GITCHIE MANITOU COLLECTION
In an explanation of this series of prints, Elinor writes about her two primary inspirations when creating these works. These pieces were inspired by Gitchie Manitou State Park, located just outside of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. At the time, Elinor, and her husband Tom, had just started to explore this park. Elinor describes the beautiful waters and rock formations found in the park and acknowledges its “untamed quality and reputation for danger” in the wake of a tragic murder that had taken place in the park just a few years prior. Despite the brokenness and chaos that had taken place in this park, Elinor managed to see beauty in its scenery, especially in the passing of seasons. She states that experiencing the distinct seasons in the park “spoke to me about our human lives, our personal histories, and how important it is to spend each day well.”
These reflections inspired a spiritual approach to these seasonal prints which drew Elinor to Black Elk’s prayer delivered from Harney Peak in the Black Hills in 1931 which she first encountered in a book entitled Touch the Earth: A Self-Portrait of Indian Existences. The prayer she found in this book deeply impacted her, and its themes were used in the titles of the four pieces in this series. Elinor approaches her depiction of this park with a deeply reformational mindset as she seeks beauty and renewal in the midst of brokenness.
Below are Elinor's brief reflections on each piece:
Spring: "You Would That Each Should Bloom, O Gitchie Manitou" (1983)
This bush was hanging from a high rock above the water. We arrived at the park early one spring morning and caught the shadow of the bush on the water surface. It was so clean and uncluttered. It represents each young life, full of promise, the bush as body and the shadow as soul.
Summer: "Even Among Stones, O Gitchie Manitou" (1985)
An explosion of color, variety, energy, and some blooming! My own life was so demandingly full for so many years… and always there were stones and obstacles in the way. There is almost never a perfect situation for blooming. Relationships and activities get more and more complex. Movement is in every direction. Sometimes shadows and soul time are crowded out, but there is an overall thrust and beauty and much purpose.
Fall: "To Be Filled With Singing Birds, O Gitchie Manitou" (1997)
Life is still complex, varied and colorful, but the thrust is different. One can still “shelter the birds” and “bring forth fruit.” The shadow life becomes deeper and more intense. Still, there is weariness and some decay and falling away and loss. We lean on the Great Spirit who dwells in “the rock” and on others stronger than ourselves.
Winter: "Until the Shadows Rise, O Gitchie Manitou" (1997)
I cannot agree more with Black Hawk that his “tree never bloomed.” He was a physical and spiritual leader among his people, but each of us senses that we could have bloomed more fully, more beautifully, if our spiritual direction had been more mature. Or as Black Elk put it, “the spirit shapes of things as they should be.” This scene depicts the A-la-ba-ma (Here we may rest) of our lives. The rush is over and our bodies, still lit with the glow of the sun, are moving toward a horizontal peace. When that is accomplished, the shadow-soul will rise and disappear.