Cecil Dick, Cherokee Nation Painter
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As a small child, Cecil Dick (1915-1992), also known as Dá-Ga-Dah-Ga Standing Alone, spoke only Cherokee. Orphaned at the age of 12, he was raised in Indian boarding schools. He became an authority on Cherokee mythology and the written Cherokee language. He signs his works as Cecil Dick along with the initials S S V S above, representing his name in the Cherokee alphabet.
Cecil attended the Santa Fe Indian School for one year. Disliking the school's flat painting style, he chose instead to paint in the Woodlands style, incorporating the plants, trees, and hills that were part of his Woodlands experience. He was permitted to pursue this style and, after one year in Santa Fe, New Mexico, returned to Oklahoma.
Throughout his career, Cecil did not paint regularly. He painted only when he felt inspired, making his works relatively rare. He also worked as a sign painter and draftsman, which further limited the number of his art paintings.
In 1983, the Cherokee National History Museum in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, honored Cecil's work with a 50-year retrospective. That same year, he received the Cherokee Nation's highest honor, the Heritage Award, also known as the Sequoyah Medal. He was the third person to receive this prestigious award.