Emulating the breathtaking colors of the Montana skies, this stunning wool blanket was designed by Inspired Natives™ Project Collaborator, John Isaiah Pepion (Blackfeet/Piikani), and pays tribute to the vibrant Plains Indian horse culture.

The first horse that came to the Blackfeet (Piikani) became known as the Elk Dog, revolutionizing the way the Piikani were able to hunt and becoming an integral part of everyday life on the Plains. Here, John has shown the horses as they were sometimes painted before going on a hunt, raid, or into battle—with circles above their eyes to make them see farther and lightning on their bodies to make them run faster.

John says, "Being a collaborator with the Inspired Natives™ Project means that I get to bring light to Plains Indian culture. And being a member of the Piikani band of the Blackfoot Confederacy, it was important to me to represent the horse on my first wool blanket. It's still such a major part of our lives on the Plains today; the Plains Indian horse culture is alive and well."

2-sided design
Covers top of Queen size bed (59 in x 78 in/ 200 cm x 150 cm)
Colors include black, blue, red, and yellow
Microsuede edge band
100% wool pile; 100% polyester warp
Imported
Dry clean

Product Care:

Recommended care is dry clean only. However, you can rinse your blanket on a gentle, cold setting. Hang dry, away from direct sunlight
Clean liquid stains immediately with warm water and mild detergent
Never use harsh chemicals or scrub wool
Store blanket away from direct sunlight

Thank you for supporting Inspired Natives™, not "Native-inspired."

5% of all blanket sales support the Inspired Natives™ Award for emerging arts entrepreneurs.

Cultural Context:

Ledger art featuring a warrior, a horse, and two wolves.

The background of John's Lightning Horse design mimics the ledger paper that Plains Indians drew and painted on. Ledger art is a type of narrative art developed by Plains Indian people and was popular from the 1860s through 1920s. Plains artists traditionally painted on buffalo hide; however the buffalo eradication program by the US government in the 1800s made buffalo increasingly scarce. Plains artists began using paper as the canvas for their narrative designs: artists often used ledger books, the portability of which were ideal for the nomadic Plains lifestyle. Ledger art was primarily drawn or painted by men and depicted narrative, representational subjects (as opposed to the geometric designs frequently found on parfleches, which were most often painted by women).

This is an original ledger by an unknown Blackfeet (Piikani) warrior. It was collected in 1905 on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana. Today, the work is part of the Autry Museum collection: John took this photo of the work when he visited the collection in Los Angeles.