Lillian Pitt is a Pacific Northwest Native American artist. She was born and raised on the Warm Springs reservation in Oregon. Her ancestors lived in and near the Columbia River Gorge for over 10,000 years.
The Columbia River was called, simply, the Big River, or the Nch’i-Wana, by her ancestors. It was the backbone of one of the largest trade networks in all of Native America.
Lillian Pitt: A Contemporary Native American Artist
Lillian creates works of fine art that delight today’s art lovers, and at the same time, honor the history and legends of her people.
She has accumulated a lifetime of works in a variety of media. Those media include artistic expressions in clay, bronze, wearable art, prints, glass, and jewelry. Her works are regularly exhibited throughout the Pacific Northwest, as well as nationally and internationally.
Art by Lillian Pitt can be found in personal collections, art galleries, and museums. Her works are also displayed in numerous public spaces including parks, schools, and cultural institutions.
Proud to be a Native American
I was in my 30’s, and already an artist before I knew that my ancestors lived in the Columbia River Gorge for more than 10,000 years.
I had no idea. That’s 8,000 years before the time of Christ, and 6,000 years before the time of the Great Pyramids at Giza!
My family never spoke about it, because when I was growing up, it was better for our survival to try and cover up the fact that we were Indian.
But today I can tell you that I’m proud of who I am and who my people are. We are Warm Springs, Wasco (Watalas) and Yakama (Wishxam) people — Indian people of the Pacific Northwest. We call ourselves the River People.
—Lillian Pitt