In 1984 sculptor Dave McGary met the great-grandson of Bears Nest, the Oglala Sioux warrior who fought at the Battle of Little Big Horn in 1876. His great-grandson, also named Bears Nest, was able to relate great detail about his ancestor's weaponry, clothing and role in the battle from family lore. The information was clearly remembered because of its continuing relevance in the present. Bears Nest is more than a memory: he is an inheritance.

Lifesize Bronze with Patina and Paint
Sculpted in the Year of 1993

Rain in the Face was a renowned chief of the Hunkpapa Sioux tribe. His name was granted him after a battle in which a terrible storm helped his tribe to victory. According to tribal history, the name Rain in the Face was bestowed upon this warrior as he returned from this battle with streaked facial paint, the result of the storm.

Lifesize Bronze with Patina and Paint
Sculpted in the Year of 1990

This well-known Oglala Sioux Chief had a distinguished career both as a warrior and spokesman for his tribe. Named "Manishee" at his birth in 1840, he later adopted the name of a famous uncle who was killed in battle. Chief and warrior in his own right, American Horse negotiated a treaty for his people in 1887. Shortly thereafter, he moved his people to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, just in time to escape the massacre of Sioux Ghost Dancers at Wounded Knee in 1890.

Lifesize Bronze with Patina and Paint, Year Cast 1992