Crazy Horse Shirt

Cheri Capello

In 2004 Colorado Artist Cheri Cappello created this shirt. It is an
exact replica of Lakota legend Crazy Horse’s warshirt that hangs in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C.

Artist Bio

Cheri was born and raised on a large cattle and sheep ranch in the mountains of northwestern Colorado; one of the few surviving centennial ranches today. Her interest in Native American history and art started as a child, and was fueled by her father. While working on the ranch she would discover arrowheads and other artifacts, reminders of the native people who first inhabited these lands. Her childhood curiosity fueled a lifelong passion and kinship for these people. Learning to hunt, fish and help her grandfather run his trap lines further deepened her love for the Rocky Mountains and the western way of life.

Each of the pieces Cheri creates is meticulously hand-crafted and takes hours of research and labor. The elk skin and buckskin are smoked and/or brain tanned. The shirt is then hand stitched with sinew and adorned with traditional beadwork and authentic native symbolic elements. Every piece makes a powerful statement honoring our Native American heritage and western lifestyle. Cheri currently owns and operates Cougar Creek Ranch in the Colorado Rockies with her family. Her work is found in public and private collections across the United States and internationally in Europe and Africa.