Katie Nieland, August 7, 2026
Great Plains Studies collaboration highlights Otoe-Missouria history through mural
Otoe-Missouria artists are completing a new mural at the Lincoln Indian Center as part of a collaborative project coordinated by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Center for Great Plains Studies.
The mural is part of “Walking in the Footsteps of our Ancestors: Re-Indigenizing Southeast Nebraska,” a Mellon Foundation-funded collaboration between the Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Oklahoma and the Center for Great Plains Studies. The project aims to promote healing and reconciliation by reconnecting the Otoe-Missouria Tribe with its ancestral lands in southeast Nebraska and engaging broader communities with the history, culture and ongoing presence of Otoe-Missouria and other Indigenous peoples in the region.
Work on the mural began July 27. Four Otoe-Missouria artists are creating the piece: Dr. Jessica Moore Harjo, who is leading the artistic direction, along with Regina Waters, Paul Lucero and Marci Black. A group of Otoe-Missouria students also is participating by assisting the artists during a youth trip to Nebraska.
The goal of the mural is to increase awareness of the project through public art in Nebraska. The artwork includes floral appliqué designs, portraits of ancestors, a map of the area, nature elements and words in the Otoe-Missouria language — all woven together in a theme of resiliency and land.
“This project strengthens the identity of the Otoe-Missouria people and connects us all to broader Nebraska Indian and non-Indian communities,” Harjo said.
A prominent feature of the design is the Otoe-Missouria word for Nebraska, “Nyi Brathge,” which means “flat water.”
“I hope viewers get a visual understanding of who Otoe-Missouria people are, while learning a few Otoe-Missouria words that will help to bridge connections,” Harjo said.
Harjo (Otoe-Missouria, Osage, Pawnee, Sac & Fox) is an interdisciplinary artist, graphic designer and entrepreneur. She received her Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Oklahoma State University and her Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy in Design from the University of Minnesota.
