Four Directions

One Book One Northwestern, 2024–25

This artwork was selected in response to themes in Northwestern’s community-wide reading of The Night Watchman (2020) by Louise Erdrich.

In its array of sketches, colors, and text, Four Directions seems to contain an entire system of beings and ideas. An infinitude of possible relationships emerges between the print’s details, including the child on a rocking horse near the bottom edge, disclaimers like "Do Not Microwave" and "Batteries not included," and the bird perched on a leafy branch, rendered in thick black lines.

In her artistic practice, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith interprets contemporary social and political issues "through the ideology of Native peoples." This work’s title invokes a particular ideology which links each of the four directions to a different facet of life, such as a season of the year, time of day, and stage of human life. Published by the environmental nonprofit organization Greenpeace USA, the print tethers this worldview to activism by Smith and other Indigenous people.

The Four Directions worldview also appears explicitly toward the end of The Night Watchman, when one of the main characters, Thomas Wazhashk, has fallen ill after advocating against a Congressional resolution that would end federal recognition of his tribe. Thomas’s niece, Patrice, speaks to him with words that "invoked the spirits of the winds that sat in the four directions and the spirits of the animals that came from the four directions. She invited all of these representatives and spirits to enter the room. Time fell away."

We are happy to provide a shareable pdf booklet and downloadable images for teaching and engagement. You can schedule a class visit to discuss these works in person in our study center by contacting Essi Rönkkö at essi.ronkko@northwestern.edu.