Marble
University of Notre Dame
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Wapehnonah (Eastern Star)

Date

2017

Creator

Dana Warrington

Location

Raclin Murphy Museum of Art

"Oftentimes in tribal communities across the continent, tribal Indian names hold great value as a form of our identity. We believe our higher power uses that specific name to identify us throughout our physical walk on this planet. The name Wapananah translates to Eastern Star or Morning Star. My father carried that name until his Walk on this Earth ended in 2001....In 2017 our brother's second son was born. Our mother was given the honor to name her grandchild. At that time, she felt the urge to revive our father's Indian name and bring it back to the family. That was a beautiful time for my mother and our siblings to honor and remember our father....This sequence of events inspired the creation of this cradleboard. The colors and designs used represent different parts of our tribal identity and beliefs."

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"Oftentimes in tribal communities across the continent, tribal Indian names hold great value as a form of our identity. We believe our higher power uses that specific name to identify us throughout our physical walk on this planet. The name Wapananah translates to Eastern Star or Morning Star. My father carried that name until his Walk on this Earth ended in 2001....In 2017 our brother's second son was born. Our mother was given the honor to name her grandchild. At that time, she felt the urge to revive our father's Indian name and bring it back to the family. That was a beautiful time for my mother and our siblings to honor and remember our father....This sequence of events inspired the creation of this cradleboard. The colors and designs used represent different parts of our tribal identity and beliefs."
Open external viewer application
Dana Warrington (American, 1979)
2017
Sculpture
Porcupine quillwork and other media
2022.020
Raclin Murphy Museum: 204
34 x 13 x 13 1/2 in. (86.36 x 33.02 x 34.29 cm)
Lake Family Endowment for the Arts of the Americas, Africa and Oceania

Our collection information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. If you have spotted an error, please contact Raclin Murphy Museum of Art at RMMACollections@nd.edu.