First Nations Algonquin-Métis and Anishinaabe artist Leah Yellowbird works in a variety of mediums, from paint to beads. She has a reverence for traditional imagery and methods, resulting in works that reflect the culture of Indigenous people.

Her inspiration resulted in “Fire Keepers Circle,” which will commemorate the Potawatomi Trail of Death in Johnson County, Kansas. The Johnson County, Kansas, Park and Recreation District recently announced “Fire Keepers Circle” was selected from among three finalists for a public art project.

Yellowbird and her creative partner, Aaron Squadroni, have collaborated on similar projects. With Yellowbird’s creative background and Squadroni’s architecture skills, they have found the perfect mix.

“Everything I am, he is the opposite. I’m high strung, he’s more calm,” she said. “It’s like this perfect union for me, this person who isn’t anything like me. I got lucky there.”

Squadroni first heard about the Trail of Death art project proposal and felt Yellowbird would have the necessary creative background. He previously worked for an architecture company that applied to work on large, public art projects.

A clear vision

Yellowbird said she carefully researched the Trail of Death. She understands how necessary the art project was.

“I’ve always said when stuff gets difficult for me that I have no right to complain because of the people that came before me. I’m not walking on snow barefoot for hundreds of miles. I’m not watching my child fall and die and not being able to do anything about it. What do I have to complain about? Absolutely nothing,” she said.

After imagining herself in the place of the Potawatomi who fell and those who survived, she had a very clear vision of what she wanted the piece to look like.

“I knew right away exactly what I wanted the sculpture to look like and what I wanted to do. I want a place where you could sit and hear the wind go through those walls. It’s like it is the sound of my ancestors talking. So, I am very excited to do it,” Yellowbird said.

Leah Yellowbird

Including Tribal members

CPN Tribal members will be able to contribute to the project in a significant way. Yellowbird is assembling an informational packet that will help Tribal members add to part of the design that resembles a feather.

“We’re going to ask people to put a pattern on that feather, whether it’s a pattern that’s on your regalia that you wear, a pattern that your family uses on their regalia or it’s something you have in your house or something that you love, something that moves you,” Yellowbird said. “Draw the pattern on and then we’ll put it on the metal. And then they’ll be able to pick out their feather on the sculpture. I think it’s kind of cool to be a part of this memorial and say, ‘Here I am.’”

Yellowbird and Squadroni plan to begin their outreach to CPN Tribal members in January 2025. She will keep everyone informed about the ribbon cutting ceremony for “Fire Keepers Circle.”

“To me, it’s like the community is part of it, too. I want to make sure that if anybody wants to attend, they can,” she said.

Reaching all visitors

She hopes non-Native visitors will not only appreciate the beauty of the art and the location, but also feel the weight of what took place. Plans are for the space to have a QR code that visitors can click on and hear narration about the exhibit.

“Everybody feels differently in different situations, but I’m hoping that anyone who sees it and knows what it’s about, we can get that across because of how serious it was and the devotion of the people that walked behind their leaders, what they left behind and the people they left behind,” she said.

She said portions of Native American history often go unacknowledged or are misunderstood.

“I often say to people who are non-Indian, when they start talking about residential schools. I tell them when the last residential schools were closed and they’re always shocked. They thought it was in the 60s,” she said. “I tell them, ‘No, this was happening for a long time.’”

She is happy to be able to help Indigenous people tell their own stories.

“Nobody’s going to understand it better than the person in it. My family didn’t live on that reservation, but I can’t stress enough that it still was so important to me to make sure that people knew who I am and what I’m about,” she said.

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