Women and Ledger Art

Four Contemporary Native American Artists

By Richard Pearce

The University of Arizona Press

Ledger art has traditionally been created by men to recount the lives of male warriors on the Plains. During the past forty years, this form has been adopted by Native female artists, who are turning previously untold stories of women’s lifestyles and achievements into ledger-style pictures. While there has been a resurgence of interest in ledger art, little has been written about these women ledger artists.

Women and Ledger Art calls attention to the extraordinary achievements of these strong women who have chosen to express themselves through ledger art. Author Richard Pearce foregrounds these contributions by focusing on four contemporary women ledger artists: Sharron Ahtone Harjo (Kiowa), Colleen Cutschall (Oglala Lakota), Linda Haukaas (Sicangu Lakota), and Dolores Purdy Corcoran (Caddo). Pearce spent six years in continual communication with the women, learning about their work and their lives. Women and Ledger Art examines the artists and explains how they expanded Plains Indian history.

With 46 stunning images of works in various mediums—from traditional forms on recovered ledger pages to simulated quillwork and sculpture, Women and Ledger Art reflects the new life these women have brought to an important transcultural form of expression.

Women and Ledger Art is highly significant. While ledger art has been the subject of recent studies by leading scholars in the field of Native American art, the work of women ledger artists and women as the subjects of ledger art are topics that have received scant attention.’—Jennifer McLerran, author of A New Deal for Native Art: Indian Arts and Federal Policy, 1933–1943

'An invaluable contribution that offers in-depth analysis.'—California Bookwatch

‘An easy and educational read for students, artists, and academics in Native studies.’—Oral History Review

Richard Pearce is Professor Emeritus of English at Wheaton College in Massachusetts. He has published six books on modernist narrative. Now in retirement, he has applied his experience to the narratives of Plains Indian ledger art, extending his commitment to cross-cultural feminism.

1. Walter Bone Shirt, On a Long March
Sharron Ahtone Harjo
Linda Haukaas
Dolores Purdy Corcoran
Colleen Cutschall

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