BLUE SPRUCE STANDING DEER
(Pba-Quen-nee-e)
Blue Spruce Standing Deer (Pba-Quen-Nee-e) is a Tiwa
Indian artist and Musician. He was born and raised at
Taos Pueblo in Northern New Mexico. His father and mother were steeped in the tradition of their Tiwa heritage and passed it onto their oldest son. Standing Deer's father was a rancher and farmer but also a Medicine Man who served his own people but chose to help those outside his tribe and culture as well.
Blue Spruce Standing Deer's father was an adopted grandson of Tony Lujan the Taos Pueblo native who was one of the first tribal
members to marry an Anglo American. However, his wife,
Mabel Dodge Luhan was a famous patroness of the Arts who brought many of the most famous artists, writers and cultural icons of her day to Taos with the hope that in introducing them to this sacred land they would influence the outside world to preserve and promote its values and unique culture. Because he grew up in this household as well as the Pueblo and small village of Taos, Standing Deer was steeped in both the traditional Tiwa world and the cosmopolitan world of art and literature.
Through his painting and music Blue Spruce Standing Deer seeks to express the living essence of his Tiwa people. Although this tradition
is very ancient, Standing Deer brings it to life in a
highly individual and contemporary style.
He frequently receives the images for his paintings from
the Spirit World as he sings and drums. These spirit
messages come in through the songs, and then flow out in
the vibrant colors of the rainbow which he renders in
acrylic on canvas. In recent years, Pba-Quen-Nee-e has also been trying his hand at stone sculpture with magical results.
Blue Spruce Standing Deer loves the traditional music of
his people and often has drumming sessions at his home for friends
and family. At these special gatherings he often sang
with his father from whom he learned the old songs. These
gatherings frequently become spontaneous international
events with visitors from various parts of the United
States and the world.
Tradition is given great honor in his work, and yet
Standing Deer is a man who builds cultural and spiritual bridges between worlds; his traditional
Tiwa world, and the modern world. He composes songs that
have universal appeal and touch the hearts of people from
many backgrounds, and cultures. He is an innovative and
imaginative composer of Native music richly imbued with
tradition and yet as universal as a heartbeat.
Pba-Quen-Nee-e's ancestral home, Taos Pueblo is one of
the oldest continuously inhabited villages in North
America and may be over a thousand years old. It has also a been designated a World Heritage Site by Unesco.
Although Taos Pueblo is the most Northern and Eastern of
all the Pueblos and has a long history of contact and
trade with Plains Indian tribes, Spanish settler's,
and other European newcomers, it has a reputation
for maintaining the purity of its traditions.
Standing Deer has traveled extensively in Europe and the
United States, and is the only Native American invited to
do a blessing and drumming within the ancient Neolithic
stone circle, Stonehenge, in England. He has visited Italy twice to do drummings and workshops.
In addition to being invited to visit Australia and Japan,
he was interviewed by a Japanese magazine, and appeared on Italian TV. In the past he has been featured in numerous publications
including Catalyst and Awareness magazines, and has been
interviewed on radio numerous times.