OCTOBER 28, 1990

KIOWA/PAWNEE/ARAPAHO PAINTER MIRAC CREEPINGBEAR DIED

Born September 8, 1947, in Lawton, Oklahoma, of a Kiowa mother and Pawnee Arapaho father, Mirac was raised in Carnegie and Pawnee, Oklahoma. A self-trained artist, he began painting full-time in 1974 after working as an electrical wireman.  Inspired by stories of family members who revered tradition and ceremony, his painting style was spontaneous. His numerous awards include an Honorable Mention at the 34^th Annual American Indian Artists Exhibition at the Philbrook Art Center (1979). The Indian Arts and Crafts Board organized a special exhibition of his paintings at the Southern Plains Indian Museum in 1981. In 1986, Creepingbear was selected, with fellow Kiowa artists Parker Boyiddle and Sherman Chaddleson, to create the murals in the Kiowa Tribal Museum, which translate the history of the tribe. His contribution includes depicting the Kiowas’ journey from the north to the Southern Plains, the Sun Dance, and acquisition of the horse. Creepingbear’s life was tragically cut short by illness.

Source:  Lars Krutak, “Treasures of The Iacb: Mirac Creepingbear, A-Ho (1981),” Indian Arts and Crafts Board, U.S. Department of the Interior, 6/8/2018.  Retrieved 7/17/2019, https://www.doi.gov/iacb/treasures-iacb-mirac-creepingbear-ho-1981
Painting: Mirac Creepingbear [Kiowa/Chaticks Si Chaticks (Pawnee)/Southern Inunaina (Arapaho)] (1947-1990), circa 1987. “Answered Prayers.”  Donated to the National Museum of the American Indian from the collection of R. E. Mansfield (Richard E. Mansfield), Non-Indian (1937-2007), in 2005.  Courtesy of the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution (280666).