Plains Anthropology Conference, 2014

Its almost time for the annual Plains Conference, this year to be held in Fayetteville, AR at the end of October. Will likely drive down, stopping at Cahokia along the way. Need to get my presentation abstract submitted...will discuss Plains Apache tipi designs and need to finish up my paper for submission to the journal. John Ewers discussed a few of the painted lodges in his publication on Kiowa tipi designs:

but there is a bit more to say on the topic from Mooney's papers such as Itselpa's (Chalepah) tipi drawing, as well as some updates on contemporary tipis, including several owned by the Chalepah family today.

   (drawing of Itselpa tipi, James Mooney collection, National Anthropological Archives)

(possible drawing of Itselpah tipi in Blackbear's Calendar (1911), National Museum of American History...forthcoming discussion in an article for Great Plains Quarterly)
                                        

Horace Poolaw

My friend Fred McColly kindly gave me the new Horace Poolaw photo book for my birthday. This has been a long time in the making and should give Horace the attention he has deserved. Its a nice book to compliment many of my other Poolaw resources!!

For a Love of His People: The Photography of Horace Poolaw (The Henry Roe Cloud Series on American Indians and Modernity). Smithsonian Institution Press (2014)

Native Art class begins!

The new semester has begun and lots of students are enrolled in my class....we have been looking at examples of traditional arts from the major culture areas and later we will discuss some modern art forms. Students will create blogs & post on art they have found interesting & even provocative, sharing their thoughts with classmates. A few are learning about beadwork (starting with rosettes just to get our fingers limber) and may explore additional projects.

I'm looking forward to working on the other rosettes that will be part of Kaya's blanket strip, with the larger whale medallion in the middle. Some of my bead tools & supplies are parked in my campus office so perhaps I can grab a few minutes now and then to lay down a few!! I can work on these as students make their own...what could be more fun that beading, listening to music and drinking coffee in the afternoon in my new sunny office? Just wish I had comfy chairs...

South African beadwork

I exchange postcards internationally through an organization called Postcrossing. Recently I communicated with a very nice woman in South Africa who also shares a love of beadwork. European beads were introduced into African societies at about the same time as they came to Native Americans, although older Arab glass beads were also known along the eastern coast. Artists embraced them in the past as well as the present

A Ndebele jogola, bridal apron
The Ndebele were dispersed by the Zulu and came into contact with Sotho where they were influenced artistically. Women wore different types of beaded clothing depending on their age. A bride received a white sheepskin apron from her in-laws and then decorated it with white beads. The five hanging panels represent her ability to produce children. More recent examples feature different colors of beadwork.

Xhosa inkciyo, under apron
worn by both Xhosha and Thembe people of the Eastern Cape, these aprons are made and worn by girls during their initiation into womanhood and then passed on to an younger female relative. The two yellow strings of beads are symbolic of fertility.

Slimy, slimy rawhide

After soaking my small rawhide dog bone overnight I unwrapped and tacked the strips to plywood for drying. They need to be stretched better to avoid wrinkles; may soak again and squeeze under a heavy concrete block to see if that helps. In this first try the bone was too small and yielded small strips (but these can be used for mini Xmas ornament versions and for a doll I have not yet finished). But its good to try with a small version and work out the problems....

I have 2 more bones now soaking in a large storage tote...the smaller is 18" and the larger is close to 3 feet, so both will provide more work surface. I will need to get a larger board to tack down the strips (or possibly just use my outdoor deck). I did learn that the hide is slimy and made it difficult to firmly grip a nail...The instructions suggest having someone help with the stretching and this seems like good advice.

Fortunately my dog was able to help me tidy up any remaining bits. The hide was from Mexico so I hope it is safe to eat (heard Chines hides can make dogs ill). She seems to have a keen interest in this project!

Parfleche project

I am needing something to do this summer and want to find small projects that my students can try in the new class. Decided I will make a parfleche envelope for starters and found an easy set of instructions on the web. Sadly, my local Tandy store closed and sheets of rawhide have really increased in price, but this web idea calls for soaking and opening up a dog chewie...so a cheap one is currently soaking overnight in tupperware on my kitchen counter. I have bigger sized bones, but will start small. I also ordered a book with design patterns from Crazy Crow and will need to order powdered paints or paint cookies. Found some great info on the painting process from a site that specializes in repairing and replicating historic museum items.

Parfleches served mobile Plains people as containers for clothing, food etc and come in many sizes & shapes. Here is an old Cheyenne example of the envelope.

Modern examples are more decorative art...I like fringe and I will try to get Pendleton blanket fabric remnant instead of the very expensive trade wool for the edges. Strips sell on ebay for $5 and should offer enough fabric for this project.

I like the idea of making miniature ones for my dolls so will save all the bits of dog bone rawhide that get trimmed away. This seems like a simple fun project that students can do for little money and yet learn about hidework, some designs & painting techniques and have something unusual to show for the effort. Perhaps some students will want to move on to a larger box:

Native Art class, Fall 2014

Several years ago I proposed creating a Native Am art class, which was approved, but other teaching obligations prevented me from offering it. Surprisingly there are no similar courses within the Indian University system.

I anticipate half the students will have a Fine Arts background, while the others will be Anthropology majors, a good mix of understandings. Hopefully all will try their hand at something...perhaps using class ideas in their art labs, making ceramics or paintings inspired by Native themes. Others may be willing to do some workshops on beading, dolls, or moccasins. Perhaps someone will be ambitious and consider making a bandolier bag! I wish I had personal experience with basketry and porcupine quill work. So many wonderful friends possess knowledge & skills but live too far away...Donna makes Cherokee baskets, Tracy makes awesome Southern Plains feather fans, and Rhonda is better at peyote stitch than I am (just can't figure out those patterns!).

It will be fun!

weaving updates

I found a great suggestion in one of my new weaving books on how to make a loom; it was basic and I did it myself. Its a good size (3 x 4) for small pieces, but I can use it for more than just samplers or coasters. It is easy to assemble/disassemble for storing, but once it is warped it will be in my living room for a long time so I need to figure out a way to protect it from the cats!

A friend ordered some hand-dyed Churro wool from New Mexico; I had saved their web address as I was planning to order from them myself! I will get some more yarn plus warping wool and tools.

Went to a nice Native art store in Michigan last weekend and bought a small sampler just to keep myself focused...the shop owners buy directly from Navajo & Pueblo artists. Its a simple piece and wasn't expensive....just needed a little something to remind me of what I'd like to try and achieve one day!!

more thoughts on learning to weave...

I'm still considering my idea about learning how to weave...am trying to go slow, learn as much as I can and consider if I have the time and the money to begin a new project. I bought 2 books to get some basic information: Caroline Spurgeon's Weaving the Navajo Way and Noel Bennett's Navajo Weaving Way. Both are helpful but I like the Bennnett book as it has more on the culture; but they both offer good descriptions and pictures of how to set up a loom, warp and weave.
I have considered making a loom or buying one. Most instructional websites show students starting out on a small one, making "samplers" a miniature rug perhaps 20" x 20." I understand the need to begin small and learn technique, then gradually move to larger work, but I'm impatient and don't know what I would do with samplers except to make them into small pillowcovers. On the other hand a small loom is portable, easier to store and its going to take a long time to learn technique. But I think a medium size would offer more possibilities for subsequent use...on the theory I don't get discouraged and give up immediately!

My original idea was to make something I could attach Kaya's beaded whale strip to.....and a better understanding of 1st Phase Chief's Blankets seems to offer a good possibility! Interestingly 1st Phase blankets made in the mid-1800s were white & blue striped...this would offer a great background for a beaded strip and I can slowly learn how to weave while at the same time as making something useful. The Bennett book notes it is traditional for the first weaving to be stripes instead of intricate patterns, a good plan!So I think I can move ahead with this possibility...

weaving

In a high school art class I wove a new seat for an old folding camp stool...it was such a fun project but that's all the weaving I've even done, so I decided its time to learn a bit more. I plan to get a Navajo style loom; found some basic plans on the internet and thought to either make it myself or to have my neighbor who does furniture refinishing & cabinetry make one. I found several web sites for weaving classes; students use a small table size loom to learn warping and basic techniques. They also had some book recommendations, so I will start this way too (but without the benefit of classes taught by experienced weavers). 2 books are ordered and I found a weaving supply website that carries looms, tools and wool (actually I found several good sites) so I know how to get started. It looks to be a good activity for cold winter days stuck inside except I should be doing bead work on those days, with plenty of projects waiting for my attention!
Part of this desire to weave is my frustration at not finding an affordably priced blanket to use for baby Kaya's whale blanket strip...the closest is the Pendelton whale but its too busy...best would be the Hudson Bay white with blue stripes but its out of production; vintage HB blankets can be expensive but I'm trying to snag one! Alternatively I can make one, or a wool wall hanging of some kind anyway.

But I'm not vain enough to think I can ever produce something particularly grand, still I can try and in doing so learn about the history and traditions of SW weaving plus have a better appreciation of the art form by understanding it more. So I'll start small and see how it goes...I'm sure the cats will enjoy the wool yarn!