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Oral History: Don Tenoso

Arlington-based Native American artist and educator

Arlington Voices the Oral History Collection

Oral histories are used to understand historical events, actors, and movements from the point of view of real people’s personal experiences.

Artist Don Tenoso is a prolific creator, known for his Lakota-style dollmaking that depicts Sioux culture. Tenoso came to the Washington, D.C., area in 1991 as the first artist-in-residence at the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum, where he created new pieces and led demonstrations for the public.

 

Don Tenoso, Sioux Doll-maker and Puppeteer.

Don Tenoso, circa 1990 at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Image courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution Archives.

Tenoso was born in Riverside, California, and is a member of the Hunkpapa, one of the seven bands of the Teton Lakota Nation and part of the Sioux-speaking indigenous population. Tenoso’s mother was born on the Standing Rock reservation in South Dakota, and he is a descendant of One Bull and Sitting Bull. His father was in the U.S. military during Tenoso’s early life and the family often moved around the country and abroad.

The following interview excerpts are from a 2008 oral history with Tenoso. At the time of this interview, he had lived in Arlington for about 14 years. In the full interview, which can be accessed in print at the Center for Local History, Tenoso also discusses his family and lineage, as well as tribal traditions and the Lakota language.

tenoso

Don Tenoso, circa 2005. Image courtesy of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where Tenoso was the university’s first artist-in-residence at the Native American House. 

Narrator: Don Tenoso
Interviewer: Tom Dickinson
Date: January 23, 2008
Note: The audio for this interview is currently unavailable.

Don Tenoso: I was the first artist-in-residence in the Natural History Museum. Prior to that they had brought me in for a three-day doll demonstration where they had taken one of the glass cases out of one of the Native halls there in Natural History at Smithsonian and by different artists coming in. Me, a Sioux doll maker, was invited to come up and do that. I guess they had spent like nine months trying to find me. I started dollmaking back in the seventies.

Anyway, in the eighties, ‘86 or so, ‘87, there was an article in American Indian Art magazine that was published about dolls. In ‘86 I believe it was, I had a one-man show down in Andrew Park, Oklahoma and they collected the International Crafts Board for four of my dolls.

So one of them got in that article and then the director over at education in the outreach program saw the doll and they said they wanted to find that guy.

Don Tenoso SIA-SIA2010-0383

Don Tenoso circa 1991 outside of the National Museum of Natural History with some of his works of art. The doll beside Tenoso is called “Iktorni,” or “trickster doll.” Image courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution Archives.

Tenoso beadwork

Leather holster created by Tenoso in 2006, covered in a beadwork design. Image courtesy of the British Museum, where the piece is held. 

Tom Dickinson: How did you get started doing this [art practice]?

DT: Actually I started when I was in New York. I went out there because I heard that C. W. Post [campus of Long Island University] had a scholarship for Natives who wanted it to be teachers. It turns out they didn’t so I went to the American Indian Community House there in New York.

Actually, backpedal a little bit. I was born in Riverside, California in 1960. In ‘63 we were in France. We were there when de Gaulle kicked us out. So my earliest memories are there when the French high school kids were throwing rocks at us on the playground. They would stone our bus. I remember flying out of there and the U.S. piling up all these brand new, big boxes and stuff and just setting them on fire. Big old wrecking balls smashing holes into runways as you flew out. I also got to see some whales as we flew, that’s how low they went across the ocean. You can see the spouts and little tails going across.

So from there we go to Oklahoma City, so I got to meet all these Natives. They used to call it Indian Territory which is sort of a penal colony for Native Americans starting back through Trail of Tears, Andrew Jackson and all of that stuff.

From there we went and lived in Rapid [City] back where my grandma lived, lot of relatives in Rapid City, South Dakota, in the Black Hills which is our sacred area, which actually by federal courts is still our property. But they offered us $10 million or $100 million or something but we still don’t take it. Because our sacred Wind Cave is there and that’s one of our origin stories. We came from there. The thing about Wind Cave you stand there one hour of the day and it blows your hair back.

So geologists say, “Yeah, there’s probably an underground stream - they haven’t found it yet - flowing and air displacement and that’s causing your hair to go that way.” The only thing is you come back some hours later, same day, and now it’s sucking your hair into the cave. “I guess there’s a tilting rock or something under there that messes with it.” We say that’s Mother Earth breathing, that’s where she breathes from.

Learn more: View a program from the 1992 exhibit Contemporary Plains Indian Dolls, which took place at the Southern Plains Indian Museum and Crafts Center in Anadarko, Oklahoma. The exhibit featured a piece by Don Tenoso (“Gourd Clain Dancer,” figure 10). 
 
This interview was conducted as part of The Many Faces of Arlington oral history project, which sought to document the County’s diverse population as a reflection on the 400th anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown by English colonizers. 

The goal of the Arlington Voices project is to showcase the Center for Local History’s oral history collection in a publicly accessible and shareable way.

The Arlington Public Library began collecting oral histories of long-time residents in the 1970s, and since then the scope of the collection has expanded to capture the diverse voices of Arlington’s community. In 2016, staff members and volunteers recorded many additional hours of interviews, building the collection to 575 catalogued oral histories.

To browse our list of narrators indexed by interview subject, check out our community archive. To read a full transcript of an interview, visit the Center for Local History located at Central Library.

New Public Art at Central Library

Arlington Artist Jason Horowitz Added to Arlington County's Portable Works Collection

Arlington residents and Library patrons are in for a visual treat when entering the second floor at Central Library. The newly installed artwork titled “North Lincoln Street, Arlington, Virginia” by Arlington artist Jason Horowitz, features a playful, 360-degree view of a re-imagined Ballston neighborhood landscape.

The photo by Jason Horowitz depicts a street scene in Arlington, VA filled with spheric flowers and abstract elements.
“North Lincoln Street, Arlington, Virginia” by Arlington artist Jason Horowitz.

Horowitz’s use of the Google Photo Sphere app in conjunction with his camera allows the artist to both deconstruct and re-imagine his images into immersive viewing experiences. According to Horowitz, “Incorporating new technologies into my creative process enables me to bend space and time which results in abstracted painterly views filled with a dizzying sense of wonder.”

“The Portable Works program transforms and enlivens interior spaces for both Arlington residents and its workforce and is a great temporary placemaking tool for the County when integrating artwork into the building process is not possible,” said Public Art Administrator Angela A. Adams.

Artist Talk

Meet the artist on Thursday, Nov. 4, 5:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m., at Central Library, Second Floor, to learn about the new art installation and get an in-depth view about Horowitz’s process and work.

RSVP for Artist Talk

The new acquisition is part of the Arlington Public Art’s Portable Works collection. Spanning back two decades, the program acquires, commissions or exhibits portable works by DMV artists. The collection consists of primarily wall-hung works such as drawings, paintings, photographs and prints.

Most of the artworks in the collection are on display at public spaces located at the Ellen M. Bozman Government Center (2100 Clarendon Boulevard), the Department of Human Services (2100 Washington Boulevard), Arlington Economic Development (1100 North Glebe Road), Arlington Cultural Affairs (3700 S. Four Mile Run Drive) and Arlington Public Library’s Central Library branch (1015 N. Quincy St).

To find out more about the artist Jason Horowitz and his recent photo spheres series, visit https://www.jasonhorowitzfineart.com/photo-spheres.

Oral History: J. Walter Tejada

Community Activist; Arlington County Board Member from 2003 - 2015

Arlington Voices the Oral History Collection

Oral histories are used to understand historical events, actors, and movements from the point of view of real people’s personal experiences.

401px-Arlington_County_Board_Chair_J._Walter_Tejada_USE_THIS_ONE_(4251361999)

Walter Tejada’s County Board portrait, circa 2007.

In 2003, J. Walter Tejada became the first person of Latin American heritage to be elected to the Arlington County Board, or to any governing body in Northern Virginia.

Tejada served as County Board Chair in 2008 and 2013.

Tejada was born in El Salvador and immigrated to the United States at age 13, first settling with his family in Brooklyn, New York, and later moving to Trenton, New Jersey. After attending college and playing soccer at Keystone Junior College and Mercer College, he eventually moved to Arlington in 1987.

Tejada got his start as an activist and organizer after witnessing inequities faced by members of the Latinx community. He initially worked in groups addressing fair housing, job opportunities, and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). He also helped to establish a Salvadoran festival in Arlington, starting in 1995, focusing on Salvadoran culture.

The front page of El Pregonero, the official Spanish-language newspaper of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., on March 13, 2003, following Tejada’s election to the County Board.

In 2003, Tejada was elected to the Arlington County Board in a special election following the death of Board member Charles P. Monroe. Tejada defeated longtime GOP activist Mike W. Clancy in the contest.

During his time on the board, Tejada continued to advocate for immigrant and Spanish-speaking communities, and served on numerous task forces and groups, including as chair on the governor’s Latino Advisory Commission.

Tejada

J. Walter Tejada speaking at the National Rally for Citizenship on the West Lawn of the Capitol on April 10, 2013. Image courtesy of C-SPAN.

Arlington_County_Board_2014

From left to right: County Board members J. Walter Tejada, John Vihstadt, Jay Fisette, Mary Hynes and Libby Garvey in 2014.

Since his time in County government, he was appointed to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Board of Directors and is president of the Virginia Latino Leaders Council.

In the following oral history interview, conducted prior to his election to the County Board, Tejada discusses his childhood, coming to Arlington, and his early work in activism. In these excerpts from the interview, he discusses first impressions of the County and his work with LULAC’S Council 4609, which encompasses Arlington. 

This interview is available in full at the Center for Local History. Note: The audio for this interview is currently not available.  

Narrator: J. Walter Tejada 

Interviewer: Ingrid Kauffman

Date: October 27, 2000 

J. Walter Tejada: One of the things I saw when I lived in DC - actually, one of the first things I recognized was that - actually since I started visiting Robin [Liten-Tejada] when she went to school here -- is that DC had a much larger Latino population than New Jersey, and I liked that. Remember, I mentioned that when we lived in New York there weren't that many Salvadorans at all, even when we lived in New Jersey, there was one person that was Salvadoran, and he lived like 10 miles away. It was odd that I came here and suddenly there was a Salvadoran population. 

Ingrid Kauffman: What year was that? 

WT: 1987. I thought, “this is great.” There were some restaurants; I hadn't eaten pupusas for years, which is one of my favorite Salvadoran dishes, just like almost every day. I saw this and it really piqued my interest. In fact, it was a determining point why I ended up moving here, when we were talking about what we were going to do with our lives. I'd come to visit and see all this and I liked that. The climate here, so many people from different backgrounds, different perspectives and accents, cultural activities - to me, it was like a paradise for these activities. When I was working in D.C. I also saw that the Latino community was really - first of all, there was no political power. Then - the community - not all but certainly a good portion of the community finds itself in a very tough socio-economic situation.

WT: Three things [LULAC Council 4609] did were voter registration, citizenship, and leadership development. That part I liked because it made it so broad for different things. I decided I was going to be involved in that aspect, because we would promote meetings, forums, community forums, where elected officials or public officials would meet with the community to address issues of concern with the community, sort of like putting a little bridge into what needed - the issues of importance. I started, and I would go to places and grab chairs, move them around, set up the coffee machine, make sure donuts were there.  

We did forums on gang prevention activities, the educational system in Arlington, how it was being responsive to Latinos or not. We've done forums in the business community - what opportunities there could be to incorporate Latinos into the business world. We did citizenship workshops where we published that on a certain day people could come in with all their material that we would specify, like passport, proof of where they lived, proof where they worked, birth certificates for their kids, and helped them fill out these applications in order to apply to become citizens. We would have lawyer friends who would come and volunteer in these workshops so that we can help people.

The goal of the Arlington Voices project is to showcase the Center for Local History’s oral history collection in a publicly accessible and shareable way.

The Arlington Public Library began collecting oral histories of long-time residents in the 1970s, and since then the scope of the collection has expanded to capture the diverse voices of Arlington’s community. In 2016, staff members and volunteers recorded many additional hours of interviews, building the collection to 575 catalogued oral histories.

To browse our list of narrators indexed by interview subject, check out our community archive. To read a full transcript of an interview, visit the Center for Local History located at Central Library.

Partnership between DTS and Library Creates Summer Reading Success

AFAC is the 2021 Recipient of the Summer Reading Challenge Donation

On Wednesday, Sep. 15, representatives of the Friends of the Arlington Public Library (FOAL), together with the Arlington County Departments of Library and Technology Services, presented a $4,525 check to the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC). The donation represents the number of Library readers who successfully completed the 2021 Summer Reading Challenge.

The contribution to AFAC demonstrates the power of collaboration between two Arlington County departments, one nonprofit and the important work AFAC is doing for our hungry neighbors in need. AFAC has been distributing groceries to families in need every week in Arlington since 1988 and provided 3 million pounds of food to underserved communities in FY20.

Representatives from the Department of Technology Services and the Library with harles Meng, Chief Executive Officer at AFAC.

(Left to right) David Herlihy, Division Chief, Digital Experience and Innovation, Department of Technology Services, Charles Meng, Chief Executive Officer, AFAC and Diane Kresh, Director, Arlington Public Library.

Read the full news release here.

Since its inception, the Library app has been downloaded more than 42,000 times. App users can use the technology for easy account management, catalog search and meeting room bookings.

“We are fortunate to have partners like the DTS staff who understand what public service is. The app increases our ability to reach patrons and made a big difference with our Summer Reading programs,” said Diane Kresh, Director, Arlington Public Library.

Download Library App

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at the Library

2021

September 15 - October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month, a time when we honor the cultures and contributions of both Hispanic and Latino Americans as we celebrate heritage rooted in all Latin American countries.

Join us to celebrate the contributions of Hispanic Americans to American history, through books and programs for all ages.

Book Lists

Latinx Romance

Hispanic Heritage Month 2021

Translated Books from Latin and South America

Latinx-American Authors

Latinx-American Authors: eBooks and eAudio

More Book Lists

Featured Events

JobNow: Online Job Search and Career Help

Live Online Help, 2-11 p.m., Seven Days a Week

JobNow can help you:

  • Explore new career paths using a live career coach, career assessment tools and eParachute (inspired by the bestselling books).
  • Prepare for important career advancement tests including nursing exams, ASVAB and PRAXIS.
  • Build and improve your resume with fully editable templates, live assistance and resume review from experts with 24-hour turnaround.
  • Prepare for your job interview with interview tips and a live job coach.

To get started, login using your library card number, then create a free Brainfuse account!

Log into JobNow from Brainfuse

Message from the Library Director on Masks and Social Distancing

Effective Wednesday, Aug. 18, all individuals, age two and older, who enter Arlington Public Library buildings will be required to wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status.

We are taking this action to protect our community’s health and well-being due to the recent spike in cases of COVID-19 in our area. We also ask that you continue to maintain 6 feet of distance between yourself and people who don’t live in your household. These steps are consistent with actions being taken in Loudoun County, Fairfax and Alexandria library systems.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), and the Arlington County Public Health Division, COVID-19 continues to pose a risk, especially to individuals who are not fully vaccinated.

As always, thank you for your patience and cooperation as we strive to provide safe library services in this difficult time.

Diane

Scrawled signature of Diane Kresh

Diane Kresh
Director
Arlington Public Library

Public Computers, Meeting Rooms and Friends Bookstores are Back!

These popular services are all returning to Arlington Public Library:

Public Computer Stations, Printers and Scanners

  • Now available for 30 minute sessions, up to 180 minutes per day.
  • Physical distancing and Library mask requirements apply.

Meeting Rooms and Small Study Rooms

  • Can now be reserved for public meetings and group study.
  • Physical distancing and Library mask requirements apply.

Friends of the Library Bookstore at Central Library

  • Open at Central Library August 6. Additional bookstores will open at branch locations over the next month.
  • Browse affordable used books and more for sale daily, with proceeds benefiting the Friends of the Arlington Library (FOAL).
  • Open during regular Library hours.

Donations -

  • Donations of gently used books and other materials to FOAL are now welcome at all open library locations during regular hours.
  • Locations that are currently closed (Cherrydale, Glencarlyn and Plaza) are not able to receive donations at this time.

Library visitors age 2 and older, regardless of vaccination status, will be required to wear a mask while inside all Library facilities. Learn more.

Fall Expansion of Services

The Library has been steadily working to fill a high number of vacant public service jobs after an unprecedented staff shortage due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent hiring freeze. Hiring and training new staff continues with the goal of arriving at more normal staffing levels in the fall.

  • Sunday hours will return after Labor Day.
  • Cherrydale and Glencarlyn Library will reopen fall 2021.

Additional Updates

  • Please Note: The Parking Garage at Central Library follows Library hours, and closes when the Library closes. Vehicles left after closing cannot be retrieved until the Library reopens.
  • The Shed, the Library’s seasonal garden-tool lending service, will remain closed for the 2021 growing season for staffing reasons, with plans to reopen in 2022.
  • The Shop, the Library’s maker space, will remain closed until staffing allows for increased levels of programming.
  • The Plaza Branch will remain closed in preparation for a long-planned expansion and renovation.

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