DENVER – Walt Pourier’s year has its highlights – from All Nations Skate Jam at the Gathering of Nations in Albuquerque, N.M. in April to ceremonies in Thunder Valley community, S.D. in midsummer to the Tusweca Tiospaye Lakota/Dakota/Nakota language summit in Rapid City, S.D. in November.

It all influences the Oglala Lakota’s art, seen in graphics on clothing, posters, paintings, and skateboard decks – things he uses to bring traditional tales and histories to present-day youth who might not relate to the traditional themes otherwise.

This year Pourier has added another event – All Nations Skate Jam at a downtown Denver park where Plains-style tipis against a background of tall buildings will signal the Native component of the Denver Biennial of the Americas, a month-long celebration in July of Colorado’s ties to the cultures of the Americas.

Photos by Carol Berry Walt Pourier, Oglala Lakota, adjusted one of the skateboard decks that are part of his art show in Boulder, Colo. themed “Raven Cry,” along with acrylic-painted canvases depicting the birds in spiritual themes. He works with youth in the Nakota Dogs Skateboard Movement, Tusweca Tiospaye language revitalization, and in other programs, and says that young people who may not readily take an interest in traditional stories or history often do so if the history is depicted in bright-colored posters, skate decks, or other art.

At the moment, his paintings are showing at prAna’s gallery in Boulder, Colo., where the theme is “Raven Cry,” as depicted in acrylic-on-canvas paintings and a shiny black skate deck depicting a raven outlined in blue, with the enigmatic term, “skan.”

“’Skan’ is a Lakota word, interpreted as something that moves, spiritual vitality, the force of life itself, something each of us and all of life possesses within,” he said.

Paintings in bold colors around the walls depict ravens in poses suggesting struggle and, in some of the works, themes related to the power and teachings of the Sun Dance ceremony.

“The ravens can foretell a coming storm, but it’s not meant to be a fearful message – rather a time of uniting families,” he said. “The ravens speak from the perspective of renewal.”

“The raven is seen as the messenger of the spirits,” Pourier said. “It is believed the black birds fly to warn of the approaching storm, of hard times to come, but it is not to create fear, it’s to build compassion, togetherness and hope amongst the people, for once the storm passes, we get renewal – this is the ‘Raven Cry’ message.”

Pourier, who is creative director and co-owner of Nakota Designs Inc., metro Denver, lived on the Pine Ridge Reservation, S.D. as a youngster, later graduating from high school in Boulder.

He tries to share messages of hope and inspiration through youth efforts, including the Nakota Dogs Skateboard Movement and Tusweca Tiospaye language revitalization, as well as through AlterNative and Native Element designs and various ecology, food distribution, domestic violence cessation, and other programs.

“We bring this different awareness to the youth, and they can make the connections,” he said. In South Dakota, he tried to talk about the history of Wounded Knee, site of a well-known massacre, but it didn’t really resonate with his young audience until he presented concepts in graphic form.

“The kids would pay attention to old stories told in a new format – like Wounded Knee – we tried to talk to them about what happened here and didn’t connect, but we brought out a bright poster and skate deck art and connected.”

The depth and breadth of skateboarding as an integral part of Native youth culture was demonstrated in “Ramp It Up; Skateboard Culture in Native America,” a show exhibited last year at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.

Nakota Designs Inc., the Nakota Dogs Skateboard Movement, and a Raven Cry skateboard deck were part of the show, which celebrated the “vibrancy, creativity, and controversy of American Indian skate culture,” he said.

“Skateboarding combines demanding physical exertion with design, graphic art, filmmaking, and music to produce a unique and dynamic culture,” he said. “It is one of the most popular sports on Indian reservations.”

Since skateboarding is an integral part of the Native youth community, it’s not surprising to find skateboard decks sharing wall space with large, imposing paintings.

Paintings that include “Raven’s Message,” “Raven’s Piercing Song,” “Raven’s Third Day-Commitment,” and “Raven’s Night Song” with their deep-culture connotations speak to a wide Native audience concerned with the messages they embody as well as to Boulder’s art community.