Julie Buffalohead
Nanabozho and Coyote's War Party, 2000
Oil on canvas, 511.2 x 50 in.

In this painting, Julie Buffalohead paints herself as Nanabozho, an Ojibwe hero figure who is the son of a spirit father and mortal mother. According to Native American legend, Nanabozho can transform himself into any animal or object in nature. Here Nanabozho is seen as a partially transformed woman with the ears and tail of a coyote, a notorious trickster in many Native American stories. In the background, a second coyote-woman shoots a camera, facing off with a plastic, gun-toting cowboy figurine.


Raised in Minnesota, Julie Buffalohead is of Ponca heritage. She believes that art is rooted first in oneself and second in the culture in which one lives. Buffalohead, who brings to her art a unique perspective shaped by her cultural experiences, wants to be recognized for her individual talent, inventiveness, and artistic accomplishments. She aspires to be a competitive force in the contemporary art world. Commenting on this ambition, she asks, 'Can a person of Indian ancestry be accepted as an individual with a creative path of his or her own to follow?'