“Omaha Man – Not Home, August 16–17, 1804” by Richard Vernon Greeves captures the silent weight of historical absence. The sculpted figure wears a long, draped headdress—its exaggerated length almost theatrical—yet the man beneath it is grounded, alert, and unimpressed. His expression is unreadable, yet unforgettable—holding the gaze of the viewer with the steady posture of someone who’s seen promises come and go.

The title refers to a moment during the Lewis and Clark expedition when the explorers visited an Omaha village, only to find it temporarily abandoned. But Greeves reclaims that moment—not as a missed meeting, but as a reminder that Indigenous time didn’t revolve around anyone else’s schedule.

The intricate beadwork, sculpted textures, and feather motifs reflect cultural precision, while the weathered, asymmetric structure of the headdress hints at layered identity—one foot in ceremony, the other in survival.

This bust is a statement of presence through absence, a reclamation of narrative from the quiet spaces history often overlooks.