Makhátho Oyúze (Where They Obtain Blue Paint)

Makhátho Oyúze (Where They Obtain Blue Paint)

Vector illustration print, 2023
Commissioned by Starbucks (on display at the North Mankato location)

I created this piece to honor Dakota stories and relationships to Uŋčí Makhá, Grandmother Earth, that are still ongoing.

In southern Minnesota, where early French mapmakers (led by Dakota guides) referred to the region as the “Land of the Water Spirits,” lies a blue clay highly valued by the Dakota people for its rare pigment.

The color blue holds deep significance in Dakota spirituality, representing Škaŋ, the spirit of motion, who is one of the four primary sacred beings. Škaŋ is symbolized by the sky—an ethereal blue presence that breathes life into all living things and governs all that moves. The phrase Táku Wakháŋ Škaŋ Škaŋ refers to the sacred motion of the universe, a constant, powerful force that flows through everything.

This blue clay is believed to embody a connection between the earth and the sky, bridging the material and the immaterial. It is seen as an expression of Škaŋ’s spirit, who separated from the waters—the “blood” of the Great Spirit—to animate the world. Thus, this clay is more than a natural resource; it is a manifestation of the sacred movement that ties the elements of life together. It protects the person who wears it on their body.

Mankato, MN is the misspelling of the Dakota name for the location. Makhátho (Blue Earth) is the actual name.