Bob Haozous’ sculpture confronts the tension between Native identity and the machinery of modern life. A monumental figure in stone and steel, the man’s face is engulfed in barbed wire, transforming the headdress of honor into a shroud of erasure. The opposing side is sharply cut, embedded with a heavy steel ring that reduces the human form to an industrial object. Barbed wire was used to “tame” the West, part of the idea of Manifest Destiny. It was applied to separate open land into private property. Barbed wire is also a symbol of prison and concentration camps. The steel ring evokes the history of enslavement where rings like this were used to chain slaves. 

This split, weighty form becomes a powerful metaphor for survival, cultural confinement, and the enduring impact of history. The work is a stark, unforgettable demand for recognition.