With approximately 90,000 Native Americans living in NYC, it is home to the largest urban Indigenous population in the US. Seated on Lenape territory, built with significant labor contributions from Mohawk ironworkers, and inhabited by peoples from countless nations across Turtle Island, NYC is a mecca of Indigenous diversity. NYC is also known as the home of immigrants and their descendants, many of whom fled the oppressive effects of colonization in their own homelands. The common dream that all New Yorkers share is for a better future for their generations. The protection of water and land, and resistance to capitalistic exploitation, are becoming increasingly vital to that dream. Due to its cultural diversity, NYC is home to the United Nations, where the world has come together to create the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
http://mikeholdenart.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/New-York-Spirit-by-Mike-HoldenGIMPED-scaled.jpg20932560Mike Holdenhttp://mikeholdenart.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/final-copy-banner2.0.pngMike Holden2024-08-06 18:35:092024-08-06 18:56:04New York Spirit
18″ x 24″ Acrylic on Canvas
Description: The coming of thunder in the spring is a gift from the Thunderbeings, a promise of renewal, an
awakening. The return of the thunder in the spring is a spiritual salve for the losses of the past year, and
throughout the harsh and unforgiving winters. It is a time for warriors to heal, and to grow strong again,
and to prepare. The Thunderbeings bring with their return, the recharge needed for a warrior to rise again
and to hold a place of courage and selflessness for the people. Artist Mike Holden carries Coming of
Thunder, as his traditional spirit name. He is also the son of a lightning strike survivor who carries a name
to honour the Thunderbeings, his name is Lead Thunderbird Man. The Thunderbird is depicted in this painting to show us the unseen bringers
of the thunder and lightning, and the rifles represent the harnessed power of the Thunderbeings that they
were believed to contain when they were first introduced, being powerful instruments to provide for and
protect the people. Behind the warrior is the sun, which returns along with the thunder to renew the
warrior’s strength
For all those who did not survive the brutal Indian Residential/Boarding School legacy that lasted from the 1870s in the US
and ended in 1996 in Canada. The vpeople throuhildren have continued to call to us for more than a
century. We reclaim the spirit of our people through the reclamation of our children. We unearth the
truth of ourselves with each precious child we unearth to reclaim as our kin. May their spirits rise and
grow toward the sun, and may our heavy hearts and weary spirits be lifted with them. We dance for our
children to make this so.
http://mikeholdenart.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Every-Child-Matters.-They-Tried-to-Bury-Us-they-didnt-know-we-were-seeds-by-Mike-Holden.jpg15781243adminhttp://mikeholdenart.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/final-copy-banner2.0.pngadmin2022-02-01 14:25:072024-07-30 18:52:59Every Child Matters. They Tried to Bury Us (they didn’t know we were seeds)
In a world of skyscrapers and concrete, our spirits get lost in these cold streets. In the times when we most feel lost, we must remember the teachings of the eagle, to persevere, to fly higher.
Never forget we are children of the Earth and our mother protects
http://mikeholdenart.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/eagle-main-e1643578505853.jpg540794adminhttp://mikeholdenart.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/final-copy-banner2.0.pngadmin2022-01-29 16:18:022022-09-13 13:34:43The Eagle has come
Charged by the light of Grandmother Moon, and electrified with the courage of their ancestors, three warriors ride into battle on the backs of their fates.
http://mikeholdenart.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/20210226_210627-scaled.jpg15232560adminhttp://mikeholdenart.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/final-copy-banner2.0.pngadmin2020-03-21 14:30:452023-07-20 15:59:49War Party
New York Spirit
/in Uncategorized /by Mike HoldenThunderbird Warrior
/in Uncategorized /by adminAcrylic on Canvas
18″ x 24″
In Permanent collection of Royal Alberta Museum
18″ x 24″ Acrylic on Canvas
Description: The coming of thunder in the spring is a gift from the Thunderbeings, a promise of renewal, an
awakening. The return of the thunder in the spring is a spiritual salve for the losses of the past year, and
throughout the harsh and unforgiving winters. It is a time for warriors to heal, and to grow strong again,
and to prepare. The Thunderbeings bring with their return, the recharge needed for a warrior to rise again
and to hold a place of courage and selflessness for the people. Artist Mike Holden carries Coming of
Thunder, as his traditional spirit name. He is also the son of a lightning strike survivor who carries a name
to honour the Thunderbeings, his name is Lead Thunderbird Man. The Thunderbird is depicted in this painting to show us the unseen bringers
of the thunder and lightning, and the rifles represent the harnessed power of the Thunderbeings that they
were believed to contain when they were first introduced, being powerful instruments to provide for and
protect the people. Behind the warrior is the sun, which returns along with the thunder to renew the
warrior’s strength
She Dances for our Stolen Sisters
/in Uncategorized /by adminAcrylic on Canvas
Six Nations
/in Uncategorized /by adminAcrylic on Canvas
16″ x 20″
Maskwa Woman
/in Uncategorized /by adminAcrylic on Canvas
36″ x 24″
Wolf Clan
/in Uncategorized /by adminAcrylic on Canvas
44″ x 32″
Every Child Matters. They Tried to Bury Us (they didn’t know we were seeds)
/in Uncategorized /by adminAcrylic on Canvas
48″ x 36″
For all those who did not survive the brutal Indian Residential/Boarding School legacy that lasted from the 1870s in the US
and ended in 1996 in Canada. The vpeople throuhildren have continued to call to us for more than a
century. We reclaim the spirit of our people through the reclamation of our children. We unearth the
truth of ourselves with each precious child we unearth to reclaim as our kin. May their spirits rise and
grow toward the sun, and may our heavy hearts and weary spirits be lifted with them. We dance for our
children to make this so.
Medicine Carrier
/in Uncategorized /by adminAcrylic on Canvas
36″ x 24″
The Eagle has come
/in Uncategorized /by adminAcrylic on Canvas
In a world of skyscrapers and concrete, our spirits get lost in these cold streets. In the times when we most feel lost, we must remember the teachings of the eagle, to persevere, to fly higher.
Never forget we are children of the Earth and our mother protects
Maskwa Woman Part ll
/in Uncategorized /by adminAcrylic on Canvas
32″ x 40″
War Party
/in Uncategorized /by adminCharged by the light of Grandmother Moon, and electrified with the courage of their ancestors, three warriors ride into battle on the backs of their fates.