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Ta’a II

Allan Houser, 1994 (Santa Fe, New Mexico)

Painted Steel, 82 x 24 x 60 in.

“I’d get bored if I did the same thing all the time.“
–Allan Houser

Harriet and Alan were visiting the Allan Houser Gallery & Sculpture Park just before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic when they spotted this piece set on top of a large hill. Ta’a is the Navaho word for “three”, and this piece depicts three Navaho men wearing western hats who appeared to be keeping watch over the trails.

Alan and Harriet knew there was a perfect place for those three to maintain their watch—on Alnoba’s Big Top Field next to the Alnoba Pole.

This sculpture was the last one Houser completed before his death in 1994.

About the Artist

Allan Houser (Haozous) was the first Indigenous American awarded the National Medal of Arts. His father was a relative of Geronimo, and his family was imprisoned along with other Apache resistance fighters in St. Augustine, Florida for twenty years. Alan was the first child in his family to be born outside captivity.

Learn more about Allan Houser’s remarkable story through this downloadable PDF: Allan Houser – Born in Captivity

This piece is part of the collection at Alnoba. See the full collection or check our upcoming tour schedule.