Indigenous Art Appropriation

The Canadian North, a rugged landscape often glamorized as a land of adventure and promise, hides a dark history. From the early day’s of the gold rush, when the land was first colonised, to the attempted cultural assimilation of the indigenous peoples through residential schools, the people native to the area are still in a struggle of identity and culture, and the resulting effects such as high suicide rates, poverty and drug abuse,. It is through this lens that I will examine the work of Ted Harrison, a prolific English artist who spent the majority of his life living in the Yukon and painting the contemporary society that he saw around him. There is no doubt that his work was highly intertwined with the indigenous culture, and as such his identity brings up questions regarding the appropriation of native american culture. To that end, this essay will look at the context of his biography, the subject matter of his work, and compare it to contemporary Native American artists in order to clarify the nature of his art.

In our world today there are many books and computer hard drives filled with the most current world histories. However, unlike the people of the west, the Native Americans did not keep chronological record of their past history.11 Since the Native Americans have no written histories, most of the history about their past come to us in form of stories passed down from their ancestors through generations. In order for the Native Americans to be completely understood their oral traditions must be studied and not cast aside as mere myths & legends of an illiterate race.

In this paper, the term aesthetic diplomacy, as what Michelle Raheja defines in her book Reservation Reelism, “operates as a cultural ambassador of sorts, providing a space of mediation for an individual or community’s artistic, cultural, and political concerns on Indigenous terms” (Raheja 19). I argue that the whole film of Manawan youth correcting their lives on the chalkboard establishes a form of aesthetic diplomacy. To support my claim, I will look into the following scene of the film. In the beginning of the film, all the youth from Manawan look really upset and vulnerable as they writing down all the terrible words that the white people used to describe them such as “Kawish” or savages. One of them said that when they go to the town to buy something, the town people would always yell at them to go back where they came from and even worth, they might throw food to Manawan people. As you can see from the above scenes, the English-speaking white people did not accept aboriginal people such as Atikamekw at that time and they just hated and showed great contempt for indigenous people just because they speak another language. However, there is a big

Lorraine O’Gradys’ unintentionally historic performances, seemingly elevate everyday life to the status of art. In her ‘exhibit’ at the Studio Museum, her work is represented through photographs, in ‘Art is…’. Thirty years ago, O’Grady presented ‘Art is’ in the form of a float in the African American Day Parade right here in Harlem. Performers pranced with empty frames, metaphorically capturing fleeting pictures of the people and places that surrounded the route of the parade. By doing so, the trappings of high art were brought out of the museum, into the street, which promotes a new way people might begin to recognize this new art form in the celebrations of every day life. The

Native American art is a profoundly expressive culture that has been a way of life for so many Native Americans. Native American art history has advanced over thousands of years and is composed of several idiosyncratic styles from the differentiating cultures of diverse Indian tribes. From Navajo to Hopi, each tribe has a particular history, which consists of many types of Native American arts including beadwork, jewelry, weaving, pottery, carvings, kachinas, masks, totem poles, and more. To truly understand Native American art, we will explore Native American art history, its subjects, and if Native American art has a spiritual connection to it.

The Canadian government was being deceitful towards the Mohawk peoples; they ignored their claims to the land and decided to build anyway. This was unjust act was bound to be followed by retaliation. Even after the crisis ended in September of 1990, one of the non-aboriginal locals stoned 75 cars that had aboriginal women, children, and elderly inside. This shows the hatred and disrespect for people who were just defending what was rightfully theirs. Cases like this one help to make Canadian's more aware of the current situation with the First Nations. It shows them how the government is and has been failing to treat the First Nations people fairly when it comes to their rights to the land.

The traditional aboriginal art depicts places, events and dreaming ancestors, also incorporating actual events, whereas the temporary was only for initiation ceremonies and funerals. The aboriginal art opens up ways of communicating the close relationship between the ancestral beings and the laws, views, values, ceremonies and obligations of the people. They enable understanding and knowledge within a community and also partcially the outside world.

Aboriginal art has many inspiring aspects such as the link that it has to the past of Aboriginal people, kinship the dreaming, land and reconciliation. Charlie Colbung is the artist behind a large beautiful acrylic painting exhibited in the Plantagenet community resource centre, in Mount Barker Western Australia. Colbung’s painting is called ‘Past to Present’ and represents the journey to reconciliation of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Full of depth, texture, colour and numerous artistic elements to entice audiences to engage and analyse his lovely art work as well as critically reflect on the art and the meaning behind the painting. Charlie Colbungs painting Past to Present is a beautiful example of Aboriginal art work.

Cultural appropriation is shown in many ways among the public. When a member of the majority takes an element of a minority culture and attempts to make it their own, they are appropriating the minority’s culture. Appropriating a culture is disrespectful and can lead to loss of valuable meaning of cultural practices. This is shown in many ways, such as the use of blackface or wearing a significant piece of Native American history as a fashion accessory. Each of these elements is an example of appropriation of a minority culture and is never acceptable and needs to be stopped.

Emily Carr is one of the most recognizable and celebrated Canadian artists. Her art embodies the fusion of modernist European techniques with a uniquely Canadian subject matter. Although troubled as a woman, Emily Carr became a progressive Canadian artist because of her unprecedented use of modernist styles in a Canadian setting. To explore her painting style first I will examine her role as a woman in the art world. Secondly, I will analyze her artistic inspiration from modernist movements. Thirdly, I will explore how her consistent subject matter of landscapes and indigenous culture. Together, these elements combine to make Emily Carr a distinctive painter in Canada.

The issue of the missing and murdered indigenous women is a headache everyone in Canada should worry about. These missing women are like every other woman in Canada and the same rights that keeps the other women safe should also keep the indigenous women safe. Ignoring the issue of the missing women, the government of Canada is going back on its words as it has promised to take care of them. The indigenous people lack support or good homes and they raise their families on the reserves which are not well taken care of nor safe. It is really disturbing because the Canadian government does not see this issue as something serious which indirectly means that the indigenous people are seen as unimportant and they seem to be the Canadian government’s

History was often written by an elite and privileged few. These people tended to marginalize the many voices of minority groups. As critical thinkers, it is important to analyze the histories of these groups for a better understanding of why “official stories” of Aboriginal people exist in such a way. By critically examining the history of First Nations and White relations in nineteenth century Canada, “Joe the Painter” and “We Must Farm to Enable us to Live” are able to challenge the common misconceptions of Aboriginals.

As Canada is influenced by European art, people in Canada are in search of art style that can call their own. After 1900, various groups of people such as a group of seven, Automatistes, and Regina Five emerge to create a unique art style that can call as Canadian art. Although the Carr and Humphrey are not in these famous groups, they are famous in their own way and leave a mark in Canadian art history. By examining the life of the artists: Carr and Humphrey, we can know why they choose their subject matter, what influence them whether people or philosophical ideas, how the social and political context that influence the type of artist are making and how do their artwork reflect upon Canadian and its identity. By discussing the artist’s life,

The Groups masterworks have a perseverance and impact that represent some aspect of the Canadian experience. However, it is important to remember that the Groups perspective was that of a white, liberal, nationalist who believes Canada is a vast and empty land, waiting to be occupied. In his lecture, Andrew Hunter emphasizes the importance of challenging the relevancy of the Groups work as well as brought to light the cultures and individuals these painters forgot or excluded from the Canadian image.

Paraskeva Clark was a Canadian painter born in Russia, and she is an important painter in the history of Canadian art, especially in the context of immigrants who came to Canada and brought with them their own culture. “Considered one of the most accomplished Canadian painters of the 1930s and 1940s, she was one of few Canadian artists of the time who used her art to convey her passionate political convictions” (Library and Archives Canada, 2000), something that was incredibly controversial – especially for women – and yet hallmarked her as one of the most incisive and critical painters of the 20th century. This had a lot to do with the life she had led and the struggled that had helped to define her not only as an artist, but as a woman and