KIOWA PAINTER ROBERT REDBIRD BORN
Robert Redbird was born in Lawton, Oklahoma, and raised by his paternal grandparents. His grandfather, Monroe Tsatoke, was a member of the five famous Kiowa Indian Artists. Redbird’s
paintings depicting blanket-wrapped Southern Plains figures became part of his artistic identity and representative of modern Native American artwork. In 1967, Redbird designed the poster for the US International Open Polo Game tournament, which allowed him the opportunity to meet Prince Charles of Wales. His home state of Oklahoma declared “Robert Redbird Day” on June 7, 2003. In his declaration commemorating the day, then Governor Brad Henry said “Robert Redbird’s art is full of his conviction that Native American culture is a beautiful way of life and his art conveys his feeling for Kiowa tradition and ceremonies, for the spiritual in the culture of many tribes and for the world of nature . . . .” Redbird died March 5, 2016, in Anadarko, Oklahoma.
Source: Wynn Westmoreland, "Robert Redbird, iconic Native American artist, dies,"CNN, 3/5/2016. Retrieved 7/8/2019, https://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/05/living/robert-redbird-native-american-artist-obit-feat/
Photo: Jim Kaftan, National Park Service, 2/22/2014. Public Domain. Source: Bald Eagles Return to Cuyahoga Valley (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
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