By The CUJ
PENDLETON — From flowing ribbon skirts to buckskin dresses, three local sisters showcase the beauty and tradition of Plateau Native culture in their latest book.
Sisters Katie Harris Murphy, Anna Harris, and Mary Harris, members of the Wallowa Band of Nez Perce, Cayuse, Umatilla, and Karuk tribes, have released “This Native American Life: Soul of the Dress,” which highlights more than 20 traditional dresses they have made and explores their ceremonial meanings and craftsmanship.
The book features portraits by art and fashion photographer Kyle La Mere, who has documented the sisters’ creative process since 2017.
In 2010, the sisters began re-creating plateau-style ceremonial buckskin dresses to preserve their tribal heritage. Each dress, they write, carries “beauty, connection, trauma, and love,” as well as “the souls of the women who lived in them.”
The book also explores ceremonial dances, including jingle, fancy shawl and swan dancing, and explains the cultural significance of symbols seen in plateau-style regalia. It touches on the internal conflict some Native Americans experience between pursuing opportunities beyond the reservation and staying to serve their communities.
“Our father is one of five brothers and didn’t have any women’s regalia or horse trappings to pass down,” Katie said. “When I was a Happy Canyon Princess in 2010, our loving Atwai Great Aunt Janie Wilkinson Pond lent me their family’s regalia. That inspired me to begin creating my own buckskin dress and accessories.”
Fifteen years later, the sisters mentor members of the plateau community in crafting family heirlooms to pass down through generations.
Published in April 2025, This Native American Life serves as both a tribute to plateau artistry and a testament to the strength of family and enduring Native culture.
Copies are available for $49.99 through the Harris Sisters Collaborative website: https://www.harrissisterscollaborative.com/shop.
