The Sacred in Motion, Chris Pappan

Artwork Overview

The Sacred in Motion, Chris Pappan
The Sacred in Motion, Chris Pappan
Chris Pappan
The Sacred in Motion
2024
Chris Pappan, artist
Cultural affiliations: Osage, Kaw, Cheyenne River Lakota Sioux
born 1971
The Sacred in Motion, 2024
Where object was made: United States
Material/technique: pencil; graphite; gouache; inkjet print; collage; ledger paper
Dimensions:
Object Height/Width (Height x Width): 45.3 x 28.8 cm
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 63.5 x 50.8 cm
Credit line: Museum purchase: Peter T. Bohan Art Acquisition Fund
Accession number: 2024.0137
On display: Marshall Balcony
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Images

Label texts

In’zhúje’waxóbe: Return of the Sacred Red Rock

This artwork by Kaw citizen Chris Pappan depicts deer woman, a Native American trickster figure, wearing traditional Kanza attire. The fence in the background references government policies that forced Kaw people to move onto reservations, introducing the concept of private, individually owned land. The bones overlaid on the map reference stories about Kaw women wailing as they were forced to leave the bones of their ancestors in Kansas and move to “Indian Territory” in present-day Oklahoma. Spaceships abduct the Sacred Red Rock, drawing a comparison between the settlers and aliens.

Exhibitions

In’zhúje’waxóbe: Return of the Sacred Red Rock
Sydney Pursel, curator
2025–2026

Resources

Documents

Media Release
Media Coverage