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A name that reflects the values of integrity, reliability, and unity.
Demonstrated by a lifetime of service to the Native American community, Nakoma Volkman embodies these qualities, and more.
Nakoma Art Traditions
It was a beautiful October day in 2016 as Cheri and I wandered through the tall trees and open meadows of the Long Hunter State Park near Hermitage, Tennessee. Southeast of Nashville along the eastern shore of J Percy Priest Reservoir, the 2600-acre park offers an ideal spot for the Annual Indian Education Pow-Wow.
Sponsored by the Native American Indian Association of Tennessee (NAIATN), the Pow-Wow has been meeting at Long Hunter for many years.
NAIATN says, “a Pow Wow is a gathering of American Indians who come to dance, celebrate, pray, laugh, and socialize. But for each person, the meaning of the Pow Wow, and their place in the ceremony, can only be defined by themselves.”
Cheri and I share a lifelong appreciation for Native American culture, so we try to attend events like this whenever we can. Watching dancers move gracefully in brightly colored regalia, listening to native songs and music, the steady beat of drums, and the telling of time-honored stories is an inspirational experience. We simply love it!
We explored the many rows of exhibits, where vendors and artisans displayed their wares. We sampled delicious food and beverage options, admired hand-crafted weavings, wood carvings, leather etchings, and hundreds of other incredible art pieces of all kinds showcasing a vastly talented people from all walks of life. This is where I met Mr. Nakoma Volkman.
Nakoma’s booth caught my eye right away as I spotted a large map of Native American tribes on display. I moved in for a closer look and was mesmerized by the finely crafted details Nakoma had skillfully hand-drawn to represent nearly a thousand distinct tribes. From the far north reaches of the Bering Sea, to the southern edge of Central America and the Caribbean, you can see hundreds of names and faces from an incredible array of native people; the original Americans. Chiefs, historical figures, lodgings, tools, weapons, and wildlife adorn the piece.
Nakoma had dozens of other unique art pieces on display, demonstrating the diverse talent of a skilled and gifted artistry. I engaged him in conversation that day, asking about the many hours of work it must have taken to create this amazing map of the tribes.
Titled, “Native Tribes of North America, Central America and the Caribbean“, I learned he has invested over 20 years of research and devoted an entire winter season compiling the work into a masterful visual interpretation.
Of course, I purchased a copy and have displayed it proudly in my home ever since.
The memory of that encounter resurfaced for me recently as I stood before the map one morning admiring Nakoma’s work.
Hanging on the wall next to it is a photo that Nakoma graciously allowed me to capture that day.
As I remembered how inspired I was in that 2016 Kodak moment, I knew it was time to profile the man and his work on Eye of the Beholder.
Now in his mid-80s, Nakoma grew up in Wisconsin. He descends from a mixed heritage of Chippewa-Cree, Scottish, English, and German ancestry. The Nicolet National Forest was his backyard, where he spent many hours in the field hunting with his father.
A member of the Wisconsin Freemasons and the Shriners, Nakoma’s dad introduced him to the Masonic Youth (Order of DeMolay). He remained active with the Masonic Youth into his high school years, developing into a leadership role and recruiting over 40 new members for the Order.
Nakoma’s grandfather owned a golfing equipment manufacturing company in those days, since 1930, so the game was an integral part of his upbringing. He developed a natural talent for the sport, preparing for entry into the professional ranks. After his father passed away in 1959, various life events changed Nakoma’s trajectory.
He was adopted into a family of Lakota Sioux from Pine Ridge (descended from Red Cloud). In the Black Hills of South Dakota Nakoma was immersed in native culture.
During his high school years he formed a traditional Indian dance group with his good friend Kenneth “Red Arrow” Marich, the Rainbird Indian Dancers.
He performed in the Pow-Wow circuit for many years.
The family eventually moved to Chicago where Nakoma finished high school and earned his college degree in Sociology with Masters credits. He went to work in the Peace Corps and traveled to many diverse locations, visiting Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and Nicaragua, including two years in the Amazon forests of Bolivia where he lived with the indigenous Mosetene tribe.
His time in Bolivia was filled with some very interesting experiences. From 1963-1964, a colonization effort was underway to bring modern services into the region. Nakoma supported agricultural expansion, educational services, and petroleum expeditions. The stories he has are the stuff of Hollywood movies and Tarzan novels, complete with jungle safaris, missionary killings, and even a pet monkey!
Long story short, Nakoma earned the trust of the Mosetene. They called him Noki and helped him advance the Peace Corps mission when many before him could not.
After his time with the Peace Corps, Nakoma pursued a secondary career in Security alongside his social work with the American Indian Center (AIC). The first ever urban center for Native Americans in the nation, the Chicago AIC became the model organization as many other metro areas across the USA established centers of their own.
As a member of the AIC since the 1950s, Nakoma served in multiple positions, including Program Director and Youth Committee Chair.
He joined the Drum & Dance Club and competed with the Canoe Team, completing canoe races around Manhattan Island and across Lake Michigan.
As part of President Johnson’s War on Poverty and the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, Nakoma worked with the Neighborhood Youth Corps (Job Corps). This took him into some interesting situations involving gang intervention. In one such scenario, Nakoma found himself in between two rival gangs on the verge of a violent and potentially deadly clash. Possessing a spirit of fearlessness, Nakoma approached gang leaders looking for a way to prevent the fight.
One of the gang members was holding a golf club, clearly intending to use it as a weapon. Nakoma saw his opportunity. Drawing upon his youth golfing experience he demonstrated the proper way to use the club. It proved successful, diverting the gang’s attention away from violence to learn the game of golf instead.
This proved to be an effective formula for the times, using athletics as a healthy alternative to gang life. He tried it again, recruiting various gang members to form a baseball team. After securing sponsorships with the local police department and the VISTA organization, the team went on to win the city league championship. The Bad News Bears would be very proud!
Pages could be written About Nakoma and his lifetime of experiences spanning over 80 years. Through it all Nakoma has remained true to his Native American heritage and to his artistic talents, drawing, writing, lecturing, and dancing … see YouTube recordings.
With over 3,600 presentations since the 1950s he is an established and respected speaker, striving to foster an authentic understanding of the Native American and the sacred values of the traditional pathway. You can learn more about this from his Post Bulletin Faith Profile, and also from a very interesting panel discussion about “Sacred Spaces“, produced by KSMQ Public Television in Rochester, Minnesota (watch video below).
Nakoma Art Traditions has been around since 1960, but Nakoma and his wife, Kati registered with the State of Minnesota as a business in 1997. They have traveled the event and lecture circuit ever since promoting authentic Native American fine art. You won’t find any cheap copies from China in their inventory. This is the real deal.
Sadly, like thousands of other small business owners, the COVID-19 pandemic was hard, virtually shutting down all commerce for Nakoma Art Traditions. Years later, Nakoma is still attempting to revitalize and relaunch, but now has the added challenge of counterfeiters and copyright thieves stealing his work and selling it as their own. He has begun the legal struggle with the Copyright Claims Board to protect his work.
Nakoma Art Traditions is featured in many locations across the U.S., including …
- Museum of Ojibwe Culture: Operated by the city of St. Ignace, on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the museum and park uncovers the vivid history of life during the 1670’s when the Ojibwa, Huron and French lifestyles met in Saint Ignace.
- Heard Museum: Located in Phoenix, Arizona, this museum is dedicated to the advancement of American Indian art, presenting stories of native people from a first-person perspective.
- M & S Turquoise: In St. George, Utah, M&S specializes in Native American handmade jewelry, offering rare and unique pieces featuring quality gemstones of Turquoise, Opal, and White Buffalo.
Nakoma and Kati are in the process of building a Web site and online store. Until that is ready, I want to encourage you to explore the works featured here on Eye of the Beholder and select a piece that speaks to you. I hope you are as inspired as I am with Nakoma Art Traditions & Crafts and will proudly display something for all to see. Please poke the bear below!
Always remember the story of indigenous Americans. They were here long before European explorers and paid a terrible price for our nation. I believe every American is indebted to them for the heritage we now enjoy. Let us honor them in that.
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