Travis Litke - email

Black Bear Lakota Indian Portrait

This Black and Gray Portrait of Black Bear, an Indian chief of the Oglala Lakota Nation (sometimes refered to as "Sioux Indian") is very special to Travis. Not just the fact that its a rare black and gray portrait by Travis Litke, but this particular Indian chiefs tribe is special. 

Travis was able to trace the ancestry of his adopted grandpa to an indian reservation in South Dakota. It gets fuzzy because census takers were not very accurate, and would sometimes change peoples names. Rumaging through records it appears highly likely that Travis' grandfather was at either Standing Rock Reservation or Pine Ridge or possibly both, and because of the dates of the census was counted twice.

Travis had the opportunity to meet a Medicine Man of the Lakota Nation who is Hunkpapa Lakota, and was told that within the Lakota Nation blood does not matter. They reviewed the census copies together and it was decided that Travis' grandpa was most likely Oglala, thus making Travis Oglala.

So, this portrait of Black Bear of the Oglala Lakota tribe is a picture of Travis' ancestral leader, and the honor is not lost on him.

Travis has an open invitation should he ever want to participate in the Lakota Sundance Ritual. He claims that something always comes up, but we all know he's chicken when it comes to having spikes pierced into his chest and then ripped out forcibly. 

Travel Dates

Paradise Tattoo Gathering
09/12/13 - 09/15/13
Keystone Resort
Keystone, CO

Image Comments