Artist Spotlight - "Art as Identity, Memory and Hope"
- CARAVAN Arts
- Oct 12
- 17 min read
Updated: Oct 13
An Interview with noted artist Aspen Decker of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes:
For Indigenous Peoples Day, CARAVAN president, Paul G. Chandler, had the honor of interviewing the remarkable artist Aspen Decker, an enrolled member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.
“I create because I want our children and future generations to see that our culture is alive, that it continues to grow and speak through us."
Aspen Decker, artist
Aspen Decker is an enrolled member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes
(t̓at̓ʔayáqn, Ql̓ispè, & Ksanka) and a speaker of her tribal language, Nsélišcn "Salish language." She graduated with a master’s degree in linguistics from the University of Montana in 2021, and earned a bachelor’s degree in Tribal Historic Preservation from Salish Kootenai College in 2018. She has a Montana Class 7 Native American Language and Culture Educator License and has taught Salish for 10 years. Her passion for the Salish language began as a child, learning from her elders, primarily, Patlik Pierre, who taught her about the importance of perpetuating Salish language and culture. Raising her children in the language as first language Salish speakers has been one of the ways that she honors their teachings.
Aspen owns Xʷlxʷilt / "Alive and Well," a company dedicated to supporting her Salish language revitalization and cultural preservation through education, art, and consulting. The company is committed to developing and providing genuine Indigenous education, contributing to the promotion of diversity and Native voice within Western systems.
Artist Statement: "Ancestral Indigenous knowledge and language are at the heart of my work. As a Salish speaker and storyteller, I create ledger art on antique maps that reflect Sqelixʷ ‘Indigenous’ ways of knowing and emphasize cultural preservation, language revitalization, storytelling, and Plains Indian Sign Language."
For more information:
Website: www.sqelixw.art
Instagram: @sqelixw_shining_camas
Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/@xwlxwilt
Video: A talk by Aspen Decker with Q & A at Radius Gallery, Missoula, MT, USA
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NOTE: Artist statements for artworks are found below the interview
Your art weaves together creative connections between language, history and culture. Can you tell us about where you grew up and how your upbringing inspired you to become an artist?
Aspen: I am a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (Sqelixʷ, Aqsmaknik) and grew up in Arlee, Montana, on the Flathead Indian Reservation, surrounded by the stories and language of the Bitterroot Salish people. My earliest memories are of listening to my grandparents and elders speak in our language and share stories of our homeland, of places, animals, and teachings that carry our identity. Those memories shaped how I see the world. Art became a way for me to continue that storytelling, to bring our language, history, and worldview into a visual form that can reach both our own people and those learning about us for the first time.
You have a unique perspective that blends originality with innovation, and ancient ways of knowing and being with contemporary art forms. In what way do you see a connection between the language of words and the language of art?
Aspen: Our Salish language holds deep layers of meaning. Each word connects to place, season, and relationship. Art is very similar. Both language and art are visual and spiritual ways of remembering who we are. When I paint or work on ledger paper, I think about how our ancestors recorded knowledge in designs, carvings, and pictographs long before written English. The way I combine Salish orthography, design, and imagery is an extension of that. It’s storytelling that moves between spoken and visual language.
"Both language and art are
visual and spiritual ways of remembering who we are."
-Aspen Decker
There is a reflection of spiritual interconnectedness and strength in your artistic voice. How do ideas come to you, and what motivates you to create?
Aspen: My ideas often come from my upbringing listening to elders, following our seasonal cycles tied to cultural knowledge and to the land itself, and the history of my people through our perspectives. I might see something while gathering roots or walking near the river that reminds me of an old story, or I’ll hear a phrase in Salish that opens a vision in my mind. My motivation comes from a sense of responsibility. I create because I want our children and future generations to see that our culture is alive, that it continues to grow and speak through us.
You have worked with a variety of artistic mediums, from ledger art to mixed media, murals and cultural works of art. Can you share with us a little about this – about how you select materials and tools for your work? Also, is there a particular art form that you connect with more deeply than others?
Aspen: Each medium has its own voice. I often work with antique maps and ledger paper because they carry history. They remind us of both loss and survival. The materials themselves become part of the story. I choose natural pigments, smoked hides, beadwork, and traditional motifs when I want to honor the older ways, and murals or digital design when I want to reach broader audiences, like schools or public spaces. Ledger art holds the deepest connection for me because it bridges our ancestors’ record-making with our living language and culture today.
Can you tell us about the symbolism in some of your work such as the intention behind depicting blank faces, even-sided crosses and the squared horseshoe shaped tracks across ledger paper?
Aspen: There are no faces in my work because, unlike European portraiture where identity is centered in the face, traditional Native and ledger art did not focus on realism or facial detail. Our ancestors expressed identity through regalia, the clothing, beadwork, and designs that showed a person’s tribal belonging and specific family patterns that carried meaning through generations. Those details are where identity lives in our art.
The tracks are symbolic and stylized. You can see differences between elk, bison, and horse tracks, each drawn to show species, movement, and direction. The squared horse tracks indicate travel and connection across the land. The even-sided cross represents the Morning Star and stories that correlate to the stars and our traditional understanding of astronomy.
What draws you to consistently use vibrant colors in your artwork?
Aspen: Color often carries meaning in our culture. The choices I make are influenced by traditional elements like porcupine quillwork, painted hides, and beadwork, where each color was carefully selected for its purpose. Over time, new materials were introduced through trade and adaptation, and you can see that history reflected in our clothing and regalia. I draw from that blend of tradition and change, using a color palette that mirrors the tones and combinations found in our regalia. The mixing of certain colors reflects how our people have always adapted while keeping our visual identity strong.
L to R:
6- Es Yúʔuli ‘They’re Scalp Dancing,' 2024, Colored pencil, ink, copic markers, acrylic paint on Antique 1867 Map of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana, 12” x 15” inches
7- Sc̓éʔekʷ ‘Flower’ Sign, 2025, Colored pencil, ink, acrylic paint on Antique 1874 Rare Ziegler McCurdy Map of MT, NE, WY, 12.25” x 15.25” inches
"I’ve never seen my path as a struggle, but as resilience and a continuation of the work my ancestors began.”
In what way do you see a historic connection between ancient Indigenous cave drawings and the development of ledger art?
Aspen: Cave drawings, petroglyphs, pictographs, and hide were among our first storytelling forms. They recorded our relationships with the world, with animals, and with time. Ledger art continued that tradition under new circumstances, when our ancestors were forced onto reservations and began using the materials available, like old ledger books. Both forms are acts of memory and survival, visual records of our worldview that adapt to whatever materials are at hand.
Can you share with us the stories behind several of your artworks?
Aspen: One of my artworks, Crossing the Divide: Es q̓x̣ulexʷ ɫu č̓ q̓ʷeyq̓ʷay ‘Trail to the Buffalo’, honors the journey our Salish, Kootenai, Nez Perce, Spokane, and other allied sister tribes made as we crossed the Continental Divide to hunt buffalo. These were more than hunting trips. They were acts of survival, ceremony, and intertribal relations. Our tribes traveled together, supported each other, and shared knowledge that kept us connected to the land and to one another.
The artwork shows our people in cowrie shell dresses and on horseback with travois made from tipi poles and buffalo rawhide, shaped into parfleche to carry our belongings. Before horses became prevalent, husky dogs packed our belongings with smaller travois and were an important part of our nomadic way of life. To me, this is a powerful way to express how the artist is seeking a connection to the unknown by accessing the unconscious.
"I know who I am and where I come from, and that grounding guides every decision I make as an artist.”
Another piece I’ve created is one of my cultural works of art, the buffalo or bison horn cup. It is used when riding on horseback and has a long buckskin string that can be dropped into the water to fill and pull back up to drink while remaining on the horse. These cups were very useful during seasonal movements and war parties. On the cup I etched one of our Coyote stories about bringing buffalo back to the Salish camp in the Bitterroot Valley. Coyote stories are only told in the winter months, and they carry teachings that go beyond the story itself. They remind us how to live in balance and how not to be. In this story, Coyote begins herding back so many buffalo that his greed takes over, and he keeps taking more and more as he gets hungry. The lesson speaks to human behavior and the consequences of taking in excess when something appears abundant. It reflects what we see today with overconsumption and climate change. Nothing is truly abundant; it is sustainable only when we take care of it.
"Nothing is truly abundant; it is sustainable only when we
take care of it."
Tell us about the business you started focused on Indigenous education integration.
Aspen: I started Xwlxwilt LLC, a Native-owned business that integrates Indigenous knowledge into art and education. I work with schools, museums, and organizations to bring Salish language, storytelling, and art into classrooms and public spaces. My goal is to create bridges between traditional knowledge and contemporary education so that young people can see themselves reflected in what they learn and make.
Can you share with us some of the challenges you had to overcome in your artistic career, and what advice would you give to a young artist?
Aspen: I’ve never seen my path as a struggle, but as resilience and a continuation of the work my ancestors began. I know who I am and where I come from, and that grounding guides every decision I make as an artist. My responsibility is to represent our stories and language with care, and to share them in ways that honor our people. My advice for young artists is to create from that same place of strength. Learn your history, your language, and your family stories. When you know who you are, the art naturally carries meaning and truth.
Can you share with us what you are working on artistically at this time?
Aspen: Right now, my husband Cameron and I are preparing for our upcoming exhibition at the Missoula Art Museum titled Honoring Our q̓ʷeyq̓ʷay ‘Buffalo.’ The exhibition focuses on the deep connection between the buffalo and the Salish and Kootenai people, as well as the historical efforts to destroy both the animal and the Indigenous ways of life tied to it. Our work combines traditional and contemporary elements including ledger art on antique paper and maps, buffalo hides, horn cups, woven baskets, and mixed media pieces that include natural materials such as bone and pigments. Together, these pieces tell the story of survival, adaptation, and respect for the buffalo as a source of life and identity.
The exhibition also looks at how our people have continued to honor the buffalo through art, language, and ceremony, even after its near eradication. It is a way for us to share our cultural knowledge, to remember the strength of our ancestors, and to invite reflection on our relationship with the natural world today.
Clockwise from top L to R:
11- Digging in Nłʔaycčstm ‘Place of the Small Bull Trout,’ 2024, Colored pencil, alcohol markers, ink, acrylic paint on Antique 1873 Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and part of Montana Map, 15.1” by 12.3” inches
("Winning Artist of 19 Under 39," this piece is part of the Montana Museum of Art and Culture’s permanent collection).
12- Mtčw̓è ‘Balsamroot’ Indicator, 2024, Colored pencil, ink, acrylic paint on Antique 1892 Montana Map, 14” x 20.5” inches
13- Čmtèws ‘To Ride a Horse’ Sign, 2025, Colored pencil, ink, acrylic paint on Antique 1872 ledger paper, 13.5” x 16.5”
14- Salish and Shoshone Trade, 2025, Colored pencil, ink, and acrylic, Rare 1874 Zeigler McCurdy United States Map,
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Artist Statements for Artworks in the Interview
1- Čłmlšè' Sqlqelixʷ (Helena Salish), 2025, Colored pencil, acrylic paint, ink on antique 1892 Map of Montana, 13.50 x 21.50 inches
This artwork depicts the Salish Tribe, who lived east of the mountains in the Helena Valley. Each year, the Bitterroot Salish and other Salish bands crossed the Continental Divide to meet with the Helena band, joining together before traveling onto the plains to hunt buffalo. In the late 1700s, waves of smallpox swept through, devastating the Helena Salish. The survivors merged with other Salish bands, carrying their traditions, language, and seasonal ways forward. This piece honors the Helena Salish and their place in our history, and the deep seasonal cycles that continue to shape who we are.
2- Bridge of Tears: Bitterroot Séliš Removal, 2024, Ink, colored pencil, and acrylic on rare 1874 Montana Territory Map, 36” by 24” inches ("Winning Artist of 19 Under 39," this piece is part of the Montana Museum of Art and Culture’s permanent collection).
This piece is created on a large 36” by 24” 1874 Montana territory map, created with colored pencil, pen, alcohol ink markers, and paint, depicting the Bitterroot Salish trail of tears/removal. In October 1891, armed American soldiers arrived to "escort" the Salish people out of the Bitterroot Valley to the Jock Agency on the Flathead Indian Reservation. This artwork depicts the Bitterroot Salish crossing over Sxwixwuytis Smxé Nxlews, Grizzly Bear Tracks Bridge on October 16th, 1891. Below the bridge showcases fish in the river that represent the Salish placename, Nłʔayčstm 'The place of the small bulltrout'. Near the Hellgate showcases the word for Missoula Valley Nmesulétkw ‘Place of the Freezing Water.' The Salish language written across the upper part of the map translates to ‘When we left Bitterroot Salish Land’ The bitterroot is a symbol of our way of life and identity as Séliš people. It also depicts the native plants and traditional harvesting sites: we no longer occupy due to land dispossession. Missoula was once the primary place we dug bitterroot; however, the displacement and subsequent urban development have nearly eradicated the once plentiful native bitterroot from the landscape. We are a people of strength, resilience, and beauty, who are still here to share the stories of our ancestors.
3- Unwelcome in the Place of Our Roots, 2024, Colored pencil, alcohol markers, ink, acrylic paint on Antique 1892 Montana map, 14.5” by 22” inches
This ledger artwork captures oral history shared with me by Tony Incashola, honoring the resilience of an elderly Salish woman who traveled to the Fort Missoula area to dig bitterroot. In a brutal encounter, soldiers used her as target practice, firing shots as she sought to gather our traditional food. The woman’s strength is represented in her escape, as she had to get into the river and navigate her way back to the reservation, outmaneuvering the gunfire. This piece also speaks to the connection we have with our gathering grounds, the places our elders and family teach us to return to throughout our lives. These places hold lifelong significance, imprinted with memories and teachings that pass from generation to generation. The bullets are drawn in the style seen in 1800s ledger art, marked with a dot and a trailing line to indicate their direction.
4- Coyote riding a buffalo, 2024, Native paint pigment, ink, colored pencil, and acrylic on 1870s US railroad map
This piece has the Salish aboriginal territory done with native paint pigment, and the reservation and Montana boundaries highlighted. Coyote Riding Buffalo reflects the oral traditions of Salish and Kootenai people. In one of the stories Coyote attempts to bring buffalo back to the Salish camp in the Bitterroot Valley. Coyote stories are only told in the winter months, and they carry teachings that go beyond the story itself. They remind us how to live in balance and how not to be. In this story, Coyote begins herding back so many buffalo that his greed takes over, and he keeps taking more and more as he gets hungry. The lesson speaks to human behavior and the consequences of taking in excess when something appears abundant. It reflects what we see today with overconsumption and climate change. Nothing is truly abundant; it is sustainable only when we take care of it. (Note: same as the story etched on the Buffalo Horn Cup)
5- Chief Łaʔlí Arlee Band, 2025, Colored pencil, ink, acrylic paint on Antique 1892 Map of Montana, 14.5” by 22” inches
This artwork honors Chief Arlee and the Salish families who, in 1873, chose to leave the Bitterroot Valley and move to the Jocko (Flathead) Reservation, nearly two decades before Chief Charlo and the remaining Bitterroot Salish were forcibly removed in 1891. After the disputed 1872 "Garfield Agreement," which falsely claimed Charlo’s consent, Chief Arlee led his people north. The U.S. government recognized Arlee as Head Chief, stripping Chief Charlo of his title as Head Chief until the after the removal in 1891. The name "Arlee" derives from Chief Arlee’s name, Łoʔlí, meaning "little man." French settlers adapted it to "Arlee" due to pronunciation challenges. Łoʔlí’s English name was Henry. In the artwork, Dancing Boy and the east side of the Arlee mountains are depicted, with tipis across the top and bottom referencing a Salish Coyote story. This story tells of a giant, invisible monster whose insides resembled the surrounding land, making it indistinguishable from the outside. The Arlee area was considered the belly of this monster, with its heart located near where Dancing Boy lies.
6- Es Yúʔuli ‘They’re Scalp Dancing,' 2024, Colored pencil, ink, copic markers, acrylic paint on Antique 1867 Map of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana, 12” x 15” inches
The Scalp Dancing was done by the women who were dressed in men's clothing. After battles, the men would return to camp with the scalps which were tied on the end of a stick. There was a specific song that was sung for a group of women to go to certain camps to prepare for the Scalp Dance. Another song was sung when the women were being painted up and entering the War Dance pavilion. There are many songs, which are sung for the Scalp Dance. Gradually, some of the women would leave the group. When they returned, they would be dressed in old, ragged clothing, their faces darkened with ashes and carrying a stick. If one of the women placed the stick over one of the men's shoulders, and it was not pushed away, the two were considered married." - Arlee Powwow Committee
7- Sc̓éʔekʷ ‘Flower’ Sign, 2025, Colored pencil, ink, acrylic paint on Antique 1874 Rare Ziegler McCurdy Map of MT, NE, WY, 12.25” x 15.25” inches
This artwork portrays a woman on horseback making the Plains Indian Sign Language gesture for “flower,” which conveys the sense of a good smell. In her surroundings, bright Black-Eyed Susan blossoms bloom, symbolizing beauty, and the natural medicines of our homelands. Plains Indian Sign Language was an intertribal form of communication, allowing stories and meanings to be shared across languages. In our tradition, spoken words and sign are used together, deepening expression and connection. This piece honors both the language of the hands and the language of the land, bringing together gesture, horse, and flower in one unified story.
8- Snk̓ʷc̓šlšełc̓eʔtn “Buffalo Jump - Place Where the Meat Crashes or Falls Off Something," 2025, Ink, colored pencil, acrylic on antique 1889 Montana, Idaho, Wyoming map
This site, like many buffalo jumps across the Plains, tells oral tradition and stories of community, skill, and survival. Much is written about the hunters who drove the buffalo, but just as vital were the women who carried out the final and most difficult part of the hunt. After the herds were pushed over the cliff, the women moved in with courage and precision. Armed with heavy warclubs, they finished the animals quickly, preventing suffering and honoring the life of each buffalo. Their role did not end there. Women led the processing of hides, meat, and sinew, transforming each part of the animal into food, clothing, shelter, and tools that sustained the people through the seasons. This artwork, Snk̓ʷc̓šlšełc̓eʔtn, lifts up these often-overlooked roles. It honors the strength, resilience, and knowledge of the women whose work at the buffalo jump was essential to the survival of the people.
9- Fire Knowledge, 2025, Colored pencil, acrylic paint, ink on antique 1884 Map of Montana, 13.50 x 21.50 inches
This artwork honors the Salish people's deep fire knowledge and traditional use of controlled grass burns as a way of caring for the land and sustain healthy ecosystems. Fire was not only used for land management but also played an important role in communal hunting practices. During these burns, fires were strategically lit across the landscape to guide elk and deer toward narrow landforms like peninsulas, where hunters waited in canoes. In this scene, two Salish women in cowrie shell dresses sit poised in their sturgeon nose canoes, bows drawn, as elk charge into the water. Pictographic fish swim beneath them, tying together the connection between land, water, and life. Smoke swirls above, and flames can be seen burning onto the peninsula, illustrating the power of fire as both a tool and a renewal force. Through this piece, the knowledge of fire as a careful, purposeful act of stewardship and survival is brought forward.
10- Crossing the Divide: Es q̓x̣ulexʷ ɫu č̓ q̓ʷeyq̓ʷay ‘Trail to the Buffalo,’ 2025, Colored pencil, ink, acrylic paint on Antique 1876 Map of The United States and Indian Territory, 14” x 20” inches
This piece honors the journey our Salish, Kootenai, Nez Perce, Spokane, and other allied sister tribes made as we crossed the Continental Divide to hunt buffalo. These were more than hunting trips. They were acts of survival, ceremony, and intertribal relations. Our tribes traveled together, supported each other, and shared knowledge that kept us connected to the land and one another. This artwork also shows our people in cowrie shell dresses, on horseback with travois made from tipi poles and buffalo rawhide, shaped into parfleche to carry our belongings. Before horses became prevalent, husky dogs packed our belongings with smaller travois and were an important part of our nomadic way of life.
11- Digging in Nłʔaycčstm ‘Place of the Small Bull Trout,’ 2024, Colored pencil, alcohol markers, ink, acrylic paint on Antique 1873 Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and part of Montana Map, 15.1” by 12.3” inches ("Winning Artist of 19 Under 39," this piece is part of the Montana Museum of Art and Culture’s permanent collection).
This piece depicts our Salish place name in Missoula and our seasonal practices in that area. One of our staple native foods gathered in Missoula was sp̓eƛ̓m ‘bitterroot.’ Nłʔaycćstm is the Salish place name for the confluence of Rattlesnake creek and the Clark Fork River. The black birds represent our creation story of how the sp̓eƛ̓m came to be.
12- Mtčw̓è ‘Balsamroot’ Indicator, 2024, Colored pencil, ink, acrylic paint on Antique 1892 Montana Map, 14” x 20.5” inches
This piece depicts one of our Salish cultural indicators throughout seasonal cycles. When our first food of the year, balsamroot, begins to bloom, it indicates the elk are calving, and bitterroot is ready for harvest. I’ve depicted a woman on horseback, with a beaded bag featuring bitterroot, heading out to gather. Celebrating our ancestral knowledge, traditions, and the cycles that guide us forward.
13- Čmtèws ‘To Ride a Horse’ Sign, 2025, Colored pencil, ink, acrylic paint on Antique 1872 ledger paper, 13.5” x 16.5”
This artwork shows the Plains Indian Sign Language sign for “to ride a horse,” expressed by a woman on horseback making the gesture. In the background, a man and woman ride together among other horses, painted in a pictographic style. Plains Indian Sign Language was a shared intertribal language used for trade, diplomacy, storytelling, and daily life across the Great Plains. The piece highlights how sign language conveyed movement, meaning, and storytelling.
14- Salish and Shoshone Trade, 2025, Colored pencil, ink, and acrylic, Rare 1874 Zeigler McCurdy United States Map
This piece depicts the introduction of horses from the Shoshone to the Salish people. Centered in the image are two women, one from each tribe, communicating through Plains Indian Sign Language, using the gesture for “trade.” Snč̓ɫc̓aʔsqáx̣eʔ ‘Horses’ were introduced to Sqelixʷ land/U.S in 1493 and were introduced to our Salish people between 1650-1700. They have since become a vital part of many Indigenous cultures, shaping our stories, movement, and lifeways. This piece is a reflection of intertribal connection and the shared histories.
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