Buffalo Nation was painted on an actual buffalo skull, as a commissioned piece for the altar of an elder. Within the Lakota tradition, elders are respected and revered for their wisdom and life experience.
The creation story of the Lakota People places the buffalo in high regard, as a father nation and ancestor to the people themselves. This reflects the profound and inseparable relationship between the people, the animals and the land, threaded throughout these teachings and the artwork of Chief Marvin. Buffalo skulls are often used in ceremonies as doorways and portals. The image is set at the holy hour of twilight, “Indian time” as Chief Marvin calls it, when the Morning Star can be seen, and prayers can be heard more clearly. The 5 horsemen depict the Thunder Beings, whose breath is the mist, whose hooves boom thunder and tails and manes slap lightning through the sky. They also represent the 4 winds, and the 5th wind, the “Eye of God” or purifying force which takes the form of hurricanes, tornadoes, and typhoons. Beneath them are the red sunset and black buffalo, associated with the West, the color black, and representing the springtime, babies and infants. The full moon and constellation above represent turtle island, the stars or star nation, who are believed to be the ancestors looking down upon the people. Chief Marvin explains that he uses this turtle constellation in many of his paintings as a kind of signature.