culture.
"There will always be a need to teach our culture, because the mainstream systems--the schools and the media--do not give out enough information on Native Americans," Richardson said.
"Stacey's work is a labor of love because she is doing something that she so strongly believes in," he said. "Stacey is dedicated to her mixed medium--and to her, this is not just art, but who she is."
He said the Fredericksburg Pow-Wow will feature dancing, drumming, flute-playing and storytelling--as well as Tecumseh, a 1,400-pound buffalo.
More than $10,000 will be awarded in dance and drum prizes, including a Men's Fancy Dance Moccasin Blowout Contest, Richardson said. The winner will take home $2,000 and a prize jacket.
The Haliwa-Saponi, Piscataway, Chickahominy, Rappahannock, Cherokee, Sioux, Iroquois, Lumbee, and Navajo tribes will participate in this year's event.
In addition to Littledeer's art, American Indian crafts will include nationally known turquoise jewelers Boochee Jewelers of New Mexico (Navajo) and Glenn Paquin (Laguna) of New Laguna, N.M., Richardson said. Other items for sale will include moccasins, beadwork, rugs, books, paintings and dreamcatchers.
Buffalo stew, fried bread, Indian corn soup and buffalo burgers are just a few of the food items that will be available.
Last month, Littledeer had her first gallery show since Noah was born. It was at the Intertribal Women's Circle at The Cultural Center in Glen Allen. Two weekends ago, she traveled to the Accohonack Pow-Wow in Maryland. Last weekend, she went to an American Indian art show in Hampton.
She said she's grateful to have the skill to sculpt and paint at home so she can care for and support her son.
Littledeer has a Web site, littledeeronline .com, to promote the family business. Noah has his own "spirit page" on the site.
November is Native American Month, and Littledeer said she hopes area residents will take advantage of this weekend's Pow-Wow here to learn about Indian culture and dispel misconceptions such as the ideas that American Indians practice voodoo or pray to multiple gods.
Friday's Pow-Wow, which runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., is attended by many schoolchildren. Littledeer, who's done talks at local schools, said that type of interaction is important to increase understanding for many reasons.
One is very personal. When Noah was in kindergarten at another school, he came home crying. During a Columbus Day discussion, a teacher had told him his parents and grandparents were wrong about who really discovered America, and other children were teasing him about being an Indian, she said.
Though they are a minority, thousands of American Indians live in the area. The 2000 U.S. Census found that more than 55,000 Virginians identified themselves as being at least part Indian--including 2,700 Fredericksburg-area residents.
Stacey Littledeer said she's had to deal with gaps in understanding of their culture herself. Sometimes it's been humorous.
Laughing, Littledeer said that when she once told someone she is "part Cherokee," the person replied, "Which part?"
Fredericksburg.com's Brian Baer contributed to this story.
To reach MICHAEL ZITZ: 540/374-5408 mikez@freelancestar.com
