I didn’t start carving until after I went to school in Santa Fe, New Mexico, at the Institute of American Indian Arts in 1966.

It’s a unique school. It’s the only federally funded art school and Natives from all over the continental United States, including from Hawaii and Alaska, can come to that place and study art in all...

It effected my life so much I had to tell her story in stone. I had to let it out somehow, all that stress, tension, worry and concern is in this piece.

There is a fault that comes through the face and I used that as a representation of her cancer.

But there were too many people for me and the cultural shock was too much. Since the school in New Mexico was affiliated with them, I went back down to there to continue my studies.