A Life in Beds: The Stories a Plain Dress Can Tell

Hello bloggers!!! Today we’ll review the web page “A Life in Beds: The Stories a Plain Dress Can Tell”, this site is design by The Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, gathering various cultural items from different Indian nations and tribes and presenting them in their cultural context in order to be a teaching material for children in grades levels from 4 to 6.

In here the students will meet three generations of Assiniboine/Sioux women who make traditional dresses and with their art and stories they’ll teach the preservation of native culture and great importance of traditions. Also it will teach the students the meaning of symbols and designs.

All this will be accomplish by displaying a poster of an Assiniboine/Sioux dress with all the designs and symbols for examination, explaining the traditions, pronunciation, defining the word tradition and viewing a map with the location of the tribes among other things.  

 

“In this poster, students will be introduced to three generations of Assiniboine (pronounced Uh-SINNA-boyn)/Sioux (pronounced SUE) women who make traditional dresses. Through their stories and their art, students will learn about the importance of preserving Native culture and see how families share and pass down traditions. Students will gain an understanding of the ongoing Plains traditions of beadwork and quillwork—decorative arts done with beads and porcupine quills—and the “giveaway” (an honoring celebration). Students will explore the significance of designs and symbols found on dresses and better understand the Plains peoples’ long-standing, close connection to their surroundings and natural resources.” ¹

In conclusion I encourage everyone, not only the children, to visit http://nmai.si.edu and review this website to learn about this great culture, ways and history! 

APS, American Philosophical Society

Native American Images Project

Hi fellows bloggers! Today I am writing about a webpage of Native Americans Images, in order to clarify the erroneous illustrations that made a wrong idea and stereotypes, in the mind of the rest of the world, of the indigenous people.

This webpage is created and managed by the American Philosophical Society, (APS), whom work publishing pictures and images of Native Americans to demonstrate the incorrect stereotype that conquerors and Europeans made believe in past time, in form of an excuse to steal, to massacre, to deceive and to expel the indigenous people from their land, to take it and grab the natural resources.

“Stereotypes of Native Americans have a problematic history. Images have played a large role in spreading incorrect or exaggerated ideas about Native peoples. Although these pictures are sometimes difficult to examine closely, it is important to understand such stereotypes as part of the historical record. A small selection of such images from the APS collections is reproduced here, to make the pictures available for study and critical analysis.”

Also this site shows the fact that by the 1800s the scientists tried to prove the inferiority of the indigenous race by comparing and measuring against the white race. Some others images tried, (and succeed), to make seem the Native American people as vicious savages in seek of blood and revenge; another way more to make excuses and keep abusing the Natives Americans.

 “Some illustrations of conquest from the 1600s and 1700s falsely portrayed indigenous people as superstitious and uncivilized. During the 1800s, a century of intense conflict between Natives and whites, many images presented a distorted view of Indian warriors, showing them not as men fighting to preserve their lands and rights, but rather as bloodthirsty savages.”

“Soon thereafter, the controversial American eugenics movement misused evolutionary theory. Eugenicists argued that some people—including ethnic minorities such as Native Americans—had “inferior” genes and thus should be discouraged from reproducing. Such ideas caused significant damage before they were finally discredited.”

The APS also shows various options to explore in their webpage like; Cultural Sensitivity, Families & Communities, Stereotypes, Then & Now and more; this makes the visit valuable and rewarding. I encourage you to visit this site and explore it, you will found it interesting, and for sure you will like it, guaranteed! So go on and visit the American Philosophical Society, (APS), Native Americans Image Project, in http://www.amphilsoc.org/exhibit/natamimages/stereotypes

United South and Eastern Tribes

                Tonight I reviewed the United South and Eastern Tribes (USET) website. This organization is a compilation of 26 federally recognized sovereign nations spanning from Texas to Maine. Their motto, "because there is strength in unity," echoes the Pan-Indian movement and is supported by their mission statement. It states they are "dedicated to enhancing the development of federally recognized Indian Tribes, to improving the capabilities of Tribal governments, and assisting the USET Members and their governments in dealing effectively with public policy issues and in serving the broad needs of Indian people."

            I believe this site was included in the module three resources because it directly relates to the module three discussions. USET strives to combat all of the issues modern Native American nations face including poverty, disputes over natural resources, education, government-to-government relationships, and  strengthen tribal governments and autonomy. Overall the website is well organized, it is easy to navigate and it contains pertinent information to modern issues. The websites seems to be updated regularly and contains enough visuals to keep the user interested beyond the actual content and resources.

            It is refreshing to see that the Pan-Indian movement is alive and thriving. USET is proof of this. I feel that this type of collaboration between native nations is one of the best ways for their survival. This collaboration allows for tribes with more experience with a specific challenge to relay their knowledge to tribes with less experience in that matter. Though USET is only composed of 26 nations, my hope is they will continue to grow their members "because there is strength in unity."

References

United South and Eastern Tribes. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2015. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usetinc.org%2F>.

The Museum of Southeast American Indian

Tonight I reviewed the Museum of the Southeast American Indian website found at <http://www.uncp.edu/academics/opportunities-programs-resources/opportunities-programs/museum-southeast-american-indian>. "The mission of The Museum of the Southeast American Indian is to educate and serve the public about the prehistory, history, culture, art and contemporary issues of American Indians, with special emphasis on the Native American communities of Robeson County, of North Carolina and of the American Southeast; to conduct scholarly research; to collect and preserve the material culture of Native America; to encourage American Indian artists and crafts persons; and to cooperate on a wide range of research and service projects with other institutions and agencies concerned with American Indians." This website is a reflection of the museum's mission statement. The site is clean, professional and easy to navigate. I thought it was great that upcoming events are posted on the home page, for example:

 One of the first things I was drawn to was the art. Here are few of my favorite pieces:

Dance To Your Own Tune

Mixed Media by Alceon Jones, Lumbee

I love the vibrant colors and fluidity of the lines.

 

God's Creation Emerging

Walnut by Bernice Locklear, Lumbee

This sculpture is so intriguing! It is completely open to interpretation as to what is 'emerging.' I see lots of shapes that remind me of animals like the tail like line near the bottom and the shape at the top which could be a snout or eye. Turning the sculpture gives it a completely different feel and makes the sculpture take on a more terrain shape, reflecting maybe a mountainside with a river below.

Turtle Tales

Mixed Media by Alceon Jones, Lumbee

These little turtles are simply adorable! I had to include them.

I enjoyed the various pictures found throughout the site but I found that there is not much actual information. The site does a great job providing additional links but only contains some information regarding the museum and the Native American Student Organization. Despite this, I think it worthy of spending a few minutes to browse through. Enjoy!