The Indian Museum of North America is pleased to present an exhibit of paintings by Paul War Cloud (1930-1971).

War Cloud was born on the Sisseton-Wahpeton Reservation near Sica Hollow in extreme northeastern South Dakota. He attended schools including the Tekakwitha Indian Mission School near Sisseton, the Wahpeton Government Indian School in North Dakota, the Fort Thompson Indian School at Fort Thompson South Dakota, and completed high school at the Stephan Middle School, Stephan, South Dakota.

War Cloud was a self-trained artist. Early in his life he had contracted trachoma and nearly became blind. Through proper treatment at the PHS hospital in Sisseton he regained his sight. He began painting and drawing in his early teens, a time at which he also noticed his tribal culture fading. War Cloud was on the verge of applying to the Santa Fe Indian Art School when the Korean War erupted in 1950. In keeping with his cultural traditions, he immediately volunteered for the military, serving in Korea from 1953 to 1954.

When War Cloud was discharged in 1958 he resumed his artistic work, recording his culture on paper and canvas. As he vigorously painted and studied the history of his people, War Cloud developed his own style, color and composition for his paintings and sketches. The form of realism he employed was inspired by the work of western artists Charles Russell and Frederick Remington.

In 1971 War Cloud was commissioned to paint a mural for the South Dakota Governor’s conference room. The completed mural entitled "Unity Through the Great Spirit" was unveiled and dedicated on June 23, 1972. It depicts the history of South Dakota from the age of reptiles to contemporary times.

Fluent in three tribal dialects, War Cloud lectured on Native American culture at universities throughout the Northern states and the Midwest. In 1970 he conducted a lecture tour of Finland, including Lapland.

War Cloud was an active volunteer in the Indian Alcoholism Program in Sisseton. He belonged to the American Indian Commission on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, was a member of the United Sioux Tribes and Cultural Arts Committee, and was a member of the Finnish-American Society.

Paul War Cloud died December 17, 1973 of pneumonia, after a short illness. His distinctive work is represented in many notable private collections in North America and Europe.

The Indian Museum of North America exhibit of the work of Paul War Cloud is located in the Wall of Windows area of the Orientation and Communication Center.