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.
https://mikeholdenart.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/New-York-Spirit-by-Mike-Holden--scaled.jpg20942560Mike Holdenhttp://mikeholdenart.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/final-copy-banner2.0.pngMike Holden2024-08-06 18:35:092025-01-17 13:29:19New York Spirit
Description:
The coming of thunder in the spring is a gift from the Thunderbeings, a promise of renewal and awakening. It marks a spiritual salve for the losses of the past year, a healing after the harsh and unforgiving winters. This season brings a time for warriors to heal, grow strong again, and prepare. The return of the Thunderbeings provides the recharge needed for a warrior to rise once more, to embody 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 honor the Thunderbeings: Lead Thunderbird Man. The Thunderbird is depicted in this painting to represent the unseen bringers of thunder and lightning. The rifles symbolize the harnessed power of the Thunderbeings, once believed to be powerful instruments meant 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 voices of our children 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.
https://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 14:25:072025-01-17 13:43:56Every 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
https://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 16:18:022025-01-17 13:45:00The 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.
https://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 14:30:452025-01-17 13:48:21War Party
Ace of Spades
/in Uncategorized /by Mike HoldenAcrylic on Canvas
14″ x 20″
Wahkohtowin Part ll
/in Uncategorized /by Mike HoldenAcrylic on Canvas
36” x 36”
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
She Dances for our Stolen Sisters
/in Uncategorized /by adminAcrylic on Canvas
Six Nations
/in Uncategorized /by adminAcrylic on Canvas
16″ x 20″
Maskwa Iskwew
/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 voices of our children 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 Iskwew 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.