Savages and Princesses: The Persistence of Native American Stereotypes

SAVAGES AND PRINCESSES: THE PERSISTENCE OF NATIVE AMERICAN STEREOTYPES

AUGUST 5 - SEPTEMBER 5, 2016

SAVAGES AND PRINCESSES: THE PERSISTENCE OF NATIVE AMERICAN STEREOTYPES AUGUST 5 - SEPTEMBER 25, 2016 AMERICA MEREDITH, CURATOR

THIS EXHIBITION WAS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY A GRANT FROM:

The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS:

MARCUS AMERMAN (Choctaw), Stites, Idaho, from Duncan

BENJAMIN HARJO, JR. (Absentee Shawnee-Seminole), Oklahoma City

MATTHEW BEARDEN (Citizen Potawatomi-Kickapoo-Blackfeet-Lakota), Tulsa

APRIL HOLDER (Sac & Fox-Wichita-Tonkawa), Shawnee

HEIDI BIGKNIFE (Shawnee Tribe), Tulsa

JUANITA PAHDOPONY (Comanche), Lawton

MEL CORNSHUCKER (United Keetoowah Band), Tulsa

K.H. POOLE (Caddo-Delaware), Oklahoma City

TOM FARRIS (Otoe-Missouria-Cherokee), Norman

ZACHARY PRESLEY (Chickasaw), Durant

ANITA FIELDS (Osage-Muscogee), Stillwater

HOKA SKENANDORE (Oneida-Oglala Lakota-Luiseño), Shawnee

KENNY GLASS (Wyandotte), Tahlequah

KARIN WALKINGSTICK (Cherokee Nation), Claremore

SHAN GOSHORN (Eastern Band Cherokee), Tulsa

MICAH WESLEY (Muscogee-Kiowa), Norman

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KATHY MCRUIZ, Executive Director

108|Contemporary is honored to show the works of 16 contemporary Native Oklahoma artists in the exhibition Savages and Princesses: The Persistence of Native American Stereotypes. Oklahoma is rich with Native artists who create thoughtful works that draw upon a complex and intertwined history. Their expression speaks to their lived experiences and current events. Savages and Princesses brings this eclectic but powerful mix of artists together to deconstruct stereotypes of Native peoples and to forge a path beyond them.

Curator America Meredith (Cherokee Nation) has crafted an exhibition that is visually and thematically fluid, without being predictable. She allows us to walk seamlessly through the gallery, experiencing each piece individually—and, in the end, understanding how and why it fits within the whole.

Sincere thanks to our donors who generously support our exhibitions and programs, to our Board of Directors, which is made up of dedicated Tulsans passionate about sharing their love of fine craft with others. And to our staff who—as they have every exhibition and program, put in countless hours of good thought and hard work for this exhibition—thank you.

This exhibition was made possible in part by a grant from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. We are grateful for their support.

Finally, thank you to our visitors and for all your kind words about the work we do at 108|Contemporary.

108|Contemporary is a nonprofit community arts organization that supports Oklahoma’s contemporary fine craft artists by connecting them to audiences and opportunities though education, recognition, and exhibition programming.

We hope you will find the exhibition challenging in a way that leads to better understanding of cultures that are the heart of Oklahoma.

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AMERICA MEREDITH, Curator

Stereotypes of Native American peoples are ubiquitous and familiar. While all ethnic groups face stereotyping, usually members of the group are able to educate the public and many of these stereotypes are questioned or are falling out of acceptability in the public sphere. Stereotypes are not incidental but instead dominate public discourse about Indigenous peoples; they make their way not only into popular culture but also newspapers and textbooks.

Why are these stereotypes so deeply entrenched? Why, when confronted with new information or meeting actual Native people instead of adjusting stereotypical perceptions to fit reality, does the public often challenge Native people for not conforming to its preconceived notions? These are the questions we explore in the group exhibition Savages and Princesses: The Persistence of Native American Stereotypes.

American society has great difficulty acknowledging its past with Native peoples or allowing them visibility in the present. Angie Debo’s history And Still the Waters Run is still highly controversial in its indictment of Oklahoma’s role in the theft of Indian land. Native Americans share the struggle with all Indigenous peoples for accurate portrayals of themselves in the mainstream media. What has changed in recent decades is the increased access to global communications—from Nativeowned media networks to something as mundane as Facebook. Now Indigenous voices are accessible to anyone willing to listen.

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Children under the age of seven have high neural plasticity in their brains; young children are indeed impressible. Information received at this early stage leaves what neurolinguistic researchers call an imprint. Once these imprints are formed, the simple addition of factual information later in life is insufficient to alter an imprint. A strong emotional impact can alter an imprint in an adult; art is the perfect vehicle for this. It can be hard to let go of stereotypes; on their surface, they can be sexy, charming, nostalgic, funny—especially those images created by a multibillion-dollar advertising industry.

The sixteen artists in the show use the unexpected—humor, emotion, or shock— to encourage viewers to question and challenge stereotypes, even unspoken, unacknowledged ones. In the intertribal environment of Oklahoma, artists also challenge stereotypes members of one tribe might hold against another. This exhibition provides an intensive and intimate focus on the underpinnings behind and movement beyond stereotypes.

I am grateful to Kathy McRuiz and Krystle Brewer for affording me the opportunity to curate this exhibition. Thanks also, to the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts for its support of this show. Thanks to 108|Contemporary for allowing Indigenous artists to direct our own dialogue about issues that face us.

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MARCUS AMERMAN, Choctaw

My own personal myth is based on the perspective that “Art is War” and that War (Art) is the proper occupation for one who is inclined towards the survival and betterment of his peoples. In my mind, I am a warrior who is answering a “call to duty,” as I see it offered to me.

Because I am an Indian, I was born a political entity. To not acknowledge this in my life and art would be for me to miss a vital aspect of my origin. I believe that for my art not to become increasingly more political and socially conscious as I live, learn, and create would be an insult to the Native ancestors who lived, fought, and died so that I could be afforded this opportunity of unfettered artistic expression. A failure on my part to not eventually evolve, expand, and extrapolate this perspective to include championing the survival and growth of this planet Earth and all of its inhabitants would be to neglect an essential part of being human in this historic time of great change.

I am aware that this is a war that I wage on myself, within myself, and in solitude. Through my art, I manifest this war as a spectacle for any and all that have the stomach for this type of psychological bloodbath. My theme is that what I “become” is what I contribute to the world “becoming.” The world and I have a relationship. We are catalysts for each other’s evolution.

Modern Times Beadwork, thread, fabric 6” x 6” 8

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MATTHEW BEARDEN, Citizen Potawatomi-KickapooBlackfeet-Lakota What is this obsessive mistress called art that steals one’s heart and harkens back to the Ancient Ones, their call to us, the Un-Ancient Ones, and our struggle to bridge our worlds into this world or some world out there in the great circle of life in this world of worlds...

I’m constantly trying to break out of the molded idea that people have shelved as to what is contemporary Native artwork. The problem with that is that it is often not commercialized enough to get the popular cool gig.

Maybe I should wear a cowboy hat.

War Bonnet Acrylic on football helmet 9” x 11” x 8.5” 10

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HEIDI BIGKNIFE, Shawnee Tribe

In 2016, when I look out into the meadow that is our ceremonial ground, I see the hair colors of brown, black, blonde, and red, and I know I am with my tribe. In 1990, when I made these portraits, I was a student at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, just coming to know myself as a mixed-race person. Largely raised in EuropeanAmerican culture and with very little tribal contact, I felt both indignant and ignorant, and I was angry. I knew I had my heritage but did not yet understand that I needed to earn recognition of my identity: from my tribe, other Native people, and most of all, from myself.

Native American literature fueled my photography and inspired the series Bloodlines or Belief Systems was born. Previously, I experimented with self-portraiture and painting my own face. While at IAIA, seeking the approval of others and angry that I felt forced to earn it, I coated myself in an expression of mixed-race and wore a dress I had created in Native Fashion class. Through my photos, I insisted that being mixed did not mean I was not Indian.

With maturity and the distance of years, I can now see in these portraits the hurt and sadness behind my rage, the complex bind of descending from persecutor and persecuted, the frustration at the pressure to deny a part of myself in order to be Indian, and the immense pain of insecurity. Today, I have a better understanding of stereotyping within and outside Native communities. Forced for so long to identify ourselves to the outside world, we sometimes assume the stereotypes and patronizing judgments that these stereotypes propagate. At times, I still battle with these false notions, but mostly I stand firm and take heart in my work, both artistic and personal, that has gotten me to a place of Shawnee, a place I know that I belong.

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Bloodiness of Belief Systems Quartet, 1 of 4 shown Black and white photo on Agfa paper, aluminum, plexiglass, acid-free matte board, steel bolts, nuts 11” x 14” 13

MEL CORNSHUCKER, United Keetoowah Band

The name of this show, Savages and Princesses, brought to mind a comment I’ve heard quite often, “My grandmother was a __(insert tribal name here)__ Princess.”

So, for all those folks who want to have an Indian Princess in their bloodline, here is my wooden Indian Princess waving her hand to them as the wind comes sweeping down the plains.

Running Bear Wood, leather, hair, clay, beads, feather, rubber, thread, acrylic paint, metal parts 14” x 22” x 23” 14

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TOM FARRIS, Otoe-Missouria-Cherokee

My artwork takes iconography from pop culture and applies a Native perspective to it. In our increasingly globalized society, pop imagery provides a window into the work for audiences that might not be familiar with Otoe, Missouria, or Cherokee issues or worldviews. Through color, humor, and familiar tropes, my artwork can create a cross-cultural dialogue.

Considering Native American stereotypes, I took this opportunity to explore how the outside world mischaracterizes Indians as well as the stereotypes we Native people place on ourselves. One of the pieces I have submitted includes a readymade object—a mass-produced Pontiac hood ornament. Pontiac cars were manufactured by General Motors, headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. The cars were named for a man: Pontiac (ca. 1720–1769), a war chief of the Odawa people whose homelands included parts of Michigan. By adding his image to a ballheaded war club, I am reclaiming his humanity, Indigenous identity, and history that included leading a 1763 siege against Fort Detroit.

All too often, our complex histories as Native people are reduced to advertising logos. I ask viewers to dig a little deeper the next time they see a Native image in pop culture.

REZor Printed foam core with found tweezers 6” x 4”

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ANITA FIELDS, Osage-Muscogee

Sometime during the 1940s my Wah Zha Zhi (Osage) eko (Grandmother), whose first language was Osage, and my aunt Margaret were traveling in Colorado.

They were shopping in a store in Colorado Springs when my eko spotted a piece of enamelware, an item frequently used during feasts and ceremonies in our culture then and now. Eko asked my aunt in Osage, “Ha non tze?” (How much is it?) Before my aunt could reply, a salesman says very loudly and close to her face, “It’s a bucket with a lid on it.” Not one to shrug things off, Eko slowly responded in English with deliberate sarcasm, “I know it’s a bucket with a lid on it!”

My eko and aunt achieved great pleasure in the retelling of their experience.

We heard this story many times growing up and never failed to laugh—all of us imagining the bizarre scenario, knowing in our hearts it was dismissive and dehumanizing. To some, this story may seem meaningless and inconsequential, but I have always thought of it for what it was: an assault on the integrity and intelligence of my precious eko and aunt. Sadly, and all too often, this incident and others like it, represent experiences that continue to be commonplace and a definitive reality for Native people.

“It’s a Bucket with a Lid on It” Clay, underglaze 7.75” x 7” x 7”

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KENNY GLASS, Wyandotte-Cherokee

Growing up in a small Cherokee community, it was uncommon to encounter Native people other than Cherokees. Not until my senior year at an all-Indian school was I exposed to other tribes and their cultures. After high school, I was involved in Native American programs on my college campus. I began to hear jokes about Cherokee people and the stereotype that everyone claims their great-grandmother was a Cherokee princess. This was new to me, because where I grew up most people are Cherokee. It was an adjustment I had to make. I could let it offend me, or I could take it as a compliment that other people want to be Cherokee. Everyone wants to belong or feel connected to a group of people.

This dress is my perception of the stereotype. If we actually were to have Cherokee princesses—historically, Cherokee people didn’t have royalty—this is how I envision one dressing. They would look something like you would see in children’s movies but with a touch of Cherokee designs. The dress’s bodice features fabric designed by Joseph Erb (Cherokee Nation), with Cherokee basket designs. On the skirt and sleeves, I used diamonds similar to the rattlesnake patterns found on tear dresses and stomp dance skirts worn by many Cherokee women in Oklahoma.

My Great Grandmother’s Cherokee Princess Dress Hoop skirt, Cherokee basket print fabric, combined cotton/polyester, organza, bias tape, sequins, corn beads, glass beads, pearl beads, satin ribbon 56” x 45” x 45” Credit: Joseph Erb, Cherokee basket fabric 20

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SHAN GOSHORN, Eastern Band Cherokee

“ It is the mothers, not the warriors, who create a people and guide their destiny.”

—Luther Standing Bear, Oglala Lakota Inspired by the above quote, I wove a basket as the study for a triptych set of Cherokee baskets. As a mother, I identify with the divine gift of conceiving and guiding my children.

But I believe that Luther Standing Bear’s words, woven into the exterior of this basket, also point to the commitment of Native people to treat our traditions in the same way. Our culture requires respect and devotion to nurture it and keep it alive.

The interior weaves together words from a written exchange a young mother and I had during our collaboration. She expresses her gratitude to the Creator for choosing her to help grow this child, emphasizing how beautiful and powerful motherhood makes her feel.

The red center was chosen for its connection to birth and warfare. Both the acts of creating and defending life can inflict physical and emotional wounds. After experiencing either event, we realize our individual lives no longer hold the same value. We are intensely more vested in hope for our children and our people. Like carrying our children in our wombs, we hold our history and ancestral traditions in our blood, our actions, and in our intentions for the future.

Study for Vessel Arches watercolor paper splints printed with archival inks, acrylic paint 8.25” × 8.25” × 9.5” Collection Jasha Lyons Echo-Hawk and Bunky Echo-Hawk

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BENJAMIN HARJO, JR., Absentee Shawnee-Seminole

Sometimes people still expect to see Indian people living in tipis, riding horses, hunting buffalo, and attacking others as the movies depict us. They also expect to see us dressed in war bonnets or feathered headdresses.

My piece, using an old iron, wood, metal, and colored feathers, should cause the seer to look beyond and see how we live today, stop objectifying and stereotyping, and see us as we are—many Nations of different languages and traditions.

Trading Post Feather Head Feathers, wood, metal, plastic, paint 18” x 7” x 10” 24

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APRIL HOLDER, Sac & Fox-Wichita-Tonkawa

My work is a look at the false advertisement of Native American women, how they are portrayed as sexualized images, in disrespectful “headdresses” that lack any resemblance to actual Native woman. The manipulation of the identity is not only misleading, it is damaging to young Native females. If this is how Native women are seen by the general public – as a joke, an object that is only used for the sexual fantasies of men – then how are we to gain self-worth? The seeds of insecurity are planted in young Native girls with these images.

The consequence of the false advertisements is very much a reality. One in three Native women will be assaulted, and/or raped in their lifetime. This is an awful reality; one third of this generation of Native females will be victims. The false advertisements take no responsibility for perpetuating this reality. The excuse is always, “It’s only a costume.” Or, “It’s just for fun.” But it’s not a joke, or fun. It is a perversion of reality.

As a Native American woman, the identity and legacy that I want my daughter to know is of her family: the generations of women that had strength and integrity. My work encourages her, and the viewer to look beyond the “false advertisement.” It provides a glimpse into the generations of the women of my family. This work is not only about how Native women are viewed by others; it’s about how we view ourselves.

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Look Beyond the False Advertisement Cloth, embroidery hoop, glass window with wood frame, and acrylic paint.

111” x 72” x 24” 27

JUANITA PAHDOPONY, Comanche

A long time ago when the animals could talk, tobacco was used in sacred and ceremonial ways by American Indians. Over time, smoking became commercial, tobacco remained associated with Native people. Wooden Indians appeared as early mascots to sell tobacco. The wooden cigar box represents the wooden Indians but the image transformed to a beautiful art object. The assemblage is lined with black velvet and features Comanche warrior women frozen in a perpetual Scalp Dance against a backdrop of the red earth of the Southern Plains.

Texas, mentioned in the title, is an integral part of our ancestral homeland. Each side is richly decorated with deep red rhinestones and symbols of nature and its marvelous landscape.

Straight Outta Texas!

Mixed media: acrylic, art papers/collage, rhinestones, metal stars, black velvet 7.25” x 6.75“ x 2.75” 28

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K.H. POOLE, Caddo-Delaware

In my collection of pieces, I take words that represent a certain stereotype or ideal and create a piece that juxtaposes the word itself. For example, in a piece called Lazy, I accentuated the ridiculous nature of a Native stereotype by painting a selfportrait involving specific choice of mixed media. Some of the piece is painted, but the person in the self-portrait is created using a collage of time stamp receipts from my workplace.

In another piece called, Hasinai, I played with the stereotype of Native people having to look a certain way to be truly Native. I beaded traditional designs on top of a painting of a biracial woman in regalia to suggest beauty and tradition within the culture itself and not a racial stereotype.

In the pieces, I hope to provoke thought and evoke a conversation. Our words matter, and I hope my work invites the viewer to contemplate their own misconceptions and choose their words with purpose and thoughtfulness.

Lazy Acrylic, time-stamped receipts, on watercolor paper 14” x 11” 30

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ZACHARY PRESLEY, Chickasaw

This current work is the result of my previous work being rejected from a Native American art gallery that had expressed interest in showing my work, apparently based solely on my reputation as a Native artist, rather than the work itself.

I prepared pieces for the exhibition and submitted the requested materials for the gallery to start promoting the show. After submitting images to the gallery, the work went through the standard chain of approvals, and the gallery expressed to me some concerns had been raised that my work could be misconstrued as offensive. Since the work did not match their preconceived notions of what makes Native art, they decided they did not want to open themselves up to attack or criticism. I was then given the option to produce more work, pending approval of course, that would fit the gallery’s and their clientele’s sensibilities. Given that the work had been a direct criticism on the very nature of their request, I turned down the opportunity to submit new work that had more “Indian-ness” in it.

Shortly after this rejection, I started thinking about what kind of work would have been accepted, and came to the conclusion that straightforward, stereotypical, superfluous Native art that one may find at any trading post located on I-40 anywhere between OKC and Clines Corners would suffice. So, I created aesthetically pleasing compositions based on this concept, consisting of colorful landscapes, majestic white buffalo, dancing Indians, and the like. I then overlaid humorous and sarcastic text that highlights the superficial nature of this type of art.

Brave Archival Digital Print 20.5” x 20.5” 32

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HOKA SKENANDORE, Oneida-Oglala Lakota-Luiseño

Native American art is a complicated subject that conjures up many things, and included in this mixed bag is the specter of the stereotype.

My aim for many years now has been to change the nature of this beast. My work is intended to not fit those stereotypes. My concern has been to place back into the conversation of painting, the influences of street art and graffiti, the use of the picture plane to create a sense of space that breaks from the standard landscape/portrait/still-life format, and the incorporation of mixed media such as silkscreen, collage, spray paint, and ink. The use of photo references and familiar imagery has also been a cornerstone to my art practice. Thus far, it has been an interesting experience and has allowed me room to create in many different styles with the many different forms that painting allows.

Artists outside our culture who insist upon using us for work often have no clue about any significance that might be had in these items and images. I realized that the only images that I can change are the ones I make, and I can speak to them in a way that these outsiders cannot. I fight the tides of stereotypes and create a dialogue that expands beyond sterile and unchanging false assumptions. Context for Indigenous cultures in the 21st century can only be defined by those who are in and of the culture and artists have the opportunity to create work that stimulates this discussion.

Heroes & Villains #3 Acrylic on vinyl record 12” x 12” 34

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KARIN WALKINGSTICK, Cherokee Nation

Being Native American is not so much a racial identity as it is a political one.

We share a unique relationship with the United States government since we are Indigenous and have distinct nations from one another across America.

Native Americans have been stereotyped and treated disrespectfully for so many centuries that it is sometimes hard to recognize the disparaging remarks because they have become commonplace in our society. How do we raise awareness? We have conversations.

Games People Play is my way of sparking that conversation and raising awareness. It is an interactive board game highlighting comments and phrases that show stereotyping. Maybe you had no idea that some of these comments were inappropriate. That’s okay. Now you do. We’ve started the conversation in a way that diffuses tension and makes people feel that they have been heard, respected, and understood.

Games People Play White earthenware clay, acrylic 24” x 24” 36

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MICAH WESLEY, Muscogee-Kiowa

I find the etymology of the stereotype Redskin amazing. Searching for its origin, I found how it had been used and how it has been made to make me feel as if it is of no importance and certainly not worth wasting anyone’s time. The scalps began to take on a eeriness as they piled up in my studio. I felt the reverence to put them away at night as if they were real human remains and they began to creep me out. As I hung them, they felt like trophies and as they fell to the ground, they felt unceremoniously forgotten.

I have been told the teams and mascots honor the Native American people and they should be empowering symbols.

The Daily Republican, a newspaper from Winona, Minnesota, dated September 24, 1863 stated: “The state reward for dead Indians has been increased to $200 for every red-skin sent to Purgatory. This sum is more than the dead bodies of all the Indians east of the Red River are worth.”

(Source: Twin Cities Daily Planet / Trail of Treaties: U.S.-Dakota War 1862)

A Dakota man named Little Crow was killed while picking berries. His body was mutilated and his skull was worth the bounty of $500.

I am not Dakota, but the term has come to affect me as a Kiowa and Creek tribal member.

This was only one case out of many on how the term was used.

Redskin: Our Scalps, Your Honor Red wax, red athletic team T-shirts, synthetic hair 127” x 70.5” 38

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

OUR MISSION

MYRA BLOCK KAISER, Chair

TERRI HIGGS

JEAN ANN FAUSSER, Vice Chair

BURT HOLMES

LARRY LEE, Treasurer

HOLBROOK LAWSON

JAN JENNINGS, Secretary

ROXANA ROZSA LORTON

SCOTT ANDREWS

WINSTON PERAZA

CHRISTINA E. BURKE

ALECIA SIEGFRIED

DOUG CAMPBELL

M. TERESA VALERO

KATHIE COYLE

JANIS UPDIKE WALKER

BETH DOWNING

PETER WALTER

KATIE FOX

JUSTIN JONES, TYPros Intern

108 | Contemporary is a non-profit community arts organization that supports Oklahoma’s contemporary fine craft artists by connecting them to audiences and opportunities through education, recognition, and exhibition programs.

STAFF KATHY MCRUIZ, Executive Director KRYSTLE BREWER, Exhibitions Director JEN BOYD, Exhibitions & Programs Associate ELLEN MCGIVERN, Communications Associate

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DESIGN BY JULIA RAINES, THIRD FLOOR DESIGN, THE UNIVERSITY OF TULSA SCHOOL OF ART

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