Object Details
Description (Brief)
"A North American Progression of Land Loss" design skate deck by John Pearson for Wounded Knee Skateboards. The deck has a black body with white lettering on the top panel, above the bottom truck "WOUNDED KNEE SKATEBOARD MANUFACTURING AND PROPAGANDA." The underside reads "A North American Progression of Land Loss" in red text across the top. Under the text are five maps of the USA (1491, 1850, 1865, 1880, 1990) labeled in white underneath, with progressing white fill-in. Final map reads "UNJUST" in black text. Along the bottom of the underside is a white outlined banner with brand tagline and logo medallion. Created by James Murphy to educate people about native history and connect native youth to their heritage.
Murphy grew up in New Jersey but moved to California and became a pro skater on the Alva team in 1987. According to the donor, after reading the iconic, "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee," he became interested in reconnecting with his Lenape heritage. He also had a strong desire to help the youth on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. In 1998, with permission from the Pine Ridge tribal government, he started Wounded Knee Skateboards and Propaganda to help educate people about the historic events that occurred at Wounded Knee, as well as other important issues in Native American history. Murphy's goal is to reconnect Native youth to their heritage through the core values that he learned from skateboarding.
Credit Line
The Binckley/ Gordon Family
date made
2004
ID Number
2019.0133.05
accession number
2019.0133
catalog number
2019.0133.05
Object Name
skatedeck
Physical Description
wood (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 31 29/32 in x 8 3/32 in x 1 29/32 in; 81.026 cm x 20.574 cm x 4.826 cm
See more items in
Culture and the Arts: Sport and Leisure
Data Source
National Museum of American History
web subject
Sports
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmah_1936570