Great Plains Studies, Center for
Date of this Version
1995
Abstract
Unfortunately Yanktonai Sioux Water Colors is not what it could be. People unfamiliar with Plains Indian culture will not know how to interpret the water colors and the comments are not sufficiently detailed to overcome this problem. In 1971 James Howard published descriptions of some of the water colors in the Oklahoma Anthropological Society Newsletter. Howard combined a thorough knowledge of traditional Plains Indian culture with interviews with John Saul to give the average reader a good understanding of the paintings. Some other problems will be noticeable only to the professional. Although several people are given credit for the book none of the chapters is signed. Even more strange is the reordering of the water colors. Each water color is numbered, yet they are not published in the order in which they are numbered. No explanation for the shift is given. Ordinarily, one does not reorganize an artist's work-it's like rewriting a text, without indicating why the change was made. Despite these quibbles, the water colors will please a large audience. Surely John Saul would be happy to know his work would be shared by so many.
Comments
Published in Great Plains Quarterly 15:3 (Summer 1995). Copyright © 1995 Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.