Emergent
Cannupa Hanska Luger, 2021
Ceramic
24 x 84 x 60 in

Ash black bones emerge from the floor like those exposed in an eroded riverbank. In the 1800s, non-Native settlers and military forces undertook the intentional slaughter of  bison herds, driving  the species to  near  extinction.  This  deliberate,  destructive act destroyed the economies, food sources, and lifeways of Plains Tribes.  Emergent  draws attention to how the loss of a single species has impacts on communities and the environment over  150  years  later. “The Great Plains are  one of  the  most  endangered  environments;  many Indigenous grasses are dependent on the buffalo to thrive and have therefore also degenerated,” says Luger.  Ecosystems need balance to survive. A single disruption to a system destroys the entire system. Through this work, Luger brings attention to the bones of the past to raise awareness of our actions today, for our actions today will continue to impact the ecosystem 150 years from now.

“Tens of millions of our relatives were burnt to ash, transformed to calcium carbonate and bone black pigment. Let this be an emergent history of that land we walk on is forever in debt to the Buffalo Nation.”  - Cannupa Hanska Luger

Each/Other Denver Art Museum catalog excerpt, 2021