“Čhetáŋ kiŋ él waúŋ: Lakota language. He is with the hawk (in spirit)." English translation.

Perched upon a moss-covered ledge beside a cascading waterfall, the warrior kneels in quiet communion with the spirit world. In his calloused hands, he holds a hand-carved flute—an instrument not just of sound, but of memory, of breath passed down through generations. The hawk stands calmly as its talons clutch a braided leather strap slung across his back, its presence both companion and guardian, echoing the sacred bond between sky and earth.

His eyes are lifted, not in search of something seen, but in reverence for something felt—the voice of the ancestors carried in the wind and woven into the mist. The forest stands still around him, golden light filtering through autumn leaves like blessings from above. Every element of his regalia—from the woven headband to the fringe of his leather garments—tells a story of his people, of survival, of spirit, of song.

It captures a way of life—rooted in tradition, lifted by prayer, and forever in harmony with the natural world.