Dyani White Hawk

Tapun Sa Win

The work of Sicangu Lakota multimedia artist Dyani White Hawk combines Indigenous culturally informed art forms, such as beadwork and quillwork, with acrylic-based easel painting. Tapun Sa Win—which translates as Red Cheek Woman—is a Lakota narrative about a woman who falls in love with an enigmatic man from the stars and goes to live with him in the sky. Ultimately, due to homesickness, she tries to return to her family on earth but tragically falls to her death. Her son, named Wicahpi Hinhpaya (Fallen Star), is miraculously born, survives, and is raised by the Lakota, while her grief-stricken lover’s refusal to move transforms him into the North Star. Tapun Sa Win foregrounds Lakota culture not only through its subject matter but also through its patterned design, which references Northern Plains beadwork.