Steven Tamayo is a traditional Sicangu Lakota artist whose family originates from Rosebud Reservation. As a young man, he studied traditional arts of the Umonhon under Howard Wolf, learning about materials, construction, and history surrounding native artifacts and regalia. Tamayo then returned to Rosebud where he earned his BFA from Sínte Gleska University and subsequently developed and taught in the traditional arts program. Tamayo teaches art, culture, artifact construction and preservation in schools and museums throughout the country. He is a regular consultant at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian; including for the exhibition, As We Grow, focused on traditional native games and toys. He has been an artist-in-residence and cultural consultant with Omaha Public Schools and teaches Native American Art History at Metropolitan Community College. Tamayo’s honors include the 2014 NAC Governor’s Heritage Art Award for excellence in cultural artistic expression, and the 2015 Omaha Entertainment and Arts Award for best two-person exhibition (with Paul High Horse). Tamayo has exhibited at The National Museum of the American Indian, Kaneko, Great Plains Museum, John G. Neihardt Center, and RNG Gallery. He has been commissioned to create buffalo robes for Willie Nelson and Neil Young and a tipi for President Obama. He was recently honored on the floor of the House of Representatives by Nebraska Representative, Don Bacon, as he read Tamayo’s history and accomplishments for Native American Heritage Month in November 2019.