A Good Show, but a Hard One to See

Where: American Indian Museum

When: closing January 31, 2019*

If you're looking for a fun exhibit to pass some time, this is not the show for you.  This is the story of the removal of the Cherokee people from their ancestral lands in the southeastern United States to areas far west.  16,000 people were removed, of whom 4,000 died - this is staggering.

Before contact with Europeans, the Cherokee lived in a matrilineal society.  Upon marriage, a husband joined his wife's clan and the children were considered members of their mother's clan as well.  In the 1800s, during the Jackson administration, the Cherokee were forcibly evicted from their territory and made to travel to a new land in what is now Oklahoma.

Amazingly resilient, the Cherokee set up a new system of government, which survived until after the Civil War, when the American government insisted it disband.  It was only in 1971 that the Cherokee were able to once again elect their own principal chief.

Verdict: A very sad story told very well.

*Note: due to the government shutdown, the Smithsonian is currently closed.

Honoring Native American Veterans

Where: National Museum of the American Indian

When: closing in February 2018

I recently discovered that I wasn't finding all of the open exhibitions on the Smithsonian website.  Only the ones with specific closing dates are listed on the general exhibition page.  That means, in order to find shows that have only a closing month, you have to search each museum individually.

This takes a lot of time; I'm going to try to find a way to communicate my frustration to the Smithsonian website operators.  It would be much easier for visitors to just have everything together.  If I find it cumbersome to dig around for this information, I promise you the more casual visitor will not bother.

I was very glad to find this show, which is closing next month, before it was too late to see it.  It's in the Sealasaka Gallery on the museum's 2nd floor, which is a pleasant, sunny space.  It's small without being cramped.

Although you might think that Native Americans would have every reason to avoid military service to a county that exists because their lands were taken from them, in fact, Native Americans serve in the military in a higher percentage than any other demographic group.  The wall notes posit that this is due to the high status of warriors in Native American culture, both in wartime and in peace.

Native Americans have fought in every war since the Revolution.  They fought mostly for the British in that war and the war of 1812, which was, obviously, a mistake.  They were on both sides of the Civil War, fighting for the South not out of any great support for slavery, but because they deeply resented the U.S. government's treatment of them in the years since independence.  In the late 19th century, they served as Army scouts, and they fought in WWI and WWII.  Native languages were used as code during those wars, to the great benefit of the Allied causes.  The world owes a debt of gratitude to the "Code Talkers," for helping to defeat the Nazis.

Korea, Vietnam, the 21st century wars: all have seen Native American troops fighting and dying.  What we haven't seen is a memorial anywhere to honor their service.  But that's changing.  The NMAI is planning and raising funds for a memorial on the museum grounds that is slated to open on Veterans' Day 2020.  I look forward to visiting and blogging about this long-overdue tribute.

Verdict: Another interesting and informative exhibit at the NMAI.

A Window on an "Invisible" World

Where: National Museum of the American Indian

When: through June 4, 2017

This is one of those exhibits that was different than I thought it would be.  I knew it would be photographs, but I wasn't expecting the type of pictures on display or the intriguing nature of the photographer.  Just goes to show, you need to go to the show.

Horace Poolaw was a Native American living in Oklahoma, at a confluence of tribes, all pushed together by the federal government, who wanted them to give up their traditions and culture and acclimate into white America. He photographed his people as they truly were, keeping their culture alive while adopting some of white culture.  While outsiders came to see "authentic Indians," Poolaw recorded the lives of real native people.

Poolaw was not a professional photographer, in that he never made a living by his work, but he was trained by professionals and judged his own output against what he saw in Life magazine.  At the time of his death, he had not labeled most of his negatives, and he never had the money to print them.

Happily, the Horace Poolaw Photography Project at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma is seeking to remedy that situation.  The current display is the fruit of their labors, scanning the negatives and researching the people in the pictures.

This is in the large special exhibit space on the 3rd floor, and the set-up is really good.  Each photo has a lot of wall space, so you can focus on each image without other shots competing for your attention.  There are also cut outs in the dividers (see my photo above) that gave me the idea for the "window" description.

Poolaw's daughter, Linda Poolaw, said that her father never took these photographs in order to be remembered, but so that people would remember themselves.  I hope that both the people and their photographer can be remembered by those that see this exhibit.

Verdict: Fine show: both the artist and his subjects are engaging, and the design of the exhibit space supports the work.

The Uncomfortable History of the 50th State

Where: National Museum of the American Indian

When: through January 2, 2017

Today's the day, people!  Head to NMAI and travel to Hawaii.  Keep in mind, this is not a travelogue of sandy beaches and swaying palm trees, but a serious look at the history of Hawaii, which is far less beautiful then its scenery.

The United States conquered Hawaii and annexed it, actions for which President Clinton apologized in the 1990s - good for him, I say.  The island's history is a cautionary tale of what happens to native people when big business runs a country.  Spoiler alert: it's not good.  The only laudatory thing that those who came to conquer did in Hawaii was to teach everyone to read.  Their literacy rate was, at one time at least, as close to 100% as you can get.

The question one is left with at the end of the exhibit is: where does Hawaii go from here?

Verdict: Quite interesting overview of a part of American history of which I was heretofore ignorant.

NMAI stages major retrospective for Kay WalkingStick

Where: National Museum of the American Indian

When: through September 18, 2016

True confession: I'd never heard of Kay WalkingStick before I went to this show.  Now, she's one of my favorite artists.  Best known for her diptychs, she had several artistic periods throughout her career, which started in the 1960s and continues to the present.  This exhibit explores them all, starting with her early nudes and ending with her landscapes and paintings of Native places.

I was drawn to the shapes and colors she uses in her early work, especially Hudson Reflections, which I saw repeated in later pieces.  She uses the color red in several works - a red that will not be ignored or overlooked.  It's as if the painting is shouting out, "Look at me!!!  Look at me now!!!"

I also liked her diptychs, which combine abstraction on one side, with realistic landscapes on the other.  It's two views of the same thing; either two completely different paintings put together or, as in the work pictured here, two paintings that form one almost seamless whole.

The only works I really didn't care for were from her Italian period.  She lived there for several years, eventually converting to Catholicism.  Perhaps it's my difficulties with organized religion that biased me against these works, but I have a hard time understanding how someone who could create works depicting such raw female sexuality could also join a church that has not exactly been a champion of women's sexual expression.

Verdict: Overall, a great show, well worth seeing before it heads out of town for a national tour.

Clash of Cultures

Where: American Indian Museum

When: through December 29, 2015

I confess before I went to this exhibit, I'd never heard of the Dakota-U.S. War of 1862; I thought the only war going on that year was the Civil War.  On the contrary, another conflict took place, far from the Mason-Dixon line.

Students from Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota produced this exhibit as part of a class on the war.  It consists of banners with reproductions of maps and photographs and other information about Dakota culture, their early interactions with white Americans and the deterioration of the relationship that led to an attack by Dakota akicitas (warriors).  Although initially overpowered by the Dakota forces, the U.S. Army's superior military might turned the tide against them.  Eventually, the Dakota people were driven from Minnesota entirely.

The story is a sad one; a tale of two incompatible worldviews, that ended with the mightier force victorious.  The Dakota Way of Being emphasizes sharing among family groups, complex ties between and among families and a general sense of connectedness with not only other human beings but with nature and the land.  Contrast this with industrial capitalism as a way of organizing society, and you can see that conflict is inevitable.

When large numbers of white settlers came into Minnesota, promises to the Dakota began to be broken, treaties were signed and then ignored, and the native people were cheated by those more sophisticated in their business dealings.  I found myself reminded of payday lenders, preying on the most vulnerable members of society, making huge profits from the financial straits of those less fortunate.

When the Dakota had borne all they could bear, they attacked the white settlers near New Ulm (I once had a roommate from there, so I'd heard of the town before).  Hundreds died and thousands were displaced.  38 Dakota akicitas were hung, the largest mass execution in U.S. history, after what were basically show trials.  The remaining members of the tribe, most of them women, children and the elderly, were forcibly removed from Minnesota and sent to reservations in South Dakota and Nebraska.  By May 1863, no Dakota were left in the state.

I wish there would have been a section of the display that related the thoughts of the students in the class who prepared this display.  How much did they know about this incident before taking the class?  How did their perceptions of U.S. history and of the relationships between the native tribes and the U.S. government change as a result of their studies?

It also would have been interesting to know what the descendants of the relocated Dakota are doing now.  Are they still on these reservations?  Have they integrated into white society?  Have stories about this war been passed down through the generations?

Verdict: A very informative display, especially when you consider that this was done by students, not by curators.  Not a "fun" exhibit by any means, but certainly one that is thought-provoking.

Our Lives: Contemporary Life and Identities

Where: National Museum of the American Indian

When: through July 6, 2015

This is one of the major display areas of the NMAI, and I'm assuming it was formerly a permanent exhibit.  It's quite good, although too large for a lunch time visit, unless you work across the street from the museum and can waste no time in travel to and fro.  I work a good distance from this part of the Mall, so I'm always in a hurry when I visit.  That's why I like the shows in the Sealaska Gallery so much: they're small enough that I can see them without rushing.

The exhibit is well-organized; in the middle of the very large space is general information on the current-day lives of Native Americans.  Around the walls are information on individual Indian tribes from around the country.  There's even a group (who are not officially recognized as a tribe) in Virginia, which was news to me.

Each group lives differently and faces different challenges in incorporating their traditional way of life into modern American society.  Two of the tribes must deal with living on opposite sides of borders: one group in the United States and Canada and the other group in the United States and Mexico.  When the boundaries between the nations were established, the tribe members were given the right to move freely back and forth, but maintaining those rights has been a struggle over the years.

One can only wonder what will go in this space after this show closes next July.  The issue of how Native Americans hold on to their culture, while living in the United States is one that I think would resonate with many people whose ancestors came from other countries and had to decide how much of their old ways to abandon in order to become Americans.  We can only hope something equally thought-provoking will move into this area on the 3rd floor.

Verdict: You've got plenty of time to see this show before it closes next summer.  You may want to take a couple of lunch hours in order to see all of it.

Indelible: The Platinum Photographs of Larry McNeil and Will Wilson

Where: National Museum of the American Indian

When: January 15, 2015

I really like the Sealaska Gallery on the 2nd floor of the NMAI.  It's big enough to hold a small show comfortably, and I don't feel as if I have to rush through to see everything.

Continuing with the photography theme from my last post, this display is photographs of Native Americans, created with a platinum print process.  In the 19th century, photographers used this medium to take photos of Native Americans, to depict them as a vanishing race.  The process allows the photographer to "take the edge off" the subject, to allow a certain fuzzy quality to creep in, to create a romantic feeling of nostalgia for the end of an era.

Many Native Americans today have negative feelings about these depictions, and these two artists use the method in order to reclaim it for their own, to show Native Americans as they truly are, not as outsiders might wish them to be.

An excellent example is the photograph here, of Nakotah La Rance by Will Wilson.  Although shown at rest, he is squatting on the stool, as if ready to spring into action.  He's shown with a traditional dance hoop around his shoulder, but also with earphones, a game console and some Japanese manga.  This is not your great-grandfather's "Indian."  Far from vanishing, this race of people still exists, still adapts to new cultural influences, still keeps traditional practices alive.

Verdict: Yet another reminder that photography is not the objective medium we'd like to think it is.  Well worth a look if you are interested in photography or Native American history.

Ceramica de los Ancestros: Central America's Past Revealed

Where: American Indian Museum

When: through February 2, 2015

This is a very large exhibit of Central American pottery, in the big display space on the 3rd floor of the museum.  I didn't have time to do more than skim through, but if you like ceramics, you may want to take some time and look at these on display.

Ceramics are an anthropologist's dream find.  Unlike wood or cloth or most other materials, ceramics remain constant through the ravages of time.  Of course, they can be broken, but even pottery shards can provide useful information on the people who created them.

My first thought upon entering this exhibit was that the works on display reminded me strongly of traditional African art.  Depictions of both people and animals are prevalent in the carvings, and one has the sense that all of the items on display were actually used by people and were not merely designed to sit on a shelf and look pretty.

Apparently, Central American art works and crafts have suffered a fate similar to Asian statutes - collectors have visited the area and taken what they wanted, leaving the countries to whom these items actually belong without their treasures.  Happily, in this instance, what you see on display are not damaged goods (like the Buddha statutes missing heads or hands) but intact pieces.  What's more controversial is that you're seeing them here and not in their home country.  I always have a bit of a hard time with this.  If nothing ever left its place of origin, I wouldn't be able to see it (I can't go to Guatemala on my lunch hour), so it seems a bit hypocritical of me to decry the movement of art around the world.  In the case of many Central American pieces, there was a feeling that the local governments wouldn't be able to safeguard this art, so it was removed from the country for safekeeping.  I guess I'd like for some art to remain in the US and some art to go back to where it "belongs."  Sort of a wishy-washy position I guess.

Controversy aside, there's lots to see here, and I found the arrangement a bit confusing.  I wasn't sure where I was supposed to turn next to see everything - a bit more clarity in the signage would have been good.  I liked the things I saw, although nothing really jumped out at me as wonderful.  I was reminded both of shows I've seen at the African Art Museum and at the Freer/Sackler, proving yet again that for all of the differences between cultures, there are also similarities.  This collection includes not only kitchen ware, but also musical instruments, jewelry and figurines.  If you're interested in interpreting the meaning of the animal representations, there's a chart that explains what everything means.

I was reminded by this show that native peoples are not confined to the continental United States.  Many indigenous communities still exist in Central America as well.  Through the items their ancestors made for use in their everyday lives, we can gather an enormous amount of information about how they lived.

Verdict: If you go on a lunch hour, plan on getting strictly an overview.  If you want to take your time, plan on spending more than an hour.

Making Marks: Prints from Crow's Shadow Press

Where: National Museum of the American Indian

When: through May 2014

The exact closing date for this show is not listed on the Smithsonian website, although I seem to recall seeing May 26 as the last day somewhere.  You've got some time to wander over to that side of the Mall, in any event.

Crow's Shadow Press is located in Oregon and provides an artistic home for both Native and non-Native contemporary artists.  Founded in 1992, its purpose is to provide opportunities for Native Americans through artistic development.  It provides spaces to teach, create and show art; the classes are on a wide variety of topics, not just print-making (copyright is among the offerings).

Although I'm just not a fan of prints generally, the works of James Lavadour did hold my interest.  The work shown in this display is of places he visited on camping trips with his family when he was a child.  All of the land has now been clear-cut; it's as if this part of his past has simply been erased.  As he says, "the places that I remember do not exist anymore."  I suppose all of us could make this same comment, as nothing remains static.  There's a certain poignancy to this idea that has remained with me since I saw the show.  It's so easy to take our regular haunts for granted, but they can be "paved over" at any time.  Best to appreciate them now.

Verdict: If you like prints, this is a nice small show, easily managed in a lunch hour.

Grand Procession: Dolls from the Charles and Valerie Diker Collection

Where: National Museum of the American Indian

When: through January 5, 2014

This show is in the small exhibit gallery on the 2nd floor, which means that I could take a bit of time to look at each doll on display.  When the NMAI has a big exhibit in their 3rd floor space, I'm rushing to see everything in a lunch hour.

There are five artists' work on display here, including three artists from one family: a grandmother, mother and daughter.  All of the artists have won awards for their dolls, so what you're seeing is top-flight craft.

A Grand Procession opens every powwow and is an opportunity for members of a tribe to don their regalia and dance into the arena.  This was a tradition of the Plains and Plateau tribes in the 1700s and 1800s.  These dolls from the Diker Collection are doing much the same thing, albeit in a static way.  Happily, most of the dolls are in display cases that allow you to see them from all sides.  There is as much ornamentation on the back as there is on the front.

Jamie Okuma is the first artist featured.  She is quoted as saying, " Each piece has lived through whatever was going on in my life at the time I was making it."  There is a piece of her biography in each doll.  The faces on her dolls are basically blank.  One is not distracted by the face of the doll, and so can concentrate on the incredible craftsmanship that goes into each piece.  The costumes are amazing, especially considering how small they are.  Rhonda Holy Bear does paint faces on her dolls; they wear expressions that seem to show both serenity and determination.

The Growing Thunder family's dolls make up the rest of the show.  Juanita Growing Thunder Fogarty and her mother, Joyce Growing Thunder both had dolls on display in the "A Song for the Horse Nation" show that was at NMAI some months ago.  The faces on these dolls are also quite generic, so you notice the bead and quill work on the costumes.  Jessa Rae Growing Thunder is the daughter of Juanita; all of them create dolls that are very much in the same style.  I'd be hard pressed to tell one from the other.  Juanita is quoted as saying, "You can't do it if you are upset.  You make mistakes and have to backtrack."  This reminded me quite strongly of the show I saw at African Art several years ago about basket weaving.  One of those artists was quoted saying almost the same thing.  Clearly, the tortured lives of the great painters means you can toss paint around no matter your mood, but for work as intricate as this - you need to be as serene and determined as Rhonda Holy Bear's dolls look.

Verdict: If you have any interest in Native American art or dolls in general, do not miss this amazing collection of artwork.

A Century Ago They Came as Sovereign Leaders

Where: National Museum of the American Indian

When: through February 25, 2013

There's something terribly sad about this exhibit.  It's concerned with  the participation of six Native American chiefs in Theodore Roosevelt's 1905 inaugural parade.   The chiefs came with the intention of bringing the hopes and grievances of their people to the attention of the United States government, in order to negotiate government to government, but those planning the parade asked them to participate only in order to add a "picturesque touch of color" to the proceedings.  A Washington Post reporter described them as "like Remington's pictures, only endowed with life and motion."  The concerns and problems of Native Americans were of little interest to Washington's elite.

Theodore Roosevelt had a complicated relationship with Native Americans.  Although there were many individual Native people with whom he was friendly, he felt that the persistence in a tribal identity was futile.  Tribes should become integrated with mainstream American society.  Of course, not everyone is interested in giving up their entire way of life to fit in better with those they blame (with good reason) for making that way of life untenable.

Each of the six chiefs had a particular reason for traveling to Washington, and this exhibit highlights each one.  Geronimo (the only one of the chiefs I'd heard of before) came to advocate for the release of his people, the Chiricahua Apache from captivity following numerous battles with the U.S. Army.  His people were finally released from Fort Sill, in Oklahoma, in 1912, three years after Geronimo's death.

Verdict: This small show is very interesting, and sheds light on a part of American history that I, for one, knew little about.

A Song for the Horse Nation

Where: National Museum of the American Indian

When: through January 7, 2013

This very large exhibit tells the story of the relationship between Native Americans and the horse.  It is one of the great stories of human contact with the animal world.  Without the horse, the history of the Native American people would be utterly different.  Native Americans see animals as fellow beings sharing a common destiny with humans, a different view than those of European descent have historically taken.

The horse originated in North America, then migrated elsewhere and died out in North America.  It returned to the continent with Columbus on his second voyage, in 1493.  In 1680, the Pueblo Indians staged a revolt against the Spanish in New Mexico, and 1500 horses passed into Native hands.  By the late 1700s, almost every tribe in North America was mounted.  Along with the spread of the horse, was the spread of firearms.  On display is a genuine Geronimo rifle.  I could not help but be reminded of the many hopeful people on "Antiques Roadshow" with their items they're just certain belonged to Geronimo or Sitting Bull.  I'm going to assume that the curators at the museum have authenticated this item.

One of the larger items on display is a Lakota tipi with horse decorations from the late 1800s.  The use of horse images shows how integral to their culture horses had become.  Horses transformed the lives of Native Americans in many ways, allowing them to travel longer distances and freeing women from many laborious tasks, thus giving them more time for creative pursuits.  Several famous people have been named for the horse, including former Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell.

Verdict: To see this in a lunch hour, you'll have to skim fairly quickly.  If you want to spend some serious time at this show, you'll need two hours easily.  Very informative and well laid out - worth the time, if you have it.

Arctic Journeys/Ancient Memories: The Sculpture of Abraham Anghik Ruben

Where: American Indian Museum

When: through January 2, 2013

I was very surprised by this exhibit; not only did it include works of art inspired by Native American sculptures, but also works of art inspired by Norse stories and sculptures.  When I come to this museum, I don't expect to see works that reflect my own ethnic background.  Yet, here are works that feature Thor and Odin!  It made me realize that people are far more connected than you think - what seems a culture unlike your own can be very similar, if you take the time to look closely.

Ruben is a sculptor who has taken as his subject here a contrast of the lives of two ancient northern people: the Norse and the Inuit.  Both groups were explorers; his work deals with this idea, along with the ideas of migration and displacement.  The polar bear is considered a powerful guardian spirit across the Arctic and his work features polar bears and other animals, whose spirits were important in these cultures.  In much of his work, I thought of the word "entwined."  The figures seem to move in and out, to come together and move apart.

Ruben uses Brazilian soapstone as his medium in many works - about as far from the Arctic as you can get.  Also featured are two impressive narwhal tusks, intricately carved.  At the back of the room, there is also a video, providing more information.

Verdict: This is a great small show - worth a look, regardless of your ethnicity!

Best in the World: Native Athletes in the Olympics

Where: National Museum of the American Indian

When: September 3, 2012

I had some extra time yesterday afternoon, and decided to make my way over to the American Indian Museum to see their exhibit on the participation of Native Americans in the Olympics.

Sports were central to civic and religious life in indigenous communities before contact with Europeans, setting a foundation for impressive athletic performance in the years since.  The first Native American Olympic athlete was Frank Pierce, from the Seneca tribe, who ran the marathon in the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis.

The 1912 games in Stockholm were really the first modern Olympics, and they set the standard for the games that followed.  Among the members of the U.S. team was Jim Thorpe, the premier athlete of his era and one of the greatest athletes of all time.  He won gold medals in the pentathlon and the decathlon - the only person ever to do so.  Other Native American athletes were part of the 1912 team, including Duke Kahanamoku, who was to water sports what Thorpe was to sports on land.  After the Olympics, Kahanamoku brought the sport of surfing to the U.S. and to Australia.

On display are Thorpe's gold medals and lots of photos of the athletes.  The show is in the Sealaska Gallery on the second floor, the smaller of the two galleries were I've seen temporary exhibits.

Verdict:  This is a show easily managed in a lunch hour and well worth seeing, especially with the 2012 games about to begin.   

Vochol: Huichol Art on Wheels

Where: National Museum of the American Indian

When: through May 6, 2012

I wish this would have been on display when I went to see the show on Quileute Wolves, as it would have been easy to combine them in one visit, but, no such luck.  This is worth a trip on its own, however, just because when else are you likely to see a bead covered car?

This is, quite literally, just that: a Volkswagen Beetle, covered in beads.  Two families from Mexico spent more than seven months working on this piece, which took 9,000 hours to complete and used over 2,000,000 beads.  Both the interior and exterior are beaded and the colors are wonderful.  Vochol is a combination of the Mexican name for the Beetle and the name of the craftsmens' tribe, the Huichol.  The work is amazing and is eye-catching to say the least, which is the point, I think.  It draws attention to the intersection of traditional and modern cultures, so often fraught with misunderstanding and distrust.

Verdict: Don't miss it - it's right in the lobby of the museum, so you can stop in, even if you're just walking by and only have five minutes to spare. 

Behind the Scenes: The Real Story of Quileute Wolves

Where: Nation Museum of the American Indian

When: through May 9, 2012

Unbeknownst to me, the Twilight series of books (which I have never read) feature a character who is not only a werewolf but also a member of the Quileute tribe.  The tribe seems to have a love/hate relationship with the books, on the one hand, they bring lots of tourists (and tourist dollars) to their area, but on the other hand, they encourage misconceptions about the tribe among those who read the novels.  This exhibit is an attempt to set the record straight.

The tribe does have a strong bond with wolves, so one can see where the Twilight author would have gotten the idea for a Quileute werewolf character.  The tribe creation mythology involves wolves, and there is a society of men within the tribe that is associated with wolves.  They are not, however, werewolves.  On display is some tribal art, both some fine carvings done by adults and remarkably detailed drawings of tribe rituals and ceremonies done by children in the schools set up in the early 1900s.

Verdict: This is a relatively small show, so it's easily managed in a lunch hour.  I would like to have seen more carvings, as the ones on display were quite impressive.

Conversations with the Earth: Indigenous Voices on Climate Change

Where: National Museum of the American Indian

When: through January 2, 2012

This exhibit is a result of a collaboration between 15 indigenous communities in 13 different countries.  These people are the first to deal with the momentous results of climate change.  Each community is facing a different challenge, but all of them may be harbingers of what is to come for the rest of the world's population.

One of the communities is the People of the Caribou.  They have noticed that the caribou herds are declining; the permafrost is melting and the foods they eat are disappearing.  It used to reach -70 degrees in the winter (sounds dreadful frankly, but I realize this is how they live and my notions of what constitutes pleasant winter weather do not apply), but now it is no longer that cold.

Peoples in Peru and Ethiopia are working together, across an ocean, to promote indigenous agriculture.  The hope is that they will be able to find new crops to grow, as old ones are no longer feasible.  In Zanskari, India, they are moving the entire village from their 1000 year location to a new place.  Obviously, there are many people who are opposed to the move, but there are others who realize they can no longer live there, and are eager to move somewhere more hospitable.

In South America, the environmental efforts to save the forests are preventing the Guarani from living as they have traditionally done.  The conflict between saving the trees and saving the people's way of life is real, and it seems as if the Guarani are paying the price for others' pillaging of the landscape.

Verdict: Go and see this exhibit.  I was unaware of the devastation that climate change is already causing in various parts of the world.  As people are forced to leave their native areas, one fears that culture clash may be the result.  One hopes for better. 

Vantage Point: The Contemporary Native Art Collection

Where: National Museum of the American Indian

When: through August 7, 2011

I took the day off today, so had time to see three exhibits that are closing in August. I don't usually blog about the shows I see until several days later, so this is my first experience in "same day" blogging. It's nice to write, knowing that the details are still fresh in my mind. It was also really nice not to look at my watch while at the shows, wondering if it's time to get back to the office.

The first exhibit I went to see was this collection of contemporary Native American Art. It's a large show, up on the Museum's 3rd level. It was a bit difficult to come up with an overall theme to this collection, as it features work from so many different artists. The show is divided into five different subjects, which I didn't commit to memory. I found that I just looked at the pieces and didn't worry about what went with which other piece.

The show featured the works of Kent Monkman, who has an alter ego, Miss Chief. I think of him as a Native American Dame Edna, but I have no idea if he intends his persona to be comic or not, so perhaps the comparison in inapt. He had several photographs of himself as Miss Chief, and I was reminded of the Buffalo Bill Wild West Warrior show I saw at the Ripley not long ago. One of the themes he examines is Native Americans performing for non-Native Americans.

Catherine Nelson-Rodriguez had two pictures, both of them about her crippling depression. She compares it to falling into a well of blackness, which is probably a pretty good description. Luckily, she was able to get help for her condition, although that was not without its horrors as well. Really well done, and touching because they were so obviously authentic.

One artist had beaded over a copy of the Indian Act, which is a Canadian law governing the lives of First Nations people there. When I saw it, I wondered if it could be the Indian Child Welfare Act, which is a U. S. law dealing with adoptions of Native American children. I've used ICWA as a teaching aid in the past, so it was the first thing to spring to mind. This made me realize that there are tensions between Native people and the descendants of European immigrants in Canada, as well as the U.S.

Mespat by Alan Michelson is a video of Newtown Creek, which runs between Brooklyn and Queens. Now terribly polluted, it was at one time home to Native people. The video is shown on a screen made of feathers, which is a nice, over-the-top touch.

Margarete Bagshaw's Sky Rise Dreams also drew my notice, has her work as an almost Art Deco quality, and I love Art Deco. Although an abstract, I could see easily that it's about New York's skyscrapers.

Verdict: Go see this show, if you are interested in contemporary art, Native American art or you just want to see a video shown on feathers. It's big, so be prepared to move through quickly, if you only have a lunch hour.

This IS Hawai'i

Where: National Museum of the American Indian

When: through July 4, 2011

This exhibit features the work of three artists who show the "real" Hawai'i, as opposed to the vision of happy natives wearing leis and living in harmony, the Hollywood version of Hawai'i with which we are all familiar. The exhibit is being put on in conjunction with the Transformer Gallery. The work of Carl F.K. Pao is on display in the Museum's Sealaska Gallery; a sculpture by Puni Kukahiko is currently outside the museum - more of her work is at the Transformer; Solomon Enos has pieces at both the Transformer and at the Museum.

I really enjoyed Pao's Post-Historic Museum of the Possible Aboriginal Hawaiian. It's a hilarious send-up of archeology and anthropology. He displays common items with "explanations" of their use. My favorite was the black styrofoam cooler, which was described as a "possible ceremonial storage container." A Weber kettle grill was also featured - heck, I've got one of those on my deck. Who knew my house was a treasure trove of Hawaiian artifacts? All in all, really funny and thought provoking.

Some of Enos's work is on display here as well; it is a reimagining of history "if Hawaiians ruled the world." It made me think that every culture/religion/ethnic group thinks it could do a better job than those who have ruled the world - impossible to tell, but my guess is different groups would do things differently, but not necessarily better. Enos' work appeared in graphic novel form in the Honolulu Advertiser from 2006 - 2009.

It's a good thing there was a picture of Kukahiko's sculpture in the gallery, or I would have missed it entirely. When you leave the Museum, walk around the building to your right. It's a lovely carving, but it's small and easy to overlook.

Verdict: Go see this small show - it's worth the trip for Pao alone.