Ursula Young Bear

Ursula has been beading since she was eight years old. She learned from her mother, and will someday teach her children. Beading is her favorite activity and she really enjoys combining the more traditional patterns she’s learned from her mom with contemporary styles and colors of her personal taste. She comes from parents of both Lakota and Dakota tribes and feels very connected to her heritage. Ursula enjoys going to many pow-pows all over the country where she gathers inspiration and technique from other beaders. Her patterns and designs stem from the Sioux which are characteristically geometrical with red, black, yellow, and white, which stand for the four directions.

While there are many different styles of beading, she prefers to do the layover technique which makes her work very strong and beautiful. Recently, she has been learning the art of quill making, which involves weaving colorful porcupine quills together. Ursula’s work is always changing and vast in design and style. A few items that Ursula likes to bead are medallions, crowns, shoes, saddles, and cradle sides. She finds inspiration for new designs from her daily surroundings and interactions with people. Originally from Denver, Colorado she is very excited to be in Lincoln and can share her bead work and culture with the community. Another aspiration of Ursula’s is to open up a store where she could teach others about beading and to sell her beautiful bead and quill work.

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