Native American life was as impacted by their access and relationship to water as it was the buffalo or the horse. Some believed that other animals and people lived under the water. A man, perhaps even a medicine man is explaining to these young boys the dangers and mysteries that lie beneath the water. This was part of their education and introduction to the adult world. Like "The Forces of Nature Humble All Men", "Mystery of the Underwater People" won the Thomas Moran Memorial Award for Outstanding Artistic Merit at The Masters of the American West Museum Exhibition.