KEYSTONE SPECIES OF THE PRAIRIE
Rudy Black Plume
2021
These designs emphasize the interconnection of all living things. It highlights the prairie dogs, the buffalo, and human beings for the integral parts they play within the status of their ecosystem’s health. They are what biology refers to as “keystone species,” organisms that help hold the ecosystem together. The layout for these pieces takes inspiration from Blackfoot lodge designs. There are usually 3 elements that are expressed within a lodge design: Earth, Animals/Spirit Guides, and the Sky/Universe, which all play integral roles within Blackfoot ways of knowing.
This piece was part of the Utility Box Vinyl Wrap Pilot Project