From "Sovereign Bones; New Native American Writing" by Eric Gansworth
Though issues surrounding repatriation almost always concern static material objects, we know the power of understanding our own times and places as well. Most of those items indigenous Nations want returned to them represent specific times in tribal time lines, and the memory of those things is key to remembering the history of this continent. Those catalogued bones, those climate-controlled personal effects, they speak in the ways they can, of the loss and of their time. We, contemporary indigenous people, tend to look toward the past nearly to the point of discrediting or devaluing our own experiences as critical places on the continuum of indigenous life on this continent. Understanding that our own lives and actions are this significant as well, and taking back our own stories is as much a linchpin to our cultures as anything else.
Speaking through Our Nations' Teeth:
While an impressive number of indigenous languages still have many intergenerational fluent speakers, the survival of an alarming number of languages rest in the hands of fewer people than nearly anywhere else in the world. Despite the realities carrying on a legitimate conversation in many indigenous languages is possible for fewer than ten people, writers and artists are often significant players in reflecting on their ancestral languages, and the ways in which those languages endure, despite the overwhelming use of English in most indigenous households. They understand that idiom is often a large part of culture, revealing in its idiosyncrasies the ways in which people think. The survival of a language is the survival of a culture, and some artists have made the incorporation of their language a key component in their work, understanding the interdependency of language and culture.
Snagging the Eye from Curtis:
Indigenous artists almost universally deal with identity and representation in their work, in varying degrees, and as such, must contend with issues of intellectual property. The long standing tradition of others representing indigenous cultures and peoples stems heavily from the Edward Curtis images so entrenched in the broader culture. It is a strange time to be an indigenous artist in a culture that responds with a prevailing thought that the work in question is not “Indian enough” if it does not explicitly include indigenous imagery defined by an “Other.” Contemporary indigenous art is cultural defense and continued transmission of traditional ideas and contemporary manifestations of the culture are cornerstones to cultural survival.
Rolling those Sovereign Bones:
The bone game is indeed, a gamble, an entrenched part of many indigenous cultures. As in any form of gambling, risk is inherent, and those people from indigenous communities who have chosen the artist's life, understand that theirs is a gamble for survival. Their subversive acts, keeping their cultures alive, by necessity, use the tools of the oppressors, the English language, written forms of communication, western publishing models, digital technology, film, and myriad other forms of current information transmission. The risk inherent in learning to use the oppressors’ tools so fluently and naturally that even they will not be aware we are rebuilding ourselves with their tools is that often, our own people become suspicious of our motivations. This is the struggle of the indigenous artist, wrestling with the nature of audience and reasons for creating.
2006 Avalon Publishing
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