Buffalo Thunder Casino

I was curious if Native American art was displayed at the numerous Native owned and operated casinos. I found a website displaying the art that is at the Buffalo Thunder Casino in New Mexico.

Here are some examples of art displayed there


“Deer Dancer” sculpture by George Rivera of the Pojoaque Pueblo


Various paintings as well as a sculpture of Koshares, the "clowns" that brought people to the Earth.

Here is a link to the website
 http://theroaddogblog.com/2013/02/native-american-art-collection-at-buffalo-thunder-casino-in-new-mexico/

Kachina Dolls

Then
 The kachina doll, a symbol of the spiritual kachina, has                                                                          evolved over the centuries due to advancements in skill and                                                                    materials. Are the improved aesthetics meant to improve the                                                                  marketability of the object or is it simply a result of                                                                                improved skill?
Now

Navajo Silver Jewelry

Navajo Sandcast Silver Bracelet with Corn Design c. 1940

I thought this bracelet was very cool. Although it was not hammered out, it was a sandcast piece but the design still remains intricate. 

Zuni Inlayed Bird Pin c. 1940

Awesome bird with intricate detail. Very characteristic of fine Zuni works.

Navajo Rugs

Yei sandpainting rug circa 1930- 1940 selling for $13,000!

Here is a link to Charley's Navajo Rugs where I found this image.
http://charleysnavajorugs.com/html/historic-navajo-rugs-for-sale/383-Guardian-Yei-Sandpainting-from-the-Nightway-Ceremony.htm

Navajo want their stuff back!

I ran across an article about Navajo masks being sold at auction in France. Initially, Native activist groups tried to stop the auction but they failed. Several Navajo member traveled to France to buy THEIR own masks back. Some believe that purchasing the masks set a bad precedent for future exchanges of this sort.

Here is a link to the whole article from the BBC
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-30484533

Red Indians

I was searching for contemporary Native American art and look what I found!

These fiberglass sculptures are at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum as part of the No Reservations: Native American History and Culture in Contemporary Art exhibition.

These statues are not made by a Native American artists but they art part of this exhibition. I find this interesting especially since the statues are enlarged versions of children's toys which depict stereotypes of Native American people.... maybe that was the point.

Ledger Art in Transition

While doing research for my paper I discovered a point of advancement within this medium. The Native American prisoners held at Ft. Marion created a slew of ledger art while held, but there is something interesting about their work. Many of the artists' works show exposure to western art techniques.

One of the main advancements was the inclusion of background detail within the art. Traditional ledger art did not have background or environment detail; it was only concerned with the central figures of the piece.

Here is a comparison:

 

A piece made by a Lakota artist sometime between 1845-1915. This image, in the traditional style, only shows the main actors in the scene.



A contrasting piece made by a Kiowa artist imprisoned at Ft. Marion sometime between 1875 and 1878. The background detail including hills and bushes is unique to Ft. Marion ledger art and is probably due to the western influence that the artist experienced.

Tecumseh: a Poet?

Recently, I watched a film entitled Act of Valor. The story is about Navy SEALs and their crazy missions, but that is not the concern of this post. The final scene was of a funeral with a poem being read in the background. The poem struck me as strange because it was written by Tecumseh. Yes, the Native American warrior who fought alongside the British against the colonists during the American Revolutionary War and later fought to prevent the expansion of white settlers into the West.

Here is the poem:

   "Live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.

Trouble no one about his religion.
Respect others in their views and demand that they respect yours.
Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life.
Seek to make your life long and of service to your people.
Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.
Always give a word or sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend,
or even a stranger, if in a lonely place.
Show respect to all people, but grovel to none.
When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light,
for your life, for your strength.
Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living.
If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself.
Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools
and robs the spirit of its vision.
When your time comes to die,
be not like those whose hearts are filled with fear of death,
so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time
to live their lives over again in a different way.
Sing your death song, and die like a hero going home."

I have not seen too many Native American poems but there must be many out there. I do not know if this poem is word for word how Tecumseh said or wrote it but the knowledge and advice provided within it is quite interesting and inspiring.

I thought that the use of a poem, written by an enemy of the U.S. military, by a Navy SEAL was some kind interesting.

Maybe I will look up some more Native poets in the future!

Igloos!

Although igloos are not a really part of the Native life that we have discussed in class, they are a traditional form of temporary housing for the Inuit people of northern Canada.

Also, igloos seem to be the main identifier of northern Inuit people by others.

Igloo or iglu, is a shelter made of packed snow. There are various different configurations of these structures but common features include a dome shape as well as a tunnel leading from the entrance to the interior.

The snow that forms the shelter has exceptional insulation abilities, this is due to the air pockets trapped within the packed snow. Also, when the interior is lined with animal hide and accompanied with a seal oil stove or other heat source, the temperature within the structure is warm enough to prevent freezing to death!

These shelters can be either temporary shelters for hunting expeditions or more advanced structures for a more long term residence.

Here are some examples:

 An illustration of the construction method

 The igloos of a hunting party built on the sea ice

 Engraving from the late 1500s of a Inuit camp on Baffin Island, Canada

 The interior, note the many furs/hides

Veterans' Day

Since Veterans' Day is this week I am presenting a sculpture that was created to honor Vietnam veterans of Native American Heritage. This statue was created because the monuments in Washington D.C. only depicted white, black, and hispanic soldiers; Native people were not represented.





















This bronze statue was created by Harry Whitehorse.
Here is the link to his website, he does work in several different mediums
 http://www.harrywhitehorse.com/viewer-slideshow.htm?37



This statue and many others are located at The Highground in Neillsville, WI. The Highground was created to honor military veterans.

Here are some other monuments located there.

Fragments: Wisconsin Vietnam Veteran Memorial


Earthen Dove Effigy Mound - POW/ MIA


The Nurse - Honoring female veterans


WWII Globe - WWII Service members

Native American Song in Translation

Today I would like to look at Native American song. This topic gained my interest due to the video about the button blankets that we viewed in class. Here is a video of a song with the English translation.

Cherokee Morning Song (with translation)
Performed by: Walela

Walela is a Native American trio of singers. The group was founded in 1996 by sisters Rita Coolidge and Priscilla Coolidge, with Priscilla's daughter Laura Satterfield as the third member.

- I believe that it is educational to understand the meanings of the songs. It is much more meaningful to understand that there is a story or message instead of a strange string of sounds. 

Modern Ledger Art: No Longer a Man's Domain

Ledger art, with its roots in animal hide painting, was traditionally done by men who used the medium to illustrate their hunting and battle stories. But things have changed, as the lifestyle of Native American's has changed, women have been able to enter into this art form.

With the onset of the reservation era, men no longer displayed war and hunting in their art because this was no longer part of their lifestyle. During this era and on, men created illustrations of things such as traditional activities, ceremonies, and reservation life.

The movement away from illustrating the activities of men to a more general set of images was what probably allowed for the entry of women into the field; the life experiences of men and women were no longer so different.

Here is a piece done by a Native American women.



Caddo Women Taking Repatriation of Ghost Dance Pole Into Their Own Hands

 This is a modern piece done using traditional techniques. It was crafted by Dolores Purdy Corcoran a Caddo woman. The image depicts Caddo women stealing back their ghost dance pole. The image represents the struggle that Native Americans have in retrieving their band's artifacts from the government and other agencies that hold their items.  

Warriors and Symbols: Then and Now

Warriors and Symbols: Then and Now

Ok, so today I want to look at how Native Americans utilized symbols and depictions of powerful animals and objects on their war regalia.

As we were learning about this, I thought back to my time in the military and the symbols and animals that aircraft squadrons displayed on their aircraft; I believe their use is similar. Although native people used these symbols because they were brought to them in visions or they were believed to hold supernatural powers, military units use them because they are powerful animals and symbols ;their supernatural powers are not so relevant.

The native warriors and modern day pilots both adorn themselves and their mounts with symbols of powerful creatures or symbols before they ride/fly into battle.

Interestingly, Native Americans have the highest rate of military service per capita of any ethnic group. Today there are over 190,000 military veterans of Native American ethnicity.

Some examples and comparisons are:

The Navy's "Ragin' Bulls" aircraft and this warrior's shield depicting a bison. Yes, I know that the bull is a domestic animal and not of the same species as a North American bison but this is still a good comparison haha.

- Details of the shield: Humped-Wolf received a vision of a bull buffalo preparing himself for battle. The green band on its upper left section symbolizes Spring, the time for warfare. The black zig-zag lines drawn over the green band represent the paths of bullets deflected by the shield.

 

A painting by JD Challenger depicts a warrior with lightning bolts on his horse, face, and shield. The modern equivalent is the Marine Corps' "Thunderbolts" who utilize the lightning bolt symbol on their aircraft.

Birch Bark Canoes

I am interested in making functional things with my hands and I enjoy kayaking/canoeing so, a birch bark canoe is right up my alley. I have always wanted to make one of these!





A basic birch canoe is beautiful but when some artistic styling and art is applied to the hull, it really pops.

The construction of the canoe is quite interesting. The main hull of the craft is traditionally made from one sheet of birch bark. The bark is saturated with water and bent around a frame to create the initial shape.

Here the bark is removed from the tree. It appears that this tree has already been felled but bark can also be taken from standing trees; careful removal of the bark will not damage the tree.

Also a video of harvesting the bark can be found here: http://youtu.be/FEVEXC5xQAA

Here is a drawing of the frame, held down by rocks, that is used to shape the bark.

Here is a video showing the main steps in the construction: http://youtu.be/6qTDNjhv84U

Northeastern Native American Art

I will be focusing on Native American art from the Northeast.

I am especially interested in the northern Michigan region due to the fact that I have family ties in this area. Although I do not have any Native American ancestry, I am interested in the native culture and art that my ancestors experienced while living in this area since, at least, the late 1800s.

Original tribes in this area include; Potawatomi, Ojibwe, Odawa, and Menominee.

- One band of Native Americans that many tourists who have visited this area have experienced are The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians (LTBB).

The pots below were made by Frank and Joseph Ettawageshik; members of LTBB. Frank is political leader and the executive director of the United Tribes of Michigan.

The smoking on these pots appears to be similar to the technique used by the artist in the video we viewed in class.