American Indians - US Department of State

American Indians


First lady Laura Bush with artist Larry McNeil, who displays his lithograph >i>First Light, Winter Solstice. (State Dept./Mark Stewart) (State Dept./Mark Stewart)

U.S. Embassies To Show Works of Five American Indian Artists

The works of five prominent American Indian artists soon will be on display at U.S. embassies worldwide, introducing foreign audiences to the richness and variety of contemporary American Indian art. Norman Akers (of the Osage tribe), Mario Martinez (Yaqui), Larry McNeil (Tlingit), Jaune Quick-to-See Smith (Flathead Salish) and Marie Watt (Seneca) -- artists who often utilize traditional American Indians motifs in unexpected ways -- were selected by the U.S. State Department and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian to have their work showcased overseas. The embassy-bound artworks, which were commissioned for the State Department’s Artists Becoming Ambassadors [ART] in Embassies program, are unveiled at a Washington reception. (complete text)

American Indians Seek Greater Understanding, Recognition

A recent study highlights continuing misconceptions about American Indians, but also reveals the sympathy with which many Americans view Indians’ history and desire to learn more about their past and present. The study reveals that, even though American Indians might feel isolated, misunderstood and culturally threatened in contemporary America, they take pride in their economic accomplishments and believe their lives are improving. “The biggest fight that we have is [about] identity,” a New York Indian tells researchers. (complete text)

National Powwow Honors American Indian Cultural Traditions

Since the late 19th century, powwows have been a significant social and cultural force in the lives of the indigenous people of North America. Bringing together American Indians from different tribes to dance, sing and share traditions, these social events are held throughout the United States from March to September, but the largest on the East Coast is the National Powwow, a biennial event in Washington that attracts members of some 250 tribal nations from the United States and Canada. “I want to show people that there’s more to us than what they have seen in movies,” said Wylie Bearstail, of the Hidatsa and Arikara people, who performs as a grass dancer. (complete text)

American Indian Dresses Blend Tradition and Innovation

The prominent roles of women in American Indian societies are mirrored in the evolving designs of the ceremonial dresses and accessories they have created over the past 200 years, says Emil Her Many Horses, an expert on Northern and Southern Plains cultures at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian. Her Many Horses, a member of the Oglala Lakota (Sioux) nation of South Dakota and co-curator of “Identity by Design: Tradition, Change, and Celebration in Native Women’s Dresses,” talks with USINFO about the exhibit and the rich cultural heritage it showcases. (complete text)

SPECIAL FEATURE

Edward S. Curtis, Native American photographer

Visions of Native Americans: The Photographs of Edward S. Curtis