Vanessa Jennings
Encyclopedia
Vanessa Paukeigope Jennings (b. 1952) is a renowned Kiowa
-Apache-Gila River Pima regalia
maker, clothing designer, cradle board maker, and bead artist from Oklahoma
.
Jennings is enrolled in the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma and is the granddaughter of artist Stephen Mopope
.
"I do my grandmother's work," Jennings said. "I do my great-grandmother's work. This is what they used to do. They are the ones who should be honored." Besides finished pieces, she is one of the few artists who brain-tans her own hides.
In 1989 Jennings was made a National Heritage Fellow
. She was also named a Living National Treasure by the US President and the congress. In 2004, she was named the Honored One by the Red Earth Festival.
She lives in Red Stone, east of Fort Cobb, Oklahoma
.
Kiowa
The Kiowa are a nation of American Indians and indigenous people of the Great Plains. They migrated from the northern plains to the southern plains in the late 17th century. In 1867, the Kiowa moved to a reservation in southwestern Oklahoma...
-Apache-Gila River Pima regalia
Regalia
Regalia is Latin plurale tantum for the privileges and the insignia characteristic of a Sovereign.The word stems from the Latin substantivation of the adjective regalis, 'regal', itself from Rex, 'king'...
maker, clothing designer, cradle board maker, and bead artist from Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
.
Jennings is enrolled in the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma and is the granddaughter of artist Stephen Mopope
Stephen Mopope
Stephen Mopope was a Kiowa painter, dancer, and flute player of Spanish descent, from Oklahoma. He was the most prolific member of the Kiowa Five-Early life:...
.
"I do my grandmother's work," Jennings said. "I do my great-grandmother's work. This is what they used to do. They are the ones who should be honored." Besides finished pieces, she is one of the few artists who brain-tans her own hides.
In 1989 Jennings was made a National Heritage Fellow
National Heritage Fellowship
The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award, the Fellowship is the United States' highest honor in the folk and traditional arts...
. She was also named a Living National Treasure by the US President and the congress. In 2004, she was named the Honored One by the Red Earth Festival.
She lives in Red Stone, east of Fort Cobb, Oklahoma
Fort Cobb, Oklahoma
Fort Cobb is a town in Caddo County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 667 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Fort Cobb is located at ....
.