Creepingbear’s “Arrival on the Southern Plains and Alliance with the Comanche and Cheyenne” marks our migration from the northern Rocky Mountain into the Southern Plains. The murals’ vibrant color palette reflects the Kiowa color theory, based on directions, and our preference for bold primary colors, with a duality of reds and blues. For the Kiowa, this Trickster is known as Saynday, and his exploits often teach others to refrain from selfishness. The series reveals the influence of the Creator and a Trickster figure in our spirituality. The murals illustrate our belief that all people have a purpose and how we share an intent to work together. The murals interpret the creative origin stories of the Kiowa, including the belief that our community first emerged as ants through a log. These include, but are not limited to, gathering natural materials and understanding the uses and histories of cultural items, which often identify one’s status in the Kiowa community. The artists first approached the murals knowing the protocols for engagement, which acknowledge the creative tenets of the Kiowa Tribe. Each artist has been celebrated for their participation in Kiowa ceremonial groups throughout their careers, and each artist has been acknowledged as a descendant of Kiowa chiefs.

All three artists grew up in Kiowa territory in Southwestern Oklahoma and attended the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The murals reveal the artists’ traditional instruction in Kiowa aesthetics, from calendar-keeping to hide-painting and back to petroglyphs. The artists translated from Cáigù to the visual expression in the mural painting. Kiowa elders gathered in dialogue to share historical experiences, speaking in the Cáigù (Kiowa) language and advising the artists on the subject matter.

(Kiowa/Wichita/Delaware/Chickasaw, 1947–2007), Sherman Chaddlesone (Kiowa, 1947–2013), and Mirac Creepingbear (Kiowa, 1947–1990) to paint murals depicting Kiowa creation, history, and contemporary cultural expression. The committee selected Parker Boyiddle, Jr. In 1978, the Kiowa Business Committee responded to the tribal community’s requests to preserve culture and sought tribal members who could share their cultural knowledge. Families are often assigned specific responsibilities and encouraged for their essential manners - respect, contribution, and assistance. Grandparents and other elders share songs, hymns, and prayers to children as instruction of protocols and lessons to be a Kiowa. The role of Kiowa art in the lives of the Kiowa people embodies intangible teachings in our upbringings: our oral histories, our songs, and our prayers.

Kiowa casino calendar