Allan Houser, An American Master (Chiricahua Apache, 1914-1994) by W. Jackson Rushing III

Allan Houser (Haozous, in his native language) was a Chiricahua Apache, whose family once belonged to Geronimo's guerrilla band.

After the remnants of this group were released in 1913 from decades of internment by the United States Government, the artist's family moved to a farm in Oklahoma, where Houser was born in 1914.

In his teens, Houser attended the Santa Fe Indian School, where he first studied art. Although immersed in Apache tradition, as a student Houser was fascinated by art from all over the world, and he resisted the school's attempt to force him to work in what was considered the proper Native American style of flat forms, bright colors, and Indian subjects.

Instead, he mastered a number of styles, from straightforward representation to abstraction, and throughout his career remained alert to developments in the work of his contemporaries.

Houser's sculpture, considered his finest work, can be seen in many collections both in the United States and abroad. Among his most famous works are Sacred Rain Arrow, which welcomed athletes to the 2002 Winter Olympics, and Offering of the Sacred Pipe, which was created for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations.