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Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, NE Main St, Lewistown, MT, USA

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BABY CARRIER From Upper Missouri River area. Eastern Sioux, 19th century ce.

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Upper Missouri River NE Main St, Lewistown, MT, USA

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Upper Missouri River NE Main St, Lewistown, MT, USA

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The prairie style was developed due to the interaction of Eastern Woodland painters with other Plain artists. This interaction was a result of European settlers on the Eastern shore began to convert the forest into the farms. The European seized the land of Eastern Woodlands and forced them westward. Woodland art focused on fragile arts like quillworks, which is the process of soaking porcupine and birds’ quills, which are shaped into rectilinear forms on artifacts like baskets. The baby carrier shown is decorated with symbols of protection. The thunderbirds were known to protect against human and supernatural. This is important since it shows how certain art developed due to the forced movement of villages done by European settlers.

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Congo, Kongo Central, Democratic Republic of the Congo

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POWER FIGURE (NKISI NKONDE)From the Democratic Republic of Congo. Kongo culture,19th century ce

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Congo, Kongo Central, Democratic Republic of the Congo

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Congo, Kongo Central, Democratic Republic of the Congo

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The Kongo had a central belief in sacred medicine and divine protection. They believed that this sacred medicine was brought by God from heaven into a vessel set in stone. A nkisi is a spirit in a form of a container that is activated by supernatural forces. This is an example of nkisi, in a form a power figure, seemingly carved in human form to represent human affairs. This was used to take as an oat to resolve verbal disputes and it was used to avenge the wrong doers. These were also guardian of evil spirits and were recognizable by accumulation of nails and sharp objects like glass inserted in their belly. As European colonial ruled, they removed local judicial authorities in villages and merged it with the capital city. Nkisi Nkonde served as an important part of the justice system in these villages. However, during the colonial rule these items were considered fetish objects and were confiscated by missionaries. However, now in movies and shows these are often shown as voodoo dolls used to stereotype African traditions.

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• KENTE CLOTH From Ghana. Ashanti culture, c. 1980 ce.

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Kante, traditionally was reserved for Asante (people of Ghana) royalty for sacred occasions and it was associated with wealth and social status. Kante was also found in shrines as a mark of spiritual power. The pattern presented here is Oyokoman Adweneasa, which is a reference to the elaborate pattern that is woven until there is no available space left, it has gold and green stripes set on red grounds. The threads used were cotton and then silk, which the Asante people got by unraveling Chinese cloth. This cloth was obtained due to European trade. The weaving involves crossing row of parallel threads woven into another row. Parts of the pattern has specific symbols and meaning, and these are mainly made by men. Now the thread is made of Rayon, many African artist now mix elements of American, European with African traditions post colonization. These fabrics are made in many different parts of the world and the prints are readily available to people not just reserved for royalty. Now it is not just made into robes but also made into dresses, bags and mass produced.  However, it is still regarded as a symbol of history and ancestry.

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• BATTLE SCENE, HIDE PAINTING From North Dakota. Mandan, 1797–1800 ce. Tanned buffalo hide, 

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After 16th century the Spanish explorers introduced firearms which made hunting buffalo very efficient. The buffalo hide was used to cover the framework of the poles that made the tepes, which required 20-40 buffalo hides. The men would record their symbolic and narrative paintings on the hide. The hide would be often made into a robe to commemorate a mighty soldier. This hide illustrates the battle of 1797. The painter pressed lines in the hide and then fill it with black, red, yellow or brown pigments. However, in 1869 when transcontinental railway was completed by the Euro-American, which brought increasing number of settlers into the lands of Native American. The new settlers killed most of the buffalos and the Native American were not able to continue their ways of living in the plains. It is notable because it demonstrates how colonization damaged the Natives' art and way of life, as they no longer had enough buffalo hides to secure their tepees.

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KWAKWAKA’WAKW (KWAKIUTL) BIRD MASKFrom Alert Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada. Prior to 1951 ce.Cedar wood, cedar bark, feathers, and fiber, 10″ 5 72″ 5 15″(25.

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Kwakwaka’wakw are one of the indigenous groups that live in western coast of British Columbia, Canada. Masks like these were passed between family members, to show the sign of person’s rank or status during potlatch which was to seek spiritual renewal. This ritual initiated new members into Hamasta society, the ritual including the masked bird dancers. These marks were carved and painted on wood, operated by strings. These potlatches were banned by Canadian government as the Christian missionaries thought it was cannibalism and hindered economic development. These prohibitions led to confiscation of these masks. However, the people of Kwakwaka’wakw refused to give in, Willie Seweed; the chief of the clan tried to keep up their tradition alive. This mask has great significance because now many indigenous people have been trying to regain possession of their objects and rituals that are now present in Museums as art. Even though most indigenous people are still not allowed to perform their rituals.