Robert Rosebear was a self-taught artist

His sculptures made of pipestone became known worldwide, and a peace pipe he made was presented to Nelson Mandela in 2000

By Myron P. Medcalk
Star Tribune

RED LAKE, Minn. - The morning of her high school graduation, Ashley Lussier pulls on a black skirt and a matching blouse with sequined flowers at the hem. She decides against nylons, then changes her mind. She gathers her hair in a loose ponytail.

Robert Rosebear worked so passionately on his sculptures of soft dusty-red pipestone that he sometimes couldn't resist the temptation to carve even while eating dinner with his family.

His work is now known worldwide.

Minneapolis NAACP leaders gave a peace pipe made by Rosebear to South African civil rights leader Nelson Mandela when he visited in 2000.

Rosebear, a member of Red Lake Band of Ojibwe, who lived in Minneapolis, died of complications of diabetes Tuesday. He was 58.

Rosebear moved to Minneapolis from the Red Lake Indian Reservation in far northern Minnesota when he was 2. He had a knack for arts and crafts during his childhood and developed an affinity for pipestone carving in his early 20s.

"He was a self-taught artist," said Linda Charpentier, Rosebear's longtime companion. "He poured his soul into his work."

He graduated from Minneapolis South High School and then took courses at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the University of Minnesota.

He mined the pipestone -- a stone sacred to American Indians -- by hand at the Pipestone National Monument in southwestern Minnesota. Only Indians enrolled in federally recognized tribes are eligible to dig at the park's quarries. And there's never a guarantee that a permit-holder will find what he or she is looking for, said Gerald Livermont, the park's chief ranger.

Myron Rosebear, brother of Robert, said using only hands to dig into the thick ground covering the pipestone, it would take days, sometimes weeks, before they unearthed any of the precious material.

Myron Rosebear said his brother wasn't outgoing in part because of the time it took to complete his sculptures.

"He was kind of set back, in a way he was a loner," said Myron Rosebear, "but it was the only way he could concentrate on his work."

As Rosebear traveled the country showcasing his crafts under the professional alias Robert Rose-Bear, word of his skills traveled with him. Gerald Spigel, owner of Urban Spirit Gallery in New York City, has some of Rosebear's sculptures in his store and traveled with him to various art shows throughout the country. Rosebear's pipestone work stood out because "he made beautiful stories with sculptures," Spigel said. And he also had a memorable personality.

When Spigel's then 7-year-old son doubted Rosebear was a "true Native American" during one road trip, he didn't get upset, but instead took the boy to a powwow and explained his heritage. And when other Indians were uncomfortable with Spigel's presence at a powwow in Arizona, Rosebear stood up for his friend.

"He was jovial, but he had a stern side," he said.

Besides his companion and his brother, survivors include another brother, Dennis, and sisters Donna, Sandra, Sharon and Barbara.

A memorial service will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. today at the Cremation Society of Minnesota, 4343 Nicollet Av. S., Minneapolis.