THE PAHA SAPA SENTINEL
THE ‘PAHA SAPA’ SENTINEL
’Paha Sapa’ is the Sioux name for the Black Hills
Engraving and Relief Sculpture on Purcell Mountain Slate Stone
Size 6-1/2" x 14" x 1/4" thick. Bison 21. IMG 149-4986
Artist: Elaine Sell Prefontaine
This was a beautiful piece to work with. The engraved Bison and the foreground remain the original natural golden browns of the slate stone. I ground off the top layer to reveal a soft gray-blue colored sky.
When I painted the background suggesting dark pines, I was reminded of the Black Hills, and the title, The ‘Paha Sapa” (Black Hills) Sentinel, suddenly came to me.
This piece has an indescribable mystical quality about it causing one to be thoughtful and reminiscent of past times when living bison truly were The ‘Paha Sapa’ Sentinels.
The ‘Paha Sapa’, The Black Hills, are regarded as a holy place by the Sioux. They are a place of the gods, a place to speak to the ‘Great Spirit’, and a spiritual place where warriors have gone on vision quests. They are covered with dense forests of dark pine which give them the appearance of Black Hills.
STUDIO DISPLAY PIECE
BISON / BUFFALO – ANIMAL TOTEM
If the bison appears often in your life at this time, it may be your own personal animal totem.
The bison totem indicates that due to your own right actions and prayer, abundance is being manifested in some important aspects of your life. The laws of synchronicity are operating in your life, and all things are as they should be.
With the laws of synchronicity working for you, it is not necessary to push or force your way to achieve your goals and reach your destination. Do what is right and feels right and take the smoothest path. This means to do the work which needs to be done, and let events take their course —“to go with the flow”.
The bison totem teaches us to stay grounded and work with our natural rhythms.
The bison humps are symbols of stored reserves of energies which may be tapped. The humps on the bison are at shoulder level and indicate that we should “shoulder our own load” — use our own efforts to reap the benefits. The huge head reminds us to “use our head” while still connecting with our own higher divine powers.
The bison totem indicates opportunities for abundance in areas of our lives, providing we pray, appreciate what we have — “count our blessings”, and honor those persons who have helped us in life.
As has been handed down through oral and written history, the bison totem is an especially practical totem which man has understood and related to since his first association with this truly exemplary creature