Arthur Short Bull was raised in a traditional family on the Pine Ridge Reservation. His great-grandfather was Grant Short Bull, uncle to famed artist and historian, Amos Bad Heart Bull and younger brother of He Dog, a companion of Crazy Horses’. Driven by a desire to help his people, Mr. Short Bull attended the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and became a substance abuse counselor. He worked as a counselor for 14 years, until he left the field to pursue his career as an artist.

It was Oglala Lakota artist Andrew Standing Soldier who first told young Mr. Short Bull that being an artist and painter could be a viable career. Unsure of his talent, he began to experiment with different media, and to seek the advice of more established artists in the Omaha area, where he lived at the time. After experimenting with acrylic and oil painting, drawing in various media, and clay sculpting, Mr. Short Bull eventually found his voice in watercolor painting.

Searching for a subject to paint, he settled on a theme of the Wounded Knee Massacre, inspired by the Oscar Howe painting, Bigfoot at Wounded Knee. During a visit to the site of Wounded Knee for the 100th anniversary of the massacre, Mr. Short Bull realized that these victims were not nameless people, and that each had a story to tell. He decided to do a painting and poem for each person who had been there, those that died as well as those who survived. The project is ongoing, he has documented over 171 people to date, however it has taken a heavy emotional and mental toll on Mr. Short Bull. He realized that to make it through this project he would have to learn how to paint other subjects.

You'll likely hear the wood thrush before you see it. The wood thrush's loud, flute-like song rings through the forests. In South Dakota, they are found as summer breeding birds in the far southeastern part of the State.

From A Dictionary of The Teton Dakota Sioux Language by Rev. Eugene Buechel:

Čángugúya šá s’e íwašičunlah. It’s as if he were talkative as a wood thrush. As is said of a very talkative person.

Čángugúya šá s’e ia čan oegle waníl líla ie ló. Whenever he speaks, he speaks as if a wood thrush, really without saying a sentence. As one might say when a person talked unduly long.

Wakínyan are Thunder Birds or Thunder Beings, the Winged One. Wakínyan are the cause and source of thunder. They are very sacred and can create lightning by opening their mouths.

In George Sword's telling of the story "Tate: A Myth of the Lakotas as It Is Told in Their Winter Camps," when four brothers are afraid to continue their journey as they come upon a stormy mountain, a swallow informs them that he is the messenger of the Wakínyan (James R. Walker, Lakota Myth, 1983: 81). The "fork-tailed" swallow (upížata or ičápšinpšinčala) has been observed by Lakotas to make a significant presence before a thunderstorm. The swift, erratic, and zigzagged flight pattern of swallows can be compared to a lightning bolt. The swallow's exceptional flight makes it worthy of Wakínyan. 

In Lakota, the black-billed cuckoo might be known as čépela tánka, šohótunla, or ičóka sápa. Black-billed Cuckoos are found throughout South Dakota during the summer. It is a bird whose mouth is black inside and whose tail is long. It lived in the woods and leaves in the fall. It returns in May and leaves in September. It sings in the morning, at noon, and in the evening. Never at night. Its song is a short note at first, then many.

The American crow (kangí or unčíšičala) is one of the most widespread and adaptable birds in North America. They are found throughout South Dakota. American crows are extremely intelligent and opportunistic, with individual birds or groups of birds often specializing in specific foraging techniques. They have a wide variety of behaviors depending upon location and situation. Crows will watch and study people’s faces. They can recall faces and alert other crows to avoid certain people.

There is a Lakota legend that crows were originally white. Believing that the crows warned other animals about approaching hunters, the leader of the crows was tricked and captured by a Lakota hunter disguised as a buffalo. As punishment for continually spoiling hunts, Lakota hunters threw the crow into the campfire. Crow narrowly escaped with his life, but ever since, all crows have been black.  

Wrens are commonly found throughout South Dakota, with nine species recorded in the state. They are small and inconspicuous birds, except for their loud songs.

From A Dictionary of The Teton Dakota Sioux Language by Rev. Eugene Buechel:

Čanhéyala išnála itánčan. The wren, the “Lone Chief,” a title given because of its loud voice.

The eagle was the one who could fly the highest and carry messages to and from the Great Spirit (Wakán Tánka). The eagle is a winged symbol for the Lakota people and the strongest and bravest of all birds.

Lakotas know of four kinds of eagles. There is the golden eagle of the east (wanblí), the spotted eagle of the south (wanblí glešká), the black eagle of the west, and the bald eagle of the north (anúnkasan). As there are only two eagle species in South Dakota, the spotted eagle is either the juvenile golden eagle or bald eagle. In South Dakota, bald eagles can often be found around open water in the winter, especially along the Missouri River or in the Black Hills.

Ravens are the largest of the song birds. To Lakotas there were three kinds of crows, which included the raven. The raven was the large crow, kangí tánka. Ravens are believed to have been found throughout South Dakota until about 1877. They are now only rare visitors. Ravens are considered among the most adaptable and intelligent of birds.

Birds often assist humans as spiritual helpers. The belief in animal medicine means that when an animal crosses our path, whether it be in a vision or waking life, its message to us has the power to heal.