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Littledeer has converted a bedroom in her Spotsylvania County home into an art workshop.
Medicine women, sculpted from red river clay, are among the most popular items Littledeer sells.
Stacey Littledeer, 35, has been creating Native American art since she was 7 years old.
Most wall and mantel space in Littledeer's living room is covered in Native American art, most of which she created. |
On the Spot looks beyond regular newsmakers to highlight the varied residents who make the Fredericksburg community what it is.
Stacey Leigh Littledeer didn't celebrate Thanksgiving this year.
In fact, it's never been an especially joyous day for her.
"It has that original connotation to us," said Littledeer, who grew up going to powwows with her parents.
While her Spotsylvania County neighbors feasted on turkey, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie, Littledeer soaked up her own Cherokee culture.
Her living room is part art gallery, part history lesson.
Littledeer's paintings, jewelry and sculptures draw you in.
The stories behind them keep you there.
Like the one about the watercolor hanging behind her sofa.
"Totems" is "based on the understanding that when you meet the person you're supposed to be with, your spirits will come together as one."
Native American art is rich not only in stories, but also symbols. That's evident in the sculptures of medicine women Littledeer creates. Each has an animal painted on it.
Horses symbolize freedom, butterflies new life and dogs loyalty and acceptance, for instance.
Each is hand-made from red river clay.
"I try to do them the same way they would have been done 500 years ago," she said.
While some folks just like the way her artwork looks on their walls or mantels, most leave with a deeper understanding.
"There are so many times when people are surprised at how much they appreciate the story itself and how much it parallels their lives," she said.
Other popular pieces include her medicine masks, which she sculpts from clay and embeds with turkey, peacock, parrot, cockatoo and pheasant feathers.
She also sells silver jewelry, leather works and pottery, some crafted by out-of-town friends and family.
Littledeer's 7-year-old son, Noah, also has started sculpting animals and painting symbols on spirit stones.
His mom started creating art at the same age and thinks Noah is better than she was at his age.
"He has a huge never-ending imagination," Littledeer said.
You can see for yourself when Littledeer - and Noah - show off their wares this Saturday at Courtland High School. It's one of the few chances they get to display around town.
Littledeer, 35, opens her home to customers, but the family also spends plenty of time on the road, traveling to powwows and art shows from upstate New York to South Carolina. Last year, for instance, they went to 38 shows.
Closer to home, Littledeer sees her artwork not only as a business and a creative outlet, but also as a bridge for those unfamiliar with Native American culture.
More than 55,000 Virginians identified themselves as at least part Native American in the 2000 Census, including more than 2,700 residents of the Fredericksburg area.
"There's a lot of history," Littledeer said. "And it's not just Civil War history."
On the Spot
What are you most proud of?
My son and the progress that he's been able to make because I've been home with him. The fact that I have something that I can do at home so I'm not forced to be on welfare.
What does success mean to you?
Being able to be happy and pay the bills. Success doesn't necessarily mean money. It's not being rich. Having that sense of balance spiritually, emotionally, culturally.
You have $1 million, but have to spend it all in 72 hours. What do you do with the money?
Give it away. To anyone. I would probably contact the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation. They do a lot of good work. My son is bipolar and he has Turrets Syndrome.
If you weren't an artist, what would you be doing?
Teaching special-needs kids.
What misconceptions might people have about you?
That things are easy.
What misconceptions might people have about your culture?
People might have the misconceptions that native people believe in many gods. That's a big misconception still. That we pray to some kind of bad spirits or something. One guy came up to me at one of the powwows and wanted to know what kind of voodoo we were into. I said, "Way wrong culture. Wrong part of the world." People say, `If you're Cherokee, what are you doing here?' Like everyone should be on a reservation still. I tell them, `We no longer need a state pass to travel.' It's not something you can tell just by looking at someone. I just happen to wear my culture on my sleeve. That's me. It's very important to us.
What would you change about the Fredericksburg area?
We need better fine-art supply stores. We drive all the way up to Alexandria. The other thing I might change is having more awareness not just of cultural issues but special-needs issues. We've been trying to start up a group [for parents of bipolar children] so that parents who may not have the ability to learn on their own or reach that goal of stabilizing their special-needs kids will have other parents to lean on.
How receptive is Fredericksburg to Native American culture, compared with other places?
It's been difficult at times. You get a lot of mixed feelings. Ignorance can be hurtful. My son, when he was in kindergarten, by the the end of the year he came home crying because he couldn't stand the teasing anymore. But we have a good circle of friends. It can be difficult because we do try to keep a lot of the traditions and some people just don't understand. We are hoping that the growth of the community here will help because you get a lot more people who are educated in different cultures. So there's more acceptance. Spotsylvania, they've started a new heritage center. They're trying to draw more visitors into the county. And so hopefully they'll want to get involved with more Native American events.