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Flag Song - Doug Hyde

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Flag Song

Flag Song, 1983

Doug Hyde (1946 - )

Doug Hyde (Nez Perce/Assiniboine/Chippewa) b. 1946
"Flag Song," 1983
Tennessee pink marble, 70" x 63" x 19"
The Heard Museum, Phoenix, Arizona


Doug Hyde was a student of Allan Houser's at IAIA in the mid-1960s, during its peak as "the" Indian art school. He adopted the Houser style of sculpting. The Houser-esque style is distinctive for heavy curved forms, fluid lines and foreshortened bodies with oversized hands. Hyde has been very successful in maintaining and continuing the Houser style.

His sculpture "Flag Song," represents the contemporary custom of honoring veterans by many Northern Plains cultures. This modern day activity is usually practiced during gatherings on Veterans Day and is grounded in the ancient ceremonies of honoring warriors. Both men and women participate in the ceremony according to society membership.

In Hyde's stone version, each figure is wearing a blanket. Compositionally, this allows for a solid and curvelinear rendering of the stone, a hallmark of the "Indian" sculpture. The male figure is holding his wide brimmed hat in his hand as a symbol of respect during the ceremony. The female figure is carrying an eagle feather fan. The eagle is held in high esteem by many Indian tribes as a symbol for strength and beauty.

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Honoring Native America - Exhibit VI

Sea Weed People - Woman in Love - John Hoover

Earth Song - Allan Houser

Flag Song - Doug Hyde

Bird Effigy - Truman Lowe

Red Totem - George Morrison

Khwee-seng (Woman-man) - Nora Naranjo-Morse

The Cedar Mill Pole - R.E. Bartow

Lady of Spring - Willard Stone

Guardians and Sentinels - Susie Bevins Ericsen/Qimmiqsak

The Emergence of the Clowns - Roxanne Swentzell

Earth Messenger Totem - Doug Coffin

Woman in Love - Bob Haozous