Richard Zauft, “Pté Oyáte (Buffalo Nation)”

Artist Statement

Pté Oyáte (Buffalo Nation) is a new publication about the demise of the Lakota nomadic culture of the 19th century. Written by Tracy Hauff, a member of the Oglala Lakota Oyate, with contributions from two other Lakota poets, Lanniko L. Lee and Robert Harold Bordeaux, this book tells the stories of the Lakota people through their own experiences and voices. These stories, an important part of American history, are largely unknown and overlooked beyond the Lakota people.

The stories are about the Lakota traditional spiritual beliefs, values, ways of living, matriarchal society, important leaders, and the subjugation policies, betrayals, and acts of genocide by the U.S. government. Beginning with the Lakota origin story and concluding with the massacre at Wounded Knee, the message is that the Lakota people endure. They, like the buffalo, are still here. This book is a tribute to them and their endurance.

The stories are accompanied by poems, essays, and proverbs written in Lakota and translated into English by Alex Fire Thunder, also a member of the Oglala Lakota Oyate. The book contains a glossary of selected Lakota words, a timeline of important events, and a list of Lakota core values.

The book features 22 pictograms based on Lakota symbols and 36 large (19” x 13“ and 19” x 26“) photographs about the Lakota way of life. Printed inkjet and letterpress on heavy Rives BFK paper with Lakota tea-dyed endsheets. Full-bound in American Bison hide, 20” x 14” x 1”, 86 pages. Design, photographs, pictograms and printing by Richard Zauft. Edition of 15 plus two Artist's Proof copies. ©Richard Zauft Editions 2026.

richard zauft

Massachusetts, USA
richardzaufteditions.com

Pté Oyáte (Buffalo Nation)
2026

Handmade letterpress printed book

19" x 13" x 1"

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