Jessica Crabtree

http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photos/photo-camp-pine-ridge-2009/

May 28, 1888: Birth of Native American pan-athlete Jim Thorpe

Jim Thorpe was born near Prague, Oklahoma in the Sauk and Fox Nation. His Native name was Wa-tho-huk, or “Bright Path.” He is celebrated as one of the most gifted athletes who ever lived. His supreme athletic ability made him a legend in football, baseball, basketball, track, and several other sports. He was gold medalist in the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, although his medals were stripped when it was publicized that he played on an under-league baseball team in school.

Although this devastated his professional career, Thorpe remained an icon for sportsmen around the world and in particular a champion for Native Americans. Throughout his life he battled racism towards Native Americans (before 1924 Indians did not even have US citizenship) and stereotyping. His Sauk and Fox and Potawatomi heritage was a source of great pride to him; he once said that it was more valuable to him than all his sports awards.

Thorpe died of a heart attack in 1953. His Olympic medals were reinstated posthumously by act of Congress in 1983.

Jim Thorpe: The Official Site

Library of Congress: This Day in History – Jim Thorpe Web Exhibit

Image from National Geographic.

Indian Country Today: Onondaga Nation and environmental partners win prestigious EPA award

Official Site of the Onondaga Nation
Syracuse Post Standard: People of the Hills

I found this pen and ink study of facial expressions done by Charles Le Brun (1619-1690), one of the premier artists of the French baroque. Each character sketch is labeled (in French) but the captions of course do not need translating. Click to see the full-size.

May 21, 1471: Birth of German Renaissance artist Albrecht Durer

Left: Self-Portrait, Oil on lime panel (1500)

Durer is most famous for his signature work – the ubiquitous “Praying Hands.” The story has it that they are the hands of his brother, who gave up his chance at an art career in order to provide for Albrecht’s training. Praying Hands, brush drawing on blue primed paper (c. 1508)

Whether or not the story is apocryphal, Durer did go on to become possibly the most influential artist of the Northern Renaissance. Durer’s style is characterized by painstaking attention to detail and a focused, dramatic approach to composition. His fascinating portfolio betrays him as a man with an open mind and a curious nature.

He was a prolific artist, and unlike his Italian contemporary Leonardo da Vinci, left behind an incredibly diverse collection of artwork in a wide range of mediums and subjects. Well over a thousand of his paintings, drawings, and etchings have survived to the present day.

Left: Portrait of a Young Venetian Woman,
Oil on elm panel (1505)

Right:
Head Study of a Man Aged 93, Brush drawing on primed paper (1521)

Like da Vinci, however, his most significant accomplishment lay in his ability as a draftsman. Living in Germany in the wake of the printing revolution, he used the crafts of woodcutting and engraving to capitalize on the potential of art reproduction as an industry, making him one the most widely published and esteemed artists of the Renaissance.

Web Gallery of Art – Online Museum Database: Albrecht Durer Biography and Gallery

Below: Wing of a Roller, watercolor/gouache on vellum (1512)
Right: Two Squirrels (1492)
Below right: Young Hare, watercolor and gouache (1502)

“One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words.” (Goethe)

It is often said that music is the pulse of a people, and there is no better way to appreciate the many facets of a culture than by exploring its musical traditions. Most Native American musicians today combine traditional forms, such as wooden flute playing, vocal solos, and Plains-style group singing (or “powwow” music), with modern styles and instrumentation. I’ve put together a list of some of the top artists and a few notes on where to hear them.

Joanne Shenandoah

Shenandoah is a member of the Oneida nation and uses her music to express her passionate love of Iroquois history and culture. She’s a woman of remarkable grace and poise and her voice is truly divine! If you’ve never heard her singing you’re in for a wonderful experience.

Shenandoah’s music varies in genre to include traditional Iroquois songs, country ballads, symphonic music – even techno.

Top picks: Peacemaker’s Journey, a song cycle sung partly in English, partly in Oneida, recounts the founding of the Iroquois Confederacy.

  Listen to samples:

  “Deer Dance”
  Covenant: “100 Winters”
  Peacemaker’s Journey: “Aiionwatha Forgives”
  Peacemaker’s Journey: “Peace and Power”

Robert Mirabal

Robert Mirabal hails from the pueblo of Taos in New Mexico where he grew up immersed in traditional Pueblo culture. He began his career as a flute maker and is now recognized as one of the pre-eminent producers of the Native American flute, with several of his instruments now part of the Smithsonian’s collection. His flute playing is masterful in itself; in his hands it is capable of an astonishing range of expression.

Mirabal has worked in many styles from traditional to rock, both solo and ensemble. Sings both in English and Tewa. His albums are remarkable for their vivid representation of Pueblo life and culture; personally I like his older music best.

Top Picks: Taos Tales is a colorful (but tasteful) blend of flute playing and native song with electronica. Music from a Painted Cave was recorded from a live performance and includes some of his best tracks.

  Listen to samples:

  Music from a Painted Cave: “Painted Caves”
  Taos Tales: “Popay Runner”
  Taos Tales: “Ee-You-Oo”
  Indians, Indians: “Blue Lake”

Mary Youngblood

Youngblood is of Seminole and Aleut heritage, and an incredibly gifted songwriter and flute player. She’s one of the best choices for those interested in any genre of Native American music.

Top Picks: My two favorite albums are Beneath the Raven Moon (acoustic folk-blend with flute solos) and Heart of the World (also featuring Joanne Shenandoah).

  Listen to samples:
  “Beneath the Raven Moon”
  Beneath the Raven Moon: “Sacred Place”
  Heart of the World: “Tears for Kientepoos”

Burning Sky

Contemporary acoustic fusion with a Southwest flavor, from a talented group of instrumentalists with Navajo/Ute background.

  Listen to samples:

  Spirits in the Wind: “Dog Soldiers”
  Blood of the Land: “Desert Wind”
  Blood of the Land: “Abalone Heart”
  A Simple Man: “Buffalo Chips”

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Image from National Geographic.

Putting Together an Art Portfolio

Professional artists and gallery owners alike would agree that one of the most important steps for an artist hoping to pursue an art career is making an art portfolio. If you plan on showing your work in a gallery or organizing an exhibit, you’ll need to have at least one copy ready. Here are a few tips on putting one together.

Presentation

The first thing you’ll need is something to put it in. Art supply stores usually offer ready-made portfolio kits but these can be considerably more expensive than buying the binders and sleeves yourself. You can get a very nice binder at an office supply store for only a few dollars along with a pack of clear plastic sleeves for prints of you artwork. Make sure to choose a binder with pockets and a window for displaying your business card.

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May 7, 1763: Pontiac’s War begins with the siege of Fort Detroit by a coalition of Native American forces

The war is named for Pontiac, an Ottawa chief who led a coalition army in an all-out war to eradicate British influence from the Northwest frontier.

Background

The major result of the French and Indian War (1754-1763) was the changeover of colonial power in North America from French to British hands. The commander in chief of British forces in America was General Jeffrey Amherst, who like many of his peers viewed the Native Americans contemptuously, and this was reflected in the new British policies. Amherst put an end to ceremonial gift giving traditionally used between Indians and their allies, placed strict limits on the sale of weapons to Indians, and severely regulated trade between colonists and Indians.

The French, in contrast to the English, had been less interested in mass-colonization, and thought of Native Americans more as business colleagues. French trappers and fur traders often lived among the Indian nations who were their trade partners, marrying into or being adopted by Indian families; French settlements existed side by side with Native villages. Many of the nations of the “Old Northwest Territory,” comprising the highly desirable land around the Great Lakes and Ohio River Valley, were formerly French allies and found the changes of this new regime alarming.

In addition, peoples of the Old Northwest such as the Ottawa, Miami, Kickapoo, Potawatomi, Ojibway, and Wyandot suffered greatly from the pressures of colonial encroachment. The effects of European diseases, the introduction of liquor through trade, and intertribal conflicts over resources all contributed to a breakdown of family groups and traditional culture. In this setting religious leaders such as Neolin, of the Lenape nation, actively promoted a campaign to shun European customs and embrace traditional values. As with other nativist movements, including those of Tenskwatawa and Wovoka, the religious message became a platform for political unity and eventually a resistance movement – often spearheaded by a charismatic military leader.

Click image for larger view. Image source: University of Omaha website

Legacy

The war ultimately lasted three years and was possibly the most violent and destructive conflict to take place between Native Americans and English colonists since King Philip’s War nearly a century earlier.

It resulted in the fall of several important forts, including Detroit and Michilimackinac, and the death, displacement, or capture of thousands of settlers throughout the Upper Midwest.

The most infamous event during this war was the British use of biological warfare against the Indians, by distributing smallpox-infected blankets among them. Exactly who was responsible for this policy is still controversial, although it is now believed that Amherst alone was not solely responsible.

Although the uprising failed to remove British power from the region, the British were unable to defeat the Native alliance, which led to the revision of many overbearing policies. The ratification of the Proclamation of 1763 barred English expansion into the Old Northwest and recognized the sovereignty of its Native American nations – a decision which outraged American colonists and became a contributing cause of the Revolution. When Americans began expansion into the Northwest Territory after the Revolution – disregarding the Proclamation Line – the British by and large kept the agreements made with Indian nations during Pontiac’s War. They later fought together as allies against the American expansion during the War of 1812. Pontiac’s War set the stage for later pan-Indian movements, such as those led by Tecumseh.

Right: Lord Jeffrey Amherst, 1765 (Wikipedia)

Links

Ohio History Central – related articles

We Shall Remain: Tecumseh’s Vision – (you can watch the American Experience docudrama online here)

The War That Made America – PBS mini-series on the French and Indian War

Michigan State University: History of the Northwest Territory

Wikipedia: Pontiac’s Rebellion

About.com European History: “Pontiac’s War”

About 1966 or so, a NASA team doing work for the Apollo moon mission took the astronauts near Tuba City where the terrain of the Navajo reservation looks very much like the lunar surface. With all the trucks and large vehicles there were two large figures that were dressed in full lunar spacesuits.

Nearby a Navajo sheep herder and his son were watching the strange creatures walk about, occasionally being tended by personnel. The two Navajo people were noticed and approached by the NASA personnel. Since the man did not know English, his son asked for him what the strange creatures were and the NASA people told them that they are just men getting ready to go to the moon. The man became very excited and asked if he could send a message to the moon with the astronauts.

The NASA people thought this was a great idea so they rustled up a tape recorder. After the man gave them his message they asked his son to translate. His son would not.

Later, they tried a few more people on the reservation to translate, and every person they asked would chuckle and refuse to translate. Finally, with cash in hand, someone translated the message:

“Watch out for these guys, they come to take your land.”

Note: Snopes.com has this story classified as an urban legend; but it’s witty enough to bear repeating!