November Newsletter, 2019 Rick McPherson
Recently I was standing in line at the Gresham Post Office waiting to buy two rolls of stamps. The lady in front of me was friendly and finally asked, “What kind of work do you do?”
“I direct a non-profit.”
“Really, what kind of non-profit?” she inquired.
“Well, we help Native Americans, in spiritual and physical ways,” I responded.
In a few minutes she told me how she and her husband, an artist, had a deep interest in North American Native culture and would like to know more about our ministry. A day later they were in the office and asked how they could help. They offered to give an original painting that he had done and donate the profits to the ministry. Additionally, he said he had hand-carved duck decoys and would donate one as well.
The painting you see (approximately 16”20”) is by Harold J. Trost and features a member of the Hidatsa tribe. This tribe is one of the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota. They are often considered a parent tribe to the modern Crow in Montana. The Knife River area was home to the Hidatsa and some of the first villages date back to the 13th century.
The duck decoy is a hand-carved Red-Breasted Merganser and is a copy of an antique decoy from the 1920’s.
The painting is still available. We will auction to the highest bidder at the end of the year. If you are interested in either or both, please contact our office and give us your bid. It will make a handsome addition to your collection of Native American artwork.
*****