Delbert ~ his traditional Lakota name is Red Feather.  

 Delbert has been at Sioux pottery since 1976 and is an  enrolled   member of  the Rosebud tribe.  Banding is his specialty at Sioux Pottery.  Sioux Pottery is all handmade Native American artwork and is known   for its rainbow look and the blending of 3 colors.  Banding is the process of adding and blending these colors on the greenware (pottery that has not been fired).  This is all done by hand and Delbert is a craftsman at this process.  An interesting fact, is that sometimes Delbert uses bb's in the bottom of the vase to weight down  and balance the piece as he spins it and bands the colors by hand.  Usually about 3 layers of color are added to the vase.  Delbert also created The Deer Tracks Line for Sioux Pottery.  This line is black, grey and white in color and depicts the importance of the deer to the Lakota people.  The Deer Tracks line is only available in a limited number of shapes.  One of the things that Delbert enjoys outside of work is bowling. 

Jeanne ~  her traditional Lakota name is High Elk.

Jeanne was born at the Cheyenne Agency in 1959.  The Cheyenne agency now sits under water but used to be located on Hwy 212 in South Dakota.  Jeanne is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux tribe.  She has been with Sioux Pottery since 1989.  While Jeanne has and does many different duties around Sioux Pottery, her main skill is as one of our designers.  The design work of our pottery is done by actually etching off the paint that has been banded on the piece.  Jeanne uses a variety of tools to do her etching.  She takes a vase and using her tools she etches in the symbols on the pottery.  While Sioux Pottery uses mainly the symbols found on our "symbols" page, it is truly up to the designer to include whatever symbols or designs they feel fit to include on the piece they are working on.  Each piece of our pottery is handmade and is truly special, therefore making it great for Native American home decor, giving it as a unique gift, or as a souvenir of the Black Hills (Paha Sapa).  Outside of work, Jeanne enjoys spending time with her grandchildren and sewing. 

 Liz  ~  Bull Tail is her traditional Lakota name. 

  Liz was born in Rapid City and is an enrolled member of the Rosebud tribe.  Liz does a number of jobs around Sioux Pottery.  She works in our sanding department, as well as helping out in our gift shop and shipping department.  Sanding is the process of removing all the seams and making the greenware smooth after it has been casted and dried.  Liz also does some design work and you can find her name on the bottom of our Paha Sapa line (only available at our factory).  Each piece of Sioux Pottery is signed on the bottom by either the designer or artist that did the work on it.  Liz is the daughter of Jeanne (High Elk) and is the proud mom of two children.  When not working or spending time with her kids, Liz enjoys drawing and doing artwork. 

Don ~  Standing Bear is his Lakota name.

Don was born on the Pine Ridge reservation and lived there until his family moved to Rapid City when he was 7 years old.  Standing Bear is an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux tribe of Pine Ridge.  Don is our caster.  Sioux Pottery is made with both red clay and white clay.  Our red clay pottery is made from the red clay of the Black Hills.  You can read the Red Clay story on our "stories" tab.  The red clay is screen several times to remove rocks and other objects before it is poured into our molds.  Once the vase has formed in the mold, Don then dumps out the remaining wet clay and leaves the piece to dry for a while before removing it from the mold.  Once removed from the mold, the vase will take anywhere from 2-4 days to dry completely.  Then it is taken from the casting room to the sanding room to continue the process.  The casting  room is where each piece of Sioux pottery starts its journey.  Don has 4 sons and 2 daughters and at this time one little precious granddaughter.  When Don isn't working he enjoys spending time with his family.

Mary Fasthorse ~

Mary was born on the Pine Ridge reservation and is an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux tribe.  Mary has worked at Sioux Pottery off and on since 1994.  Mary works in our gift shop and shipping department.  If you are ever in the area we hope that you stop by and see us.  You can take a self guided tour of the factory, see how our pottery is made and watch the artists and designers while they work.  While browsing our gift shop, we hope that you get the pleasant experience of meeting Mary.  When Mary is not at work, she has three kids that keep her busy.  She also enjoys photography and baking.     

Dorian New Holy ~

Meet Dorian, our newest artist at Sioux Pottery.  Dorian was born on the Pine Ridge reservation and is an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux tribe.  Dorian is an excellent self taught artist and his hand painted work   on our pottery is just beautiful.  He learned his Lakota history and culture while going to school on the Pine Ridge Reservation.  His portfolio includes carvings, sculptures, etchings, and jewelry.  Dorian uses his artwork to teach others of the history of the Black Hills and how the Native American lived in earlier times.  His work reflects a blending of traditional and modern cultures.  All of Dorian's pieces are his own design from start to finish and he signs each individual piece.  He gets his inspiration from his dreams and songs and uses his curiousity to try new creations.  Dorian has one daughter and outside of work enjoys etching jewelry, wood carvings, and basically doing anything artistic with his hands.  You can check out his work on our website and we will be adding more in the near future.     

Center Photo (Back Row Left to Right): Scott Thunder, Red Feather, Leonard Little Thunder, Richard Underbaggage (Front Row Left to Right): Rita Walks, Jeanne High Elk, Marilyn Eaglehawk Collage Photos (Top Left Counter Clockwise): 1. High Elk etches vase. 2. Scott Thunder etches plate. 3. Underbaggage paints Dancer on Buffalo Vase. 4. Red Feather paints a plate. 5. Eaglehawk paints vases. 6. Silverhawk mixes Red Clay. 7. Little Thunder paints picture on vase

Richard Underbaggage: Richard Underbaggage is an Oglala Sioux Indian who lives in Rapid City, SD, USA, and has worked at Sioux Pottery since 1989. He was born in 1956 on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Richard, who is a self-taught artist, has been creating art most of his life. Richard's past and present works of art have been cartoon work, sculpting, murals, Black Hills Gold jewelry, and paintings. Richard enjoys painting anything depicting Traditional Native American culture and life-styles. In 1994, Richard was the winner of the Tomorrow's Hope contest. His drawing, "All My Relatives," is now a sculpture in downtown Rapid City, SD, USA. Richard creates all of his own art from start to finish, and each piece is an original work of art that incorporates the traditional life styles of his people. Richard gets his inspirations from childhood reflections and everyday life. He is always trying to create new images for Sioux Pottery and customers.

Leonard Little Thunder: Leonard Little Thunder was a Sicangu, born on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in 1947. Leonard was at Sioux Pottery from 1973 until his passing on August 20, 2005.  He is greatly missed by us all.  In Leonard's early years, he did a variety of jobs around Sioux Pottery including Design work, Painting, Sanding, Glazing, Casting and Elaborate Artwork. Leonard was a self-taught artist who did acrylic and oil paintings as well. Leonard was a Vietnam Veteran, having served four years in the U.S.M.C.. He liked to paint pictures depicting the Earth Mother, old traditional scenes, buffalos, and eagles, all representing spiritual culture to the Native Americans.  His inspiration came from everyday life and reflections of his ancestors' ways. Leonard liked to paint on the red clay because it represents the sacred Black Hills.