Origin Information:
Andrew Forsythe, Pennsylvania, USA
My interest in Native American history, culture and especially material culture began during my youth. I was an active member of the Boy Scouts of America and The Order of the Arrow, an affiliate of the Boy Scouts. I worked at the local scout camp teaching various craftworking merit badges. A friend of mine at the time and to this day, Tom McClain, began a dance team for our local O.A. lodge. I joined and quickly learned from him the basics of dancing and how to begin working on my first dance outfit as a traditional dancer. Well, a dance outfit is a funny thing really. It's never quite finished, so I've just kept on working on things over the past fifteen years and loved every minute of it.
While attending Juniata College I co-founded the Native American Hobbyist Club to provide those students with an interest in American Indian culture an avenue of discovery. We met often to learn things together as well as providing opportunities to teach others around the campus and community about Native history and culture.
In 1998 I moved to Mission, South Dakota, the heart of the Rosebud Reservation, to teach science at the Todd County High School and to continue my education in Lakota life and culture. I spent six years on the Rosebud living, learning and loving life. I not only learned a great deal and improved my skills as a craftsman but I also spent my last year at T.C.H.S. co-teaching the Traditional Lakota Arts class with colleague Chris Leneaugh. The course was based on a curriculum I had written the year before as I had discovered a need for students to learn some of the traditional aspects of the material culture. Our course focused on the methods and materials of artifacts from 1880-1920. During this time I was creating more things than ever before and took some of my own work to a whole new level in order to show the students some new possibilities for their work.
My focus and intent is to create the most authentic articles possible by thoroughly researching the exact methods and materials used by Native Peoples a century ago and following their example. Much of what I do uses original materials such as braintan deer, elk, antelope and buffalo; elk and buffalo rawhide; sewing with real sinew; vintage beads incorporated in traditional techniques and designs.
