Eastern Shoshone Artist’s Work Selected to Represent the Wind River Water & Buffalo Alliance

Wind River Indian Reservation entrepreneur and artist Sharolyn “Shay” Jimerson’s logo design has been selected to represent a coalition of Tribal organizations, nonprofits, and university partners known as the Wind River Water & Buffalo Alliance. Jimerson was among 34 artists who submitted designs as part of an open call for artists.  

Shay Jimerson and her winning logo design for the Wind River Water & Buffalo Alliance.

“This design held a special place for me,” Jimerson says. “I wanted to put the importance of the heart of home in the center, surrounded by the buffalo, and the water that sustains us all. It made sense to me.” 

Her sky-blue design weaves together water, buffalo, and teepees.  

“I wanted the logo to represent a cycle between home, buffalo and water. Indigenous people have a deep understanding of the interconnectedness between water, land and all living things. We have relied on water and buffalo for our livelihood, spiritual practices and traditional knowledge for generations, she adds.”  

Jimerson’s full-time job is in information technology building databases and project management for clients. She says she’s always had a love of creative arts, and living on the Wind River Indian Reservation is reflected in her technical and artistic work. Jimerson is a descendant of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe and Seneca Nation.  

“The Native American experience is never about just one world but always two,” she explains. “We hold our roots strong and proud of the ancestors who fought before us. We hold our future and our part in helping our cultures stay strong too and navigate the world but never forget where you come from.”  

The Wind River Water & Buffalo Alliance is a coalition of Tribal agencies, Tribal councils, and nonprofit organizations working to advance conservation and protect the Indigenous way of life.    

This coalition, based on the Wind River Indian Reservation at Fort Washakie, Wyoming, uses a community-centered approach to support food sovereignty, river restoration, buffalo restoration, advocacy, and education. The coalition envisions a world where the environment is healthy, people are flourishing, and our communities, relationships, and connection to the natural world are all rooted in reciprocity. 

—Emilie Ritter, Director of Communications and Marketing (Bozeman, Montana)