#NDNRT

Cover photo my own; avatar unknown

[micdotcom]

#DearNativeYouth is the beautiful hashtag all young Native Americans need to hear

These and hundreds of similar messages have flooded Twitter since last week underthe hashtag #DearNativeYouth. Within days of its launch, the campaign, created by University of Washington sociocultural anthropology Ph.D. candidate Brooke Spotted Eagle, accumulated an inspiring collection of life-affirming messages directed at young Native Americans.

Sadly, this beautiful outpouring of support did not emerge without reason. Its necessity implies a troubling set of challenges Native youth face today.

[sunnydayseeker]

Giesan Giesan (2013), Marja Bâl Nango (Sámi)

This was one of my favourite pieces from Claiming Space. What you can’t see from the picture is the sound loop that played a story/narrative in Marja’s native Sámi language. While I don’t know enough about Sámi culture to comment on the significance of this piece, I sensed themes of language and cultural revitalization. 

[sunnydayseeker]

Did anyone else get a chance to see Claiming Space at the Museum of Anthropology? I thought it was an interesting juxtaposition to have current art made by youth next to exhibits of so-called “traditional” art of the Northwest coast, much of which was acquired through processes of salvage anthropology. It was also neat to have indigenous youth from Greenland and Scandinavia represented, and really piqued my interest in learning more about global northern peoples. There were some really powerful pieces and a diversity of media, from paintings to textiles/clothing to poetry. Hopefully projects like this will continue to bring the amazing work of indigenous youth to the forefront. 

[sunnydayseeker]

Ordinary folks don't care about arts: Harper | Toronto Star

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has sparked a culture war in the federal election campaign with a claim that "ordinary people" don't care about arts funding. While this article is a bit dated (2008), I think it speaks to the narrow definition of art in the political sphere. Harper seems to think of art solely as high art-with-a-capital-A, rather than creative, subversive, and often revolutionary work done by artists in Canada that is likely not part of the big galas he speaks of. What are the consequences of cutting arts funding for indigenous artists in particular? When art is such an important cultural expression, as well as essential to resurgence movements, how does cutting arts funding effectively silence voices that the mainstream might not otherwise hear? 

[sunnydayseeker]

Cabinet of Curiosities, Domenico Remps, 1690s

I had never heard of wonder cabinets as precursors to museums, but am fascinated by the idea. Of course, the challenges that plague museum originate with wonder cabinets--who can afford to collect items? How does an individuals’ curation become widely accepted as truth or fact? How are these aesthetics--of small objects somewhat jumbled together--still at play in modern art/history institutions? 

[sunnydayseeker]

Primitivism to me seems inextricably linked to colonialism and the collection of objects for ‘salvage anthropology’. At what point is “borrowing” exploitative or made possible by power differentials that label art by indigenous peoples/peoples of colour as inherently “primitive”, but work done by Western artists to imitate it is an art form? 

[benfream-blog]

Nicholas Galanin’s ‘Things Are Looking Native, Native’s Looking Whiter’; a clever juxtaposition  of star wars princess Leia, with what looks to be an old portrait of a traditionally dressed, indigenous women. 

[squidz83-blog]

This image is also used for Peter Morin, Martine. J Reid, & Mark Robinson’s book “Carrying on ‘Irregardless’: Humour in Contemporary North West Coast Art.

[sunnydayseeker]

Humour and depth simultaneously…what a stark image. Speaking of Star Wars, you can watch it in Navajo! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR13lIRLfic Check out this link for a taste. 

[sunnydayseeker]

Smoke Signals, 1998

Huge thanks to Squidz83 for lending me smoke signals! About time I saw it. I loved the perfect mix of utter tragedy and hopeful joy, I never knew whether to laugh or cry. This screenshot in particular captures a theme we saw in Reel Injun about the eagerness of hippies to align themselves with “indigenous” values and aesthetics. So many good moments in this film, it’s definitely one I will have to watch over and over. 

[sunnydayseeker]

I was curious about the idea of digitized collections/exhibits on museum websites, so I checked out the U’mista website…wow! Not only are individual pieces available for viewing complete with extensive information, but you can also take a virtual tour. I think what is most crucial is the information that accompanies each photo, which draws on oral histories, Kwak’wala, elder’s knowledge, and family lineage. In this way, U’mista is a living cultural centre, rather than a museum that capitalizes on the vanishing race theory. 

[heterogeneoushomosexual]

Demian Dine’ Yazhi’ Untitled (For Andrea Smith), 2012 Letterpress print on Stonehenge paper / white / 250 gsm The text was hand-set in Futura Condensed / 36 pt.

[sunnydayseeker]

Such an important reminder of the historical and ongoing work of indigenous women. Colonization and patriarchy are not separate processes, they have worked in tandem to normalize gender hierarchy and gender-based violence. 

[sunnydayseeker]

A Tribe Called Red cancels performance at human rights museum

A Tribe Called Red has pulled out of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights' opening festivities this weekend, citing concerns about how the museum portrays aboriginal issues. Here’s an article that follows up our class discussion on A Tribe Called Red. One of the absurd ironies about the Museum for Human Rights is that all its water (including a reflections pool exhibit) is drawn from a reservoir that has displaced the Shoal Lake 40 First Nation and limited their access to safe drinking water. Talk about human rights violations... 

[sunnydayseeker]

Hoop Dance / The Road - A Tribe Called Red

Electric loops, hoops, and breaks with pow-wow chants... Canadian DJ trio A Tribe Called Red with friends Rhonda and Winter Doxtator at globalFEST 2013, Webs… One of my favourite Tribe Called Red videos. I also notice that this song has been used a lot in media relating to indigenous resurgence and/or Idle No More, so it always sounds extra powerful. Not a genre I typically listen to, but I can’t help but feel energized and inspired by such creative, grounded artists who perform with such integrity. 

[sunnydayseeker]

No Honour, Shan Goshorn, 2014 *thanks to squidz83 for the share!

“Fans say they are honoring Native Americans. This is no honour”-https://rose-mccracken.squarespace.com/no-honor/

By using strips from the dictionary definition of redskins as a derogatory term, Shan Goshorn is literally weaving the Redskins name and logo into an inextricably racist pattern. The simple title, No Honour, makes a strong claim against fans who refuse to acknowledge the utter impropriety of the logo and name. 

[sunnydayseeker]

Dance Me Outside Trailer 1995

Movie trailer for "Dance Me Outside" (1995)

Just finished reading Dance Me Outside by W. P. Kinsella….now to watch the film. It came out during the ‘90s, a period that Reel Injun described as almost a renaissance of native filmmakers or films about indigenous peoples after the “back to the land” appropriation era of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Has anyone seen the film or read the book? What did you think?

[sunnydayseeker]

Savage, Lisa Jackson, 2009

“On a summer day in the 1950s, a native girl watches the countryside go by from the backseat of a car. A woman at her kitchen table sings a lullaby in her Cree language. When the girl arrives at her destination, she undergoes a transformation that will turn the woman’s gentle voice into a howl of anger and pain. In a place like this, there aren’t many chances to be a kid. But, when no one’s watching…”

A so-called residential school musical, Savage powerfully combines language, dance, music, and emotion to transport the viewer to the traumatic separation of an indigenous child from her mother and home. I’m doing my wiki page on Lisa Jackson so I’m starting to watch and re-watch her films. Savage is the kind of film that I watch over and over, only to find new meanings or questions. How is Jackson reclaiming or examining the term “savage” in this film? What kind of themes of transformation do you notice? 

[coalitionzine-deactivated201704]

Preview of the Hunger Issue, coming March 20th.

[sunnydayseeker]

Solstice 2005, Roy Henry Vickers

Vickers' portrayal of snow is a style I think is unique to him. While snow is not as defining of the coast as it is for the rest of Canada, this print conveys a sense of calm and quiet. The snow falls in big, soft flakes and gently blankets the ground. I love his ability to evoke in me a sense of serenity and softness, while also depicting strong, powerful images.