Native American Visual Arts

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Abstract

The various forms of artistic traditions that thrived among the indigenous people of America are referred to as Native American art. This paper explores the indigenous arts of the Native American and how the significance of art has changed in the present society. In particular, the paper discusses the richness of Native American art that depicts various aspects of the history and the culture of indigenous people.

The paper emphasizes the importance of visual arts in expressing themes and feelings as well as moral teachings. The paper discusses the way white settlers used art to portray the Native community in a negative manner. Several samples of art work have been highlighted to show how art was deeply integrated into the culture of the Native American people.

Also in the discussion is how the Native art has become a commodity, thereby losing the initial meaning it was intended for. In conclusion the paper suggest that people and in particular the scholars should dedicate themselves in understanding the aboriginal arts so that the identity can be preserved for many years.

Purpose of Research

The purpose of this research is to explore the various aspects of Native American art. The paper will mainly concentrates on achieving the following objectives among others: To show how the white settlers portrayed the indigenous people and the negative effects; the way indigenous people expressed their rich traditions and cultural identify through art; expounding on significance meaning of various form of arts; and to show how Native American art has been commoditized.

Introduction

Native North American art is very rich and diverse owing to the interaction between various communities over several centuries. In today world, many artists are now able to work in a broad range of media and visual art. The contemporary western performance art has been used as a powerful tool in criticizing the culture of the Native Americans. Many people thought that the Native arts would be forgotten.

The flourishing of the Native American art has become a story of survival in the modern society. The situation has been changed by growing number of scholars and art-lovers who want to ensure that aboriginal arts and culture is secure amidst many challenges. It is important to note that visual arts have a significance role in maintaining moral, political and spiritual systems of the society.

This role has been revealed in many ways as art undergo some transformation and renewal. The cross-cultural encounters between the white settlers and indigenous people changed the Aboriginal concepts and styles of art as the communities adapted to new features of the environment (Philips & Berlo 4).

Methodology

Since there is a lot of literature about the various aspects on Native American art, the discussion put forward in this paper has been gathered from various credible secondary sources. Secondary sources like books and scholarly journals have been used to gather the required information about the various aspects of Native American art. Through careful analysis I have managed to capture the most critical information that highlights the various aspects of the Native American Art.

How Native American are Portrayed through Art

I today’s world, there still exist stereotypes about Native Americans which are still promoted through arts especially in movies. Since the time white settlers came to North America, the indigenous community has been portrayed in a negative way. The native community, which constitutes the Indians, has been portrayed as proud and savages.

This is really ironical since the Native Americans are the one that helped the pilgrims to settle in America. Even after much needed help from the Native Americans, the whites continued to stereotype them in a bad way. In many old western films, Native Americans are portrayed as the bad guys while the cowboys who are the whites have been portrayed as the good guys. A true historical culture of Indians has not been given the true identifying even by the famous Hollywood.

There is no doubt that hostility existed between the whites and the Native Americans (Indians). Around 1977, a lady by the name Jane McCrea lost her life in the hands of Native Americans who were allied with British forces (Namias 323). In 1804, an artist by the name John Vanderlyn painted a picture of Jane McCrea killing.

John entitled his painting “The Death of Jane McCrea”. The painting illustrates a picture of two Native Americans men holding machetes above a white woman. The painting has been interpreted to depict the hostile and brutal relationship that existed between the white settlers and the Native Americans (Bulke, 2001).

In his article entitled “Eyewitnessing: the Uses of Images as Historical Evidence”, Peter Burke (3) explores the way visual elements and images have been used to develop theme of savagery and hostility in early America. Vanderlyn uses his painting techniques to portray Indians as savage and barbaric people. The painting was used as propaganda to justify the hatred extended to the Indians by the white settlers (Namias 325).

In the present times the American Indians are using visual media to fight back the negative publicity portrayed by the whites. They have used theater and films to control their own narratives about their true identity. An excellent example is the movie “Smoke Signals” which is written and directed by American Indians.

The use of Art to hold on to Traditions and Cultural Identity

The interaction between the indigenous people and the white settlers caused cultural upheavals in the community. The Indian artists of late nineteenth-century produced paintings in response to the cultural disturbance as well as expressing their grounded traditional identity.

In particular, Howling Wolf produced colorful ledger drawings that depicted ceremonies, hunts, battles, and day to day life of the Native Americans. According to an article by Szambo (6), women carried out different artistic endeavors like geometric beadwork and preparing animal hides. The accomplishment made by the female artist in expressing culture, and uplifting the social status of the community made female artistic guilds similar to male warriors groups.

Howling Wolf’s drawings depict Native Americans warriors immersed in battle. The most distinct characteristic about these drawings is attention to details. The dressing of the Native warriors and their adversaries depicts garments that can be identified with the culture of each community.

Another painting that also depicts the culture of the Native Americans is the painting of the ‘Four Indian Kings’ by John Verelst, a Dutch Artist. The four Kings were Ho Nee Yeath Taw No Row, Sa Ga Yeath Pieth Tow, Tee Yee Neen Ho Ga Row, and Etow Oh Koam. Their official portraits are part of the earliest oil-paintings that still exist from the life of indigenous people of North America (Muller 24).

The portraits of the “Four Indian Kings” depict the cultural and political diplomacy that existed between the indigenous people and the British. The portraits display the Kings dressed in scarlet cloaks with gold borders, belts decorated with moose hair, and ball club all of which were items belonging to Indians native culture. However, John Verelst painted Tee Yee Neen Ho Ga Row in a full English outfit. The wampum belt, in particular, had a lot of significance in commemorating historical events and treaties.

Use of Art in Native America

It is important to note that art craft done by the Native Americans had great significance in expressing different themes. The Iroquoian peoples used wampum (white and purple beads made from clam shells) to decorate clothing, jewelry, and belts (Bartok & Ronan 18).

There existed different views about wampum between the white settlers and Native people. While white settlers used wampum as money to trade with, the native people valued it as an item that could recognize something important or used for exchange. A culture was created where important announcements in the Iroquois community were accompanied by wampum belts or strings to symbolize truth and seriousness of such events (18).

Any treaty between the Iroquois and Europeans or the Iroquois and other Native peoples were recorded through the exchange of wampum. This particular wampum was woven to make different belts where each belt had a distinct image to recall a treaty it represented. The Washington Covenant belt was used to commemorate a treaty between the Haudenosaunee and the Thirteen Colonies in 1974 (18).

Wampum had a significance diplomatic role in the history of the Native American. After an agreement to stop war amongst them, the five nations formed an alliance and a large wampum belt was made to document the alliance and the laws contained in it. The belt was known as Hiawatha belt or Confederacy belt (18).

Art was also used to communicate various messages. Dennis Cusick (1800-1824) was one of the talented painters and founder of the Iroquois Realist Style of painting. One of the most recognized paintings he did was a water color painting entitled “Seneca Mission School”. In the painting, Mrs. James Young who was a teacher is portrayed teaching some Iroquois girls in the Seneca Scool (Philips & Berlo 120). Mr. James is fully dressed in English outfit.

Commoditization of Art

In the first world nations, art has become commoditized and is now based on profit potential instead of communicating feelings and ideas. The message expressed in art has stated to lose meaning since art has been reduced to commodity status in many market places. Art is now traded freely in the market just like other commodity.

The main difference is that trading of commodities is influenced by forces of demand and supply while art is influenced by provenance, aesthetic, and authenticity. The art market is flourishing so well with the popularity of art as a commodity is going higher by the day. Understanding the relationship between money and art has become a controversial debate. Who decides on the price or value of any given art? What makes a particular type of art more expensive or valuable than the other?

There are many things that are influenced by the Native Americans including art and culture. People should see art as functional and usable if at all they are viewing it through the eyes of the Native American. Art was intended to have a real purpose and not for aesthetic value only. The art made by the Native Americans were seen as having either religious or moral purpose. This was something that was integrated in their culture. Every piece of art work had a meaning and was taken as a necessity in their group.

Native American Pottery, Beadwork and Sculpture Carving

In Native American, visual art remained an integral part of people’s lives. Visual art was used to express the concepts of beauty and the sacred and social systems of the society. The Native Americans developed some standards of beauty that ensured right value of every piece of art work and the message communicated.

Various types of clothing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, decorations, and other visual representation were measured and determined by the laid standards. The technical expertise of making art was passed from one generation to another since there were no schools. The beauty of every art work was expressed through aesthetics elements of color, shape, construction, and symmetry. Color was particularly used to create visual effects as well as representing nature (Beavon & Voyageur 12).

For example, blue represented the sky while yellow represented sun. Arts were used as form of communication and to portray particular status or rank in the society. The construction and the finishing of every art work were very crucial in measuring the success of the artist.

There were artistic objects that could be ranked higher than the others due to the fine workmanship. Jewelry and other adorned objects like belts conveyed the status and rank of the bearer. Among the Iroquois community masks were believed to be carriers of spiritual powers and could be used for certain rituals.

It is important to note that the exchange of art work as gifts formed an important element in the Native American culture. This exchange is still practiced today.

Conclusion

It has been clear from all the above discussion that art was an integrated into the culture and traditions of the Native American people. Art was a very realistic aspect among the indigenous people. The meaning of art and its value is different between the Native communities and the modern society.

Though the European portrayed the indigenous community as primitive education and better understanding of Native American art has changed this view. Various arts were used to communicate different messages. Art has made great impacts in the modern society as people continue to use it in different avenues.

The major setback back the art has suffered is the way it has been reduced to a commercial transaction thereby eroding its aesthetic value. Since art was intended to communicate to our feelings, emotions and thoughts, it must be separated from market capitalism for it to retain the critical purpose.

First nation artist have change the initial meaning of art even as the technology continue to advance. Both Native and western scholars who truly understand the value of art must come together and accept the presence of Aboriginal arts. These art collections should always be preserved in museums and other art venues so as to maintain the cultural identity of the Native people.

Works Cited

Bartok, Mira and Ronan, Christine. Northern Woodland Indians. New Jersey: Good Year Books, 1995. Print.

Beavon, Daniel & Voyageur, Cora. Hidden in Plain Sight: Contributions of Aboriginal Peoples to Canadian Identity and Culture. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2005. Print.

Burke, Peter. Eyewitnessing: the uses of images as Historical Evidence. London: Reaktion Books, 2001. Print.

Muller, Kevin. From Palace to Longhouse: Portraits of the Four Indian Kings in a Transatlantic Context, American Art Vol.22 No.3 pp.26-49. Chicago: University of Chicago press, 2008.

Namias, June. White Captives: Gender and Ethnicity on the American Frontier. Charlotte: University of Carolina Press, 1993. Print.

Philips, Ruth and Berlo, Janet. Native North American Art. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998. Print.

Szambo, Joyce. The Painted Arrow People: Art of the Cheyenne. Web.

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