2024
Acrylic on canvas
22” x 28”
 
In the 1870s, the U.S. government launched a mass slaughter of plains bison to weaken the American Indian way of life by destroying our main source of sustenance. By the late 1800s, bison were on the brink of extinction. My great-great-great-grandfather, Michel Pablo, along with Charles Allard, managed to preserve the largest herd of plains bison in the world at that time. But after Allard's death and the opening of the reservation to non-natives, Pablo was forced to sell the herd.
 
Despite this loss, bison numbers began to recover, thanks to years of persistence and policy changes by my tribe. In 2022, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes regained ownership of the Bison Range as part of the 2020 Montana Water Rights Protection Act, fulfilling a promise from the 1855 Hellgate Treaty that the Flathead Reservation will always be our home.
Wild Card represents life’s unpredictability, like a wild card in a game. It reflects both risk and opportunity. The bison jumping over a bitterroot flower symbolizes my people's and the bison's resilience. This piece speaks to the rewilding of the bison and my tribe’s success in reclaiming our role as stewards of the land.
 
Pick up is availble for Tacoma or Seattle.