Dulcie BearDon’tWalk
Dulcie BearDon’tWalk
“What can I make for them?”
A Practice of Giving
Dulcie BearDon’tWalk (she/her) describes herself as a “home beader” – someone who makes art not to sell, but for the important people in her life. If a big event is coming up in someone’s life or a friend is coming to visit, she’s always thinking “what can I make for them?”
She learned to bead when she was a little girl from her mother and her grandmother Georgia Bad Bear, but she really started beading in earnest when she got married and her husband decided he wanted to dance. Then, she went back and made time to remember all the things she was taught as a child. “Luckily,” she says, “I still have my grandma around, so I can still ask her questions and she can still show me things.” Her art is motivated by a desire to give and bring others joy. It is an artistic practice deeply tied to family and culture.
Her mother and grandmother taught her to make beadwork that will last: “I do the two needle method with the straight lines tacking down every two beads. That’s how I was taught to bead. When you do big projects, especially if you want it to last, you have to do that really super tight beadwork.”
A view on the Crow Reservation where BearDon’tWalk lives and beads. Courtesy of Montanabw
Wild roses, which are Native to Crow Country and inspire BearDon’tWalk’s work
She taught this method to her daughter, coaching her as she made an outfit for her young son and moccasins for her family: “It’s all a learning process. You’re constantly teaching and learning; that’s what’s great about our culture. As long as people are willing to learn, you’re willing to teach them.”
Inspired by these strong, matriarchal figures in her life, BearDon’tWalk is constantly creating. She works in close collaboration with her husband, who has an art degree. Often, she describes designs to him, and he draws mockups for her to bead. They beaded his dance outfit with flowers that are native to Crow Country, featuring, in particular, the wild rose.
When reflecting on what inspires her as an artist, BearDon’tWalk talked at length about her mother, Faith Bad Bear who had an art degree and could do it all: beading, quilting, painting, sculpting, drawing.
She passed away almost 12 years ago, but her impact is as strong as ever for BearDon’tWalk: “When she was really sick, she asked for a book and asked for colored pencils, and she would sit there and draw and draw while she had her treatments. When she died, I was going through her stuff, and I found that book, and it just had tons of designs for everything from horse gear on down. When I want to feel inspired, I pull it out and look at it. One of the outfits I did was with one of her designs. Her artwork that she did and her drawings are probably what inspires me the most when I’m doing beadwork.
Plains Soul Bead Night post. Courtesy of @PlainsSoul
When the pandemic hit, BearDon’tWalk’s doctors told her she had to stay home and away from the virus due to her underlying health conditions. As a really social person, she struggled with the extreme isolation. She was on Bead Night from the very beginning, and, for her, it was “a lifesaver” and “saved [her] sanity during the pandemic.” Now, as full lock-down has ended, it continues to enrich her life allowing her to make new friends across the continent and learn new art forms.
As an artist, BearDon’tWalk is always thinking of what’s coming next. She speaks excitedly of new projects and plans to learn to quill from her fellow artists on bead night: “I know that’s one of the things that we have on our agenda – to get materials out to people so we can learn new skills [like quillwork] if we don’t have them yet.”
For the past twelve years. BearDon’tWalk has served as the election administrator in Big Horn County, and she brings her beading to that work as well, whether it’s making peyote stitch lanyards for all of her deputies, or breaking out her beadwork during lunch hour. That question of “What can I make for them?” seems to always direct her work, leading her to new projects that will bring joy to others, while also allowing her to constantly learn and teach along the way.
Artist Biography
Hello! My name is Dulcie BearDon’tWalk. I am an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Tribe. I am also Crow, Assiniboine, La Courte Oreilles Ojibwa and White Earth Ojibwa. I grew up on the Fort Peck and Crow Reservations in Montana. I grew up in a traditional home where beadwork and regalia making was taught at a young age by my great grandmothers, grandmothers and my mother. I have learned to bead and design from these strong matriarchal figures in my life. I am now able to pass this knowledge teaching my kids to make regalia for their spouses and children. I love to bead and have been influenced by both my Ojibwa and Crow upbringing using florals and geometric designs in my work.