Warm Springs Stick Indian
“The Stick Indian lives in the mountains and whistles like a bird. If a good person is lost in the woods, The Stick Indian will guide him to safety; whereas, a bad person will be led deeper into the forest. The Stick Indian also steals badly behaved children, and Coyote, the Trickster, is always involved to show us how not to behave, or to have fun in a mischievous manner. Legend has it that he was the one who changed Taagagilal or Tsagaglal, the woman chief near Wishram, into a rock to watch over her people forever.
Just about all the art I create is based on the traditional arts of my ancestors and on the legends that have been handed down by my people from generation to generation. My goal is to make the characters in these legends come alive, and to make the images they incorporated into their arts appeal to contemporary tastes. My intention is always to honor the stories of my ancestors, as well as to educate and entertain people just as the stories of my ancestors have done for so many thousands of years.”
-Lillian Pitt