There is fantastic Native American art on exhibit all the time, right here in New York, at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian (1 Bowling Green). I wonder, if this exhibition had not been at the Met, would it have gotten the same careful, critical attention?
2
Thank you for a moving and captivating review. We will be in NY during the period of the exhibit and will schedule adequate time to see and absorb this.
Contrary to what poster Aaron Taylor wrote, I appreciated the references to art forms I know as a bridge to what I will be learning new. In my view, art is universal, and parallels are to be found in many places. I am especially anxious to experience the convergence of various traditions in the more recent art in the show.
Finally, we here in PC America seem overly quick to return items to their earlier "owners," and it would seem to me that some of these items should perhaps return "home" here permanently. For those objects that were and/or are sacred, that may mean repatriation, hopefully accompanied by appropriate preservation and conservation.
Contrary to what poster Aaron Taylor wrote, I appreciated the references to art forms I know as a bridge to what I will be learning new. In my view, art is universal, and parallels are to be found in many places. I am especially anxious to experience the convergence of various traditions in the more recent art in the show.
Finally, we here in PC America seem overly quick to return items to their earlier "owners," and it would seem to me that some of these items should perhaps return "home" here permanently. For those objects that were and/or are sacred, that may mean repatriation, hopefully accompanied by appropriate preservation and conservation.
I especially enjoyed the sentence in which it was declared that Plains Indians' cultural artifacts, stolen by Europeans, have now "returned home" to NYC,
There might be one or two Native Americans who might feel otherwise.
But what do I know? Someday, the Times may refer to Jewish artifacts returning "home" to Germany,
There might be one or two Native Americans who might feel otherwise.
But what do I know? Someday, the Times may refer to Jewish artifacts returning "home" to Germany,
2
I was fortunate to catch this exhibit when it was at the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City and was stunned for days. The chronology of the presentation adds a statement upon the whole experience. Do not miss it.
If anyone has the chance, visit the Old Main Building at the University in Silver City, New Mexico. On exhibit is the most incredible collection of Mimbres Pottery available. While the dialog between what belongs to whom and what should belong to the ages or should be on display, the art and the beauty of the pieces transcend any human location. Simply, inspiring and breathtaking.
2
Speaking of Mimbres and Silver City, there was a long history stretching back to the 19th century of locals collecting pottery from around their town. Large collections. There was a lot of it. Ever since the Feds have deemed the personal possession of such pieces of pottery (now sacred treasures) to be frowned upon, those collections are all tied up. They will be handed down in estates but you will never see them in public. Until such time as the guvmint realizes these objects were never created to be warehoused in museums, but to be privately owned, you won't see a cooperation between law abiding citizens and the institutions that threaten them.
As a matter of fact, outside of the church, nothing was ever specifically made for a museum before 1950. Somehow it was ingrained in Academic types that NONE of this stuff belongs in private hands. Of course the opposite is true. Museums should OWN nothing. Their holdings should be loan only.
As a matter of fact, outside of the church, nothing was ever specifically made for a museum before 1950. Somehow it was ingrained in Academic types that NONE of this stuff belongs in private hands. Of course the opposite is true. Museums should OWN nothing. Their holdings should be loan only.
1
Sounds like a beautiful show and overdue for the Met. It would be interesting to see if they move to acquire any of the work in the exhibition.
1
I saw this show last September at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. There were many important and interesting pieces on display and it was especially thought provoking in light of an earlier show at the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art that dealt with contemporary American Indian art practices. It was good to see a continuation of the conversation. However, as a practitioner (and citizen), I was confused by the Nelson's use of tepees as an advertising tool to promote the show; tepees were staged on the museum's front lawn and throughout the city to promote the blockbuster nature of the show. While I love the architectural form, simple beauty, and functionality of these dwellings, the museum's cultural insensitivity in appropriating tepee's into an advertisment reminded of other institutions/corporations who also lack cultural sensitivity: they besmirch the notions they profess to uplift. Ultimately, it led me to critique this aspect of the show ans how we communicate about such ideas with a video piece called Red Friday PowerPoint (https://youtu.be/djNFjKAib_w). This work was intently designed to be as awkward as the act of misappropriating cultural symbols for profit.
1
The very positive and sensitive review of "The Plains Indians" exhibit at the Metropolitan (March 12, 2015) made me want to be in New York so I could go see what must be a marvelous showing of Native American art at its finest. I have one small quibble with the review, however. Holland Cotter, for all his cultural sophistication, refers incorrectly to the name of the last book of the New Testament. It is not "Revelations." The original title of the book, both that in the epigraph and that contained within the text of the book itself, is in the singular: Apocalypsis in Greek, variously translated into English as Apocalypse, or Revelation, often called "The Revelation to John (the Divine)" or "The Book of Revelation," but never "Revelations." This is basic cultural information Mr. Cotter should be familiar with.
Thank you.
Years ago I took an art history course entited, "Early American Art." Having grown up out West, with an appreciation for indigenous art, I felt uncomfortable. There were nations here before us, and purely from an artistic standpoint much of their work was brilliant. Mimbres pottery, the incredible masks and totem poles of the Northwestern people, these of course -
Over the years I began to study the First Nations as they are known in Canada, and became aware of nations within The United States, that are little known.
President Obama's remarkable and beautiful speech at Selma was uplifting and true but for one glaring omission - while he did mention the Navajo code talkers he otherwise neglected the human beings who were here before us, let alone their tragic fate and their immortal contributions to our world.
We must come to terms with slavery, yes - but we hardly even think about how "we opened the West and settled it" and what that cost.
Years ago I took an art history course entited, "Early American Art." Having grown up out West, with an appreciation for indigenous art, I felt uncomfortable. There were nations here before us, and purely from an artistic standpoint much of their work was brilliant. Mimbres pottery, the incredible masks and totem poles of the Northwestern people, these of course -
Over the years I began to study the First Nations as they are known in Canada, and became aware of nations within The United States, that are little known.
President Obama's remarkable and beautiful speech at Selma was uplifting and true but for one glaring omission - while he did mention the Navajo code talkers he otherwise neglected the human beings who were here before us, let alone their tragic fate and their immortal contributions to our world.
We must come to terms with slavery, yes - but we hardly even think about how "we opened the West and settled it" and what that cost.
15
Dead on, Sophia. I noticed Obama's omission too. There is another epicenter of grief in this country besides Selma, and that is Wounded Knee. We would do well to bring it onto the same stage. This is a beautiful article about astounding art and the people who made it.
1
Judith Ostrowitz is the coordinating curator of the exhibition.
1
This is beautiful and important material that deserves more thoughtful analysis than simply admiration for a supposedly noble savage now lost. The European horse and gun made much of this way of life possible, and native tobacco was a key commodity within trans-Atlantic slavery. However, the tumult of Plains peoples was much more complicated than a kindly coexistence in tune with the buffalo. The Mandan gained a reputation for treating other peoples with respect and decency, while the Comanche would make European Crusaders blush.
Many of the objects themselves were traded for valued iron goods by French traders and priests who admired the people they lived with and served. And yes, most grade schools around America since the 1970's have been teaching about the heinous extermination of native peoples. Sadly, much of the record that survives suited European tastes, which leaves us and native peoples with a skewed reconstruction of these cultures and their aesthetics. The written record is equally biased. More jarring is how settled woodland cultures, such as the Hopewell and even the Ojibwa, stand in for the efflorescence of Plains cultures. Could medieval Russian culture stand in for the Crusades? This is a great exhibition that needs more explanation than the review lets on.
Many of the objects themselves were traded for valued iron goods by French traders and priests who admired the people they lived with and served. And yes, most grade schools around America since the 1970's have been teaching about the heinous extermination of native peoples. Sadly, much of the record that survives suited European tastes, which leaves us and native peoples with a skewed reconstruction of these cultures and their aesthetics. The written record is equally biased. More jarring is how settled woodland cultures, such as the Hopewell and even the Ojibwa, stand in for the efflorescence of Plains cultures. Could medieval Russian culture stand in for the Crusades? This is a great exhibition that needs more explanation than the review lets on.
3
If you like this work, you should also check out the Jacobson House Native Art Center at the University of Oklahoma (https://jacobsonhouse.org/). Among other things, this is where the Kiowa Six and Dick West got their start. But the Jacobson House also has many wonderful new pieces by contemporary native artists of the Plains.
4
Bad link. Here's a better one: https://jacobsonhouse.org.
Highly recommended: "An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and "Wounded Knee: Party Politics and the Road to an American Massacre" by Heather Cox Richardson. These are just two of many excellent books available to help us understand our too long buried and hidden history.
12
Saw this exhibit at the Nelson in Kansas City. It includes a photo of a dead soldier, his legs and abdomen sliced open, naked, stuck full of arrows, a reminder that beauty and savagery can travel together.
4
This article's author appears to have an extremely supercilious and superficial attitude towards cultures other than his own apparently revered Euro-centric bias. No, Mr. Cotter, Native American chants do not "remind" one of European practices - they remind us of Native American chants, or at least should. Perhaps you can see the callousness of your remarks by turning them around - early- to mid-millennium Euro/Judeo religious practices remind me of ancient Native American homages to spirits and beliefs - gasp, how sacrilegious, right?! And a review such as this would be much more meaningful if the "insights" and comments were not simply repetitious spoutings of a museum guidebook. Some original thought would be appreciated. By the way, despite your arrogant remarks on provinance and ownership, these relics are NOT now "home", they are in a NYC museum for display or arrogantly stated as "owned" by some European bigots - they will be "home" when returned to rightful owners; oh, wait...European exceptionalism has murdered off most of the actual owners, another little tidbit the author so callously tiptoed around by neglecting to mention that unfortunate and uncomfortable word "genocide". Just the euphemistic and common blather of loss of some undefined lands in some foggy time in the past. Wonderful artifacts - degrading article...the NYTimes can do better.
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This is the same reviewer who declared that Thomas Hart Benton is passe and should never be included in a discussion of 'important' American art.
It's always a bad sign when you start to read a critical review and have to backtrack to see who the author is. After reading this piece it is safe to assume that reading this guy's name on any subsequent column heading would let you move on to something much more intelligent. Some other writing that is not 'passe'.
It's always a bad sign when you start to read a critical review and have to backtrack to see who the author is. After reading this piece it is safe to assume that reading this guy's name on any subsequent column heading would let you move on to something much more intelligent. Some other writing that is not 'passe'.
1
How do the expert curators distinguish between art and generic folk craft? The wounded horse and the buffalo-faced mask are truly amazing and relatively modern.
2
Wouldn't it be wonderful if someone (not me) started a Kickstarter or similar campaign to raise money to host Plains Indians teenagers on a trip to NYC to see their beautiful creations -- the same way people created "movie scholarships" for African-American kids to see "Selma?" This is their beautiful heritage, and it would be a note of thanks by the Met and others, a way to express gratitude and make a modicum of amends. Is this show going to travel elsewhere afterwards?
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It spent three months at The Nelson-Atkins in Kansas City, MO - much closer to the homes of the teenagers you're talking about. New York is its last venue.
1
There is a very talented Native American teenager who photographed the Plains sky and landscape that serves as a backdrop in the Met's Plains Indians show. This has opened many doors to her. I've yet to see an article written about her.
1
This exhibit shows that Europeans discovered abstract art in the same since that they discovered America.
Beautiful, simply beautiful.
Beautiful, simply beautiful.
3
A rare and breathtakingly beautiful glimpse of the souls of the indigenous peoples of America.
If only the early settlers had chosen to honor and accommodate their cultures, what an amazing trove of great and incomparable art we would have today.
Instead the leaders of our country, virtually kidnapped their children and sent them to boarding schools where they were not even allowed to speak their own languages or acknowledge their ancient traditions.
These exquisite creations bear a powerful witness to the tragedy of that (and many other) misguided American policies affecting the native peoples of this land.
If only the early settlers had chosen to honor and accommodate their cultures, what an amazing trove of great and incomparable art we would have today.
Instead the leaders of our country, virtually kidnapped their children and sent them to boarding schools where they were not even allowed to speak their own languages or acknowledge their ancient traditions.
These exquisite creations bear a powerful witness to the tragedy of that (and many other) misguided American policies affecting the native peoples of this land.
12
The pipe sticks out like the proverbial sore thumb. That is not Plains, but Hopewell, an Ohio mound building culture with obvious ties to South American cultures. Ah, but the other pieces are exquisite. What patience, what detail, what an eye for riotous beauty. A brief golden age, with the benefit of the European horse, but before the European slaughter.
7
Beautifully written piece. When we read of the destruction of ancient art in Iraq by ISIS fanatics, how many of us realize that we, the Europeans did the same to the art of a rich and diverse native culture here in the Americas?
10
I fail to see how the art stolen from Plains Indians, in many cases long before there was such an entity as the United States, now being displayed in New York City, thousands of miles from the Great Plains, for the eyes of the mostly wealthy New Yorkers and tourists who patronize the Met, has "come home."
15
I largely agree with your comment (see my other post), but it may not be correct to assert that all of these objects were "stolen." In many cases they were likely traded, and it can be an error to impose our present day cultural valuations on such transactions occurring in a very different time and place. An assertion of theft in the form of cheating casts the Native American as ignorant, stupid, or foolish, which assumption cannot be substantiated, and in fact is totally contrary to much other evidence. For all we know, in at least some of these trades, it was the Native American who most benefitted from whatever he (or she?) received for their buffalo skin drawings or whatever. But again I do agree that it is time for these objects truly to return home.
1
Although they were created in North America, I'm not sure that it is accurate or appropriate to say that these works of art are "coming home".
4
How true. Beautifully told, beautifully presented.
7
Wow !! What a gorgeous exhibit, and beautifully presented. Thumbs up - Metropolitan Museum of Art !
To have lived in that much Open Country, to have seen and felt the connection and the divinity between everything: all plants, animals, peoples, and landscapes ~ must have been the most beautiful life imaginable. The way of living with respect for all things, of having one's actions always honorable, of protecting Mother Earth - we, as a modern society have lost so much.
And most of our forefathers called them "savages". Good ol' Manifest Destiny. Its always a great excuse when stealing someone else's land. The incredible detail and amazing quality of this Native Artwork is beyond anything "civilized", and shows the depth of talent, and the heartfelt expression in every brush stroke - every beaded stitch.
I am grateful to the people who organized this exhibit. May we all turn off our cellphones, get out into the Woods, find a quiet place, and feel that heart throb that is still pounding. The Union Troops may have killed off most of these People, but their Spirit is still very much alive, and has greeat relevance for us all, today.
To have lived in that much Open Country, to have seen and felt the connection and the divinity between everything: all plants, animals, peoples, and landscapes ~ must have been the most beautiful life imaginable. The way of living with respect for all things, of having one's actions always honorable, of protecting Mother Earth - we, as a modern society have lost so much.
And most of our forefathers called them "savages". Good ol' Manifest Destiny. Its always a great excuse when stealing someone else's land. The incredible detail and amazing quality of this Native Artwork is beyond anything "civilized", and shows the depth of talent, and the heartfelt expression in every brush stroke - every beaded stitch.
I am grateful to the people who organized this exhibit. May we all turn off our cellphones, get out into the Woods, find a quiet place, and feel that heart throb that is still pounding. The Union Troops may have killed off most of these People, but their Spirit is still very much alive, and has greeat relevance for us all, today.
26
As a white rancher living on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota, I see every day the contrast between the beauty of the Native People and the tragedy of the lives of so many here. I mentioned in here recently that Traditional Lakota conclude their prayers with the phrase "Mitakuye oyasin", which translates as "We are all related". This describes the traditional respect for all aspects of nature.
I would sincerely recommend to any of you who appreciate and respect these amazing works of art to consider attending the Northern Plains Indian Art Market in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on September 17-20, 2015. This will be the 28th annual show and is sponsored by Sinte Gleska University here in Mission, South Dakota. The NPIAM is the premier show and sale for Native art work from the northern plains.
I would sincerely recommend to any of you who appreciate and respect these amazing works of art to consider attending the Northern Plains Indian Art Market in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on September 17-20, 2015. This will be the 28th annual show and is sponsored by Sinte Gleska University here in Mission, South Dakota. The NPIAM is the premier show and sale for Native art work from the northern plains.
55
Wow, a genuine contextual piece of useful information!
Miyatuke oyasin, Friend and Lakota brothers & sisters.
Miyatuke oyasin, Friend and Lakota brothers & sisters.
7
Recently the French have sold at auction items that were sacred to the Hopi and the Navajos. When I viewed the exhibit, I wondered how the French had acquired so many items. Does the author realize what they are saying with the words" Soldiers, traders and priests...bundled it up"? Ask the Lakota Sioux how the French have Red Cloud's clothes? At the very least, recognize these items are not home- they are in a museum in New York City.
47
They haven't really "come home" if hey are at the Met, no?
25
And only temporarily "come home". After the show these wonderful artifacts and art will return to European museums and the arrogant rich who hoard collections - many consisting of stolen art. They should be returned to this country/continent from which they originated and were precious items ifrom a wonderful and majestic culture/society unlike any other in the world.
Wonderful things, evocative of a separate world that was salted through our own. But never have I felt so strongly the loss of the world that these objects came from. What have we done?
29
Saw it in Kansas City last fall. Beautiful and awe-inspiring. Each piece of artwork, whether clothing or sculpture or utensil or headpiece, is displayed artfully as a museum piece in the respectful manner it deserves. This is in stark contrast to the inappropriate ways that native American original people artifacts are often displayed in museums, in a replicated village or campfire setting. The five buffalo skin tapestries are incredible, one from Lewis and Clark expedition.
20
Holland Cotter has a way of putting these images into words that make the eyes more observant and the heart more open.
15
'At the same time, no culture produced more vivacious and emotionally empathetic depictions of animals, who were regarded as having sensitivities and knowledge beyond a human’s range.'
In our times, researchers who have lived with animals, like Jane Goodall and her time spent with chimpanzees, have shown us what the Native peoples in America have known for so long. These early indigenous people displayed a reverence and gratefulness for the animals which gave their lives in the hunt, and recognized well as Chief Red Crow Westerman said, that all animals are our cousins and are deserving of our respect. We are re-learning as moderns that animals too have emotions, many like our own, expressing sadness, sorrow, playfulness and pure innocent joy.
The writer of this review is clearly moved by what is seen in this magnificent display of Native American artifacts. It is beautifully written. What an inspiration to see such carefully crafted and wondrous creations from the first Americans, rare moments preserved in time.
In our times, researchers who have lived with animals, like Jane Goodall and her time spent with chimpanzees, have shown us what the Native peoples in America have known for so long. These early indigenous people displayed a reverence and gratefulness for the animals which gave their lives in the hunt, and recognized well as Chief Red Crow Westerman said, that all animals are our cousins and are deserving of our respect. We are re-learning as moderns that animals too have emotions, many like our own, expressing sadness, sorrow, playfulness and pure innocent joy.
The writer of this review is clearly moved by what is seen in this magnificent display of Native American artifacts. It is beautifully written. What an inspiration to see such carefully crafted and wondrous creations from the first Americans, rare moments preserved in time.
51
The robes in the exhibit are a real gem. Incredible the French kept them at all.
19
When will curators learn?? Background sounds are distracting and do not enoble or improve the experience of seeing art. (Frankly, a turn-off-- have a space with noise and a film and let the rest be silent. Seeing can require silence!!) meantime, it would be nice if the Met had more benches in the galleries as the population continues to age and pregnant ladies like to sit as well!!!
39
This is a good comment on both parts. In Kansas City the exhibit was quiet, rightfully so. And benches for sitting started about halfway through the exhibit. That was a great idea, because we spent longer looking and reading the interpretive texts than I ever expected to. I can't recommend this show of magical pieces (that horse effigy in the photo!) enough. Some of the bead-work pieces, like the vests, you want to circle and spend time admiring and wondering, "How did they possibly do that?" Go see.
4
I would have liked to know how much of the artifacts are owned by private collectors, or museums.
17
58 museums from around the world contributed.
6
Incredibly beautiful, thought-provoking and poignant. Thank to to all involved for bringing this to us.
30