125. Kill the Indian, Save the Man, Save the Indian, Kill a Man
  • Gregg Deal (Pyramid Lake Pauite, born 1975, lives and works in Peyton, CO)
  • 2016
  • Acrylic paint on canvas
  • Native Arts acquisition funds, 2016.30

In this work, Indigenous artist Gregg Deal depicts a man in Indigenous clothing and another man in a suit against the backdrop of the American flag. He referenced a historical photograph with the caption: “Indian man with unidentified white man.” The stars of the American flag are replaced by the basket patterns of the artist’s tribe. The two men depicted are George Kitkehahki (left) and his son, William Pollack (right), both from the Pawnee Nation. The United States government tried to forcefully acculturate Indigenous peoples into American society, causing them to face many challenges, including identity crises. Through this work, the artist invites viewers to consider the fraught nature of stereotyping Indigenous peoples and what it means to “look” Indian.