Tvli Birdshead, 19
15-19 Years Old – Grand Prize Winner
19 years old, Cheyenne Arapaho Choctaw Chickasaw Oglala
This digital artwork titled, Sweet Medicine Child, made using Procreate, depicts a Two-Spirited boy wandering around campsites at his Sundance, connecting with the land, and brings a flower to show his relatives. Surrounded by the billows of smoke from smoldering medicine, he is at peace and happy. Upon his head is a halo made of sweetgrass and sage. The Arapaho word “ni’óxu,” meaning sweetgrass, is a form of utilizing and revitalizing language. I wanted to portray how important the upbringing of Native Youth is. As long as Native Youth live and breathe, there is strength, resilience, and there is resistance.