(Melvin James Lewis) “Two Feather” or “Pawtece”
Member of the Prairie band of the Potawatomi tribe.
Melvin James Lewis’ tribal name was “Two Feather” or “Pawtece. He was of the prairie band of the Potawatomi tribe and was born November 27, 1950. Mr. Lewis was completely blind in one eye and legally blind in the other. Despite his blindness he was an artist. He preferred to trade paintings instead of selling them. He was murdered on February 2, 1997 in what his wife described as a hate crime due to his Native American heritage. The Lewis collection at Old Independence Regional Museum contains this photo of Lewis in native regalia and this painting which he created on rabbit skin.
