Essay#2

Re-Presenting Native American Arts


In the article, The problematis of Collecting and Display, Part 1 Our (Museum) World Turned Upside Down: Re-Presenting Native American Arts”, Janet Catherine Berlo and Ruth B. Phillips insist that there are complex problems of collecting, displaying of Native American Arts that has been considered as primitive, minority, and the three world’s art. The imperial museum collected and displayed them as a souvenir or one section of different style of art in the world even though Native American Art objects are not merely art, but sacred objects. The authors point that it is difficult to admit their traditional meaning of art works in some works which Native American also participated in exchanging their works for economical benefits by giving the traditional style or by exchanging artworks.

According to the authors’ opinion in example, ‘kwakwaka’wakw objects, the museum people, curator, and historian have to insight into the meanings of objects by multiple ways to know significant meaning of symbols in art works which have ancient stylistic and iconographic traditions in Native American Arts which have not only art but also the religious, and spiritual power to Native American culture. I agree that Native American Art has a lot of ritual meanings with unique stylistic and iconographic expression in their works as a religious symbol which we have to insight to understand in multiple ways. It is necessary to change the bias which has been considered the Native American Art as a just primitive and decorative museum art. It is dangerous to collect, display the practices of the American Native Art while ignoring the meaning of objects in their culture.

First, we can see the iconographic expressions such as simple, strong, and bold style with energetic and pure colors for an religious purpose in their works in the Native North American. For example, Kwakwaka’wakw Bird Mask (Stokstad 841) which was elaborately carved, wooden shows the North Native American shamanistic mask for ritual winter dance ceremony not only to call guardian spirits to get the sacred power but also socializing youth as a member of community. Kwakwaka’wakw Bird Mask (Stokstad 841), the mouth of bird is extremely big enough to eat victim as well as good way to exaggerate the activity of transform through eating spirit for body. The eye of the bird was expressed well for searching for victim by geometric form and abstract pattern for ritual purpose. The idea of expression in their art works should combine through a religious ceremony and their daily life.

Second, the most objects in the North American Art speak important meaning to themselves as a symbolic style. The Object Speaks:Hamastsa Masks,” (Stokstad 852-53). The bird masks which carved and painted have the important roles to help dramatic performance in ceremony festival. The ceremony figures which have significant meaning as sacred objects in the North American Art are not mere objects themselves in winter ceremony. The expression of symbol in the North American Art is very strongly intensive meanings to communicate message in their community. The Native American selected the way to inherit the heritage of mental energy to identify the world by own symbolic style.

In conclusion, it is essential to reconsider the Native American Art as a unique, spiritual, and symbolic art in Art history instead of ideas of primitive and minor trend of America. So, it is nonsense to collect and display the Native American practices without understanding the meaning of their art, and it is stupid to keep their works in museum walled without understanding their cultural heritage.

Reference
Janet Catherine Berlo and Ruth B. Phillips “The problematic of Collecting and Display, Part 1 Our (Museum) World Turned Upside Down: Re-Presenting Native American Arts”.
Marilyn Stokstad, Art history,3rd edition