Utah artist David Mann lived within the Native American community and culture for several years. His paintings are colorful and fluid, somewhat contemporary in feel and yet accurate. His extraordinary use of strong light sets him apart as does his propensity for unusual composition. Admirers of his work often comment on the reflections in his work such as those in Lakota Moon, which  tend to set the mood  and  further complicate and accentuate the overall, more contemporary design.

The Dakota Nation includes the native peoples who once lived in the northern forests and along the upper Mississippi River in northern Minnesota. In time, the Dakota Nation divided into three main groups: the Lakota Sioux moved to the plains north of the Black Hills to the Platte River and westward into present day Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. Known as the great buffalo hunters of the west, the Lakota are the largest division of the Dakota Nation. They were the first of the Dakota to leave the forest, and their name means "forest dweller". They headed out west and lived a migratory life, following the buffalo they needed for food, clothing, and shelter. A few of their great leaders included: Sitting Bull, Red Cloud and Crazy Horse.