  
  About the Artwork
  
  
  A human-like thunderbird, with expansive black wings and curved horns, appears on one side of this hand drum. Siyosapa, a Yanktonai holy man (Wicasa wakan), created this drum and would have used it in his practice. During the Reservation Era (1850 &acirc;&#128;&#147; 87), when the United States government criminalized Native American cultural traditions, Siyosapa continued to make and sell this and other artworks. By doing so, he engaged in the intentional preservation and proliferation of his religious customs.
  
  
  Title
  Square Drum
  
  
  Artwork Date
  between 1870 and 1885
  
  Artist
  Siyosapa
  
  
  
  Life Dates
  1850 - 1902
  
  
  
  
  Nationality
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events.
  Some definitions include:
  Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation.
  
  
  
  Native American
  
  
  
  Culture
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group.
  
  
  
  
  Yanktonai
  
  
  Medium
  Wood, animal hide, paint
  
  
  Dimensions
  Overall: 16 in. &Atilde;&#151; 17 3/4 in. &Atilde;&#151; 4 3/4 in. (40.6 &Atilde;&#151; 45.1 &Atilde;&#151; 12.1 cm)
  
  
  Classification
  Musical Instruments
  
  
  Department
  Indigenous Americas
  
  
  Credit
  Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Pohrt
  
  
  
  Accession Number
  
  
  
  This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection.
  Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum&acirc;&#128;&#153;s holdings.
  For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems&acirc;&#128;&#148;no longer assigned&acirc;&#128;&#148;that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups.
  
  
  
  1997.109
  
  
  Copyright
  Copyright Not Evaluated
  
  
  
