Thunderbird Warrior
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
Every Child Matters. They Tried to Bury Us (they didn’t know we were seeds)
Acrylic 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
Acrylic on Canvas
36″ x 24″