Man, what an interesting wellspring of discussion this thread has
sparked! Thanks to all who have responded - it sounds like many of us
have considered this issue at one time or another.
In all the responses, there have been several lines that have
particularly stuck in my mind:
in this country (Australia) it is not legal to produce any artwork
like aboriginal dot paintings, for example, unless you are one of
the aboriginal custodians of that particular "Dreaming"
if you want to earn Native Americans' serious disdain if not
outright disgust, go ahead and co-opt their religious symbology.
Prayer wheels, dream catchers.....whatever
I refuse to make [Scottish dirks and hand-and-a-half swords],
unless I can verify their heritage, then they aren't bargin basement
priced.
There’s a law in the States that is somewhat similar to that
protecting Australian Aboriginal art: The Indian Arts and Crafts act
specifically prohibits non-native craftspeople from misrepresenting
their wares as having been made by a Native American. A fair enough
idea, but oddly (at least to me), this law was passed less to protect
Native craftspeople and their ideas, and more to protect the
non-native collectors who will pay top dollar for things wrought by
Indian hands.
I have been fascinated by Native American culture ever since my
parents took m e to the Alabama-Coushatta Reservation in East Texas
when I was about 6 years old. I feel that it should be the
responsibility of all Americans to learn at least a bit about the
aboriginal peoples of the land on which we live, and as part of that,
I’ve been doing beadwork since I was 12 or 13 and porcupine quillwork
since I was 14. I don’t copy old designs, just as I wouldn’t copy a
piece of jewelry by another artist, but I do pieces that try to
capture the aesthetic of a particular place, time, and culture. The
few Native Americans that I have had the pleasure to get to know have
been delighted to find that I am doing these things, and generally
happy to share what they know and “talk shop” about it.
In fact, I was actually taught to make dreamcatchers by a Native
American woman who came to our high school as part of an
interdisciplinary program. She taught us about the history and
significance of the dreamcatcher, and many of the students in my art
class made their own. It seemed like it was just a few years later
that dreamcatchers were suddenly everywhere, being sold as jewelry
and hanging from rearview mirrors. Many of these dreamcatchers were
being made by Indians for sale to non-natives, and most of those
Indians were not Ojibwe (Anishinabe), to whom the dreamcatcher
originally belonged. Similarly, the feather bustles that were once
specific to the tribes of the Northern Plains are now de rigueur for
fancy dancers of all tribal backgrounds.
All Native Americans are free to wear Western clothes, drive cars,
and incorporate basketball and Looney Tunes motifs into their powwow
outfits. Some Maori carvers have combined Celtic motifs with their
own designs in traditional jade and bone carvings. If cultural
diffusion flows freely between native tribes, and from
whites/non-natives to native people, why then is it not allowed to
flow in the other direction?
In my mind, to say that one person may do/make/have a thing, but
another person cannot, because they do not have the right blood
quantum or “pedigree,” is racist.
no symbol is so sacred, no theme so revered that it cannot be
explored and redefined in countless ways.
Well put. But that doesn’t make the wicket any less sticky.
Best to all,
Jessee Smith
www.silverspotstudio.com
Cincinnati, OH
Kimmyg