Butch "Chaska" Taylor, Yankton Sioux

 

Butch Taylor’s family spent years carving pipes; he and his brother Lee were fourth-generation pipemakers.

 

Butch, who passed away in 2013, carved both replicas of traditional style pipes and original pieces, and was a specialist in effigy and silver inlaid pipes. His name "Chaska" means "eldest male child."

 

He was a world-class artist who is famous in his own right, as an artist featured in the "Pipemaker" video and who has appeared on Good Morning America.  

 

Butch worked for many years at the Pipestone National Monument and continued making pipes until his death in 2013. He was a member of Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe and Gordon Weston Indian Veteran’s Post. Butch enjoyed motorcycles, storytelling, the Green Bay Packers, and military and tribal history.