This Painted Pony is part of The Tribal Collection. It honors authentic Native American arts and heritage: Every August since 1904, Crow Agency, Montana has held a fair designed to celebrate and preserve early Crow culture and customs. A summer destination for Native Americans from all over North America, it features a parade, rodeo, relay races, Native dancing, contests and colorful exhibitions of beadwork. American flags fly high above the teepee poles in honor of Crow soldiers who served in the American military. For over 100 years, this artist’s family has lived as ranchers on the Crow Reservation, giving authority and authenticity to her artistic tribute to the Crow Fair.

Artist Sonja Caywood was privileged to have grown up ranching the old-fashioned way – with a mess wagon, tents, teepees and a rope corral in the Bighorn Mountains on the Crow Indian reservation. Living so closely tied to land steeped in the history and spirit of the Cowboy and Native culture turned her into an artist at an early age. The love of that land inspires much of her art today. "I want my art to engage the viewer to stop and take in the beauty around us in this quickly changing place and time, to identify with our landscape in this slice of soon-to-be history."

• Resin
• Measures 7"
• Artist: Sonja Caywood (Crow Tribe)