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Wednesday, July 25, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Paidter’s works captures momedts of dative idedtity
Mark Shelton’s paintings
reflect moments of Native
American identity — offering
a prayer, weaving a blanket,
reflecting upon sacred waters.
He creates intense color fields
and textures in his works by
layering bits of exotic papers
in the construction of his sub-
jects. His distinct collages
are further enhanced with
boldly applied acrylics. The
direction that his career and
life now traverses is oppo-
site the trajectory in which it
commenced.
Mark grew up in the 1970s,
another solidly Midwestern
kid in the region that inspired
the heartland songs of John
Mellencamp. Fully ignorant
of his Native American heri-
tage, he first came to know
about “Indians” through
Hollywood movies. What
Mark didn’t know was that
his grandmother belonged
to the Seneca People of the
Iroquois Confederacy. The
reason he hadn’t been told
was due to the verbal abuse
his great-grandparents and
grandmother had endured
throughout their lives. Some
realizations, however, seem
destined.
Early on, Mark and his
cousin John began identifying
with American Indian ways,
stereotyped as they were. As
boys, they played Cowboys
and Indians in mock battles,
always embracing the indig-
enous side. It got to the point
that John, though an adopted
child of Italian origin, would
claim and insist that he was
Comanche, even to school
officials. When he turned 14,
Mark’s father finally told him
of his Seneca heritage.
Mark moved to Oregon in
1984, where he began study-
ing all Native American peo-
ples. Moving to New York
City to attend art school, he
graduated with honors from
the Pratt Institute in 1991.
Upon returning to Oregon,
Mark began a career in ear-
nest as a painter of Native
American subjects.
It has become my
duty to educate, inform,
and promote the Chinook
and their significant
ties to history...
— Mark Shelton
Chief Cliff Snider (Leloo
or Grey Wolf) of the Chinook
people, partially raised in
Sisters, also came to learn
of his heritage only after
his early youth. It was “The
Chief” who took on the
Native American mentorship
of Mark and exemplified that
it is proper to embrace that
ancestry also. Chief Grey
Wolf recommended, and the
Chinook Tribe ceremoni-
ally bestowed, the title of
Honorary Chinook Tribal
Artist upon Mark in 2006.
Only those well versed
in Native American history,
indigenous treaties, rights
and laws, along with current
American Indian affairs might
be aware of the complicated
status regarding the Chinook
People. In 1851, a represen-
tative of the United States
Government signed the Anson
Dart Treaty with the Chinook
People, a well-established
tribe of the middle and lower
regions of the Columbia
River. Unbeknownst to
them for a number of years,
Congress did not ratify the
treaty; therefore, they never
were a “tribe” according to
the U.S. Government. In
early 2001, President Clinton
finally gave Federal recogni-
tion and tribal status to the
Chinook People. However, in
an unprecedented and contro-
versial move, President Bush
revoked that recognition less
than two years later.
The prestige of being the
Honorary Chinook Tribal
Artist affords both privileges
and responsibilities.
Shelton states, “It has
become my duty to educate,
inform, and promote the
Chinook and their signifi-
cant ties to history, starting
with their aid to the Lewis
and Clark expedition and the
opening of mercantile trade
between native and non-native
peoples in the Northwest
via the Columbia River and
Pacific Ocean. I feel a sense
of responsibility to honorably
represent the Chinook.”
The Native American
art world holds a number
of annual shows and mar-
kets that celebrate the artists.
Two of them are juried and
considered the preeminent
— Richard Esterman Presents —
Arts & Crafts Festival
& Antiques in the Park
July 28 & 29, 2018
CREEKSIDE PARK
Hwy. 20 & Jeff erson Ave.
Sat. 10 ؏؏-5 ؏؏
Sun. 10 ؏؏-4 ؏؏
Variety of Arts, Crafts, Antiques,
Food & Live Entertainment t
Scott Brown
Sat. 1-5 p.m. & Sun. Noon-4 p.m.
FAMILY
FUN
ZONE
Fundraiser benefi tting
our Veterans
Special thanks to
Bend/Sisters Garden RV Resort, KSJJ 102.9, Mix 100.7, News Channel 21, Indian Head Casino,
Sisters Rental, Les Schwab, Your Store, Davis Tire, Centro, Print Solutions, SistersOlive.com
For information: CentralOregonShows.com • 541-420-0279 or 541-213-9362
PHOTO PROVIDED
Mark Shelton has always identified with native heritage — before he
realized it was his own.
venues, The Santa Fe Indian both, receiving an award at
Market during August in New The Heard.
Mexico and The Heard Show
One of the nation’s finer
during March in Phoenix,
Arizona. Mark has shown in
See SHELTON on page 8
Norma Holmes Open Studio
Sat., July 28 • 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. • 431 N. Maple Ln.
Directions: From N. Locust St./Camp Polk Rd., turn east on
E. Black Butte Ave., turn right on N. Maple Ln., third door on right.
————— 541-588-6493 • NormaHolmes.com —————