Ceremony blesses tree carving preservation efforts

It has been six months since the death of Arapaho artist Eddie Running Wolf due to the coronavirus, but his memory and his art live on in Niwot.

A Saturday gathering, masked and socially distant, paid tribute to the work of Wolf and continuing efforts to preserve his iconic tree sculptures on Niwot Road with a blessing ceremony led by Thornton resident Walt Pourier of the Oglala Lakota Nation, and attended by the artist's wife Melissa, his sons Calvin and Dustin and his mother.

"So I called another friend," was the constant refrain of emcee Chuck Klueber as he spoke of the community's efforts to preserve the deteriorating sculptures, beginning with the first tree carving, known as Spear Lodge Man. Klueber, the Niwot Business Association's (NBA) Streetscapes Coordinator, gave a history of the dying willow trees which once lined a now-defunct ditch near Cottonwood Park West, the community effort to preserve the trunks for carving, and the process of selecting an artist.

The NBA's committee, which included Diane Atwood and Liz Darling, interviewed several sculptors for the project. "Eddie came and blew all of the interviewers away with his portfolio," Klueber said, even though he had never carved a tree before.

The first of three carvings, Spear Lodge Man, or Biitoheinen in the Arapaho language, was completed 14 years ago. Klueber explained that the roots of the tree had caused the trunk to rot from the inside, and that he and several others have been working on a method to preserve the carving, with efforts and funding from the Niwot Local Improvement District (LID), the NBA, the Niwot Community Association, the Niwot Cultural Arts Association (NCAA), and Boulder County.

Spear Lodge Man, presently held together by a metal rod installed by Wolf before his death, will be removed and placed in a garage of local contractor Jeff Goldschmidt, where it will dry out for six months. A concrete-like substance will then be absorbed into the wood to preserve it and allow the sculpture to be restored. Klueber introduced CU professor Pat Clark, whose students at the University of Colorado have made a 3D scan of the sculpture which will be used in the restoration process, and which may allow a bronze version to be created in the future.

Klueber also introduced architect David Lee of Fletemeyer & Lee Associates, a local firm skilled in landscape architecture, who is helping create a permanent platform for the restored carving. If this effort is successful, the remaining tree carvings, Eagle Catcher, completed in 2012, and Holy Man, completed in 2016, will be similarly scanned, restored and preserved.

Klueber continued to note the contributions of many community members, including artist Lisa Rivard, who serves on the LID, historian Laura Skaggs, who chairs the LID, Catherine McHale, who is the NBA's Economic Development Director.

Pourier led the crowd with a Lakota song honoring his friend, Wolf, and Klueber offered a prayer seeking divine blessing of the sculptures and the preservation efforts.

Pourier, who works with several non-profit organizations serving Native Americans, is Executive Director of Stronghold Society, an organization that focuses on suicide prevention in the Native American community, and builds skateboard parks on reservations as a means of building hope and support for Native American youth. In 2014, Pourier received the Governor's Creative Leadership Award for his work.

Pourier spoke of his long friendship with Wolf, and noted that though they were from different tribal backgrounds, "We pretty much adopted him. He's been on my rez numerous times."

He then introduced Wolf's son, Calvin Wolf, who spoke eloquently to the crowd. "It's important to think about why we want to preserve these sculptures," he said. "Number one is the history of this land, and to honor that culture, and recognize the injustice that was imposed upon the native people. Number two is it's a testament to who he was. He taught us a very important way of being in this world-to be true to yourself and live the way you want to, not how people tell you how to be.... It's a reminder that everyone is different, and we should acknowledge others. It should not divide us, but should unite us."

On a lighter note, Wolf went on to say, "It's astounding to me how many people are here, and how many people were involved. He was almost like a superstar here, and he looked like it with his hair and everything. There are so many different people who want to preserve what he made and the ideas behind his art."

NCAA's directors Vicki Maurer, Alyson Bell, Holly Dapolito, Satir Demarco and Biff Warren presented a $500 donation to Pourier and the Stronghold Society in memory of Wolf. Klueber described the process of gathering gifts to honor Wolf's art, and the many friends who participated, including Laura Skaggs, Tim Wise, Jan Kahl, and Bill and Jill Whitener. Klueber presented the family with a photo by Left Hand Valley Courier writer Vicky Dorvee, showing Spear Lodge Man with a rainbow in the background, which he recalled seeing in an article many years ago. Other gifts included pieces of wood from the inside of the tree, in the shape of a heart, which were mounted in a shadowbox, and a pendant fashioned by Jill Whitener.

"We all do this because we love the town," Klueber concluded.