It is our last blog post! Wow has the time gone by fast! For the last assignment, we were asked to write more of an essay-style blog entry that was a little longer and focused on reflecting upon our digital project that we completed a couple of weeks ago rather than the typical blog post we have been used to all term. For my digital project, I chose a painting that originated in the American Southwest, known as Two Indian Boys. The painting stuck out to me right away due to the colors and contrast between the darkness of the painting and the light produced by the fire in the background. I also found the native boys to be extremely relatable as well which is another reason why I chose this artifact. The artist, Monroe Frederick, was a Hopi native who was interested in depicting her people interacting, focusing on what they enjoyed doing like the boys are depicted as painting or drawing here. It was hard for me to find anything related to Frederick when researching them more, but I did find a biographical entry about him on an archival website. The biography talks about Frederick’s talent, which Edward Ayer originally discovered. It also goes on to talk about their interactions, in which Ayer commissioned Frederick to paint mainly in watercolors, which he believed showed his talent to the best of his abilities. The article also states that Ayer, “commissioned him at once to paint fifteen pictures for him at $75.” The exchange rate at the time may have been a little off, but I feel as if that money did not fully reflect Frederick’s talents and abilities and I can’t help but think that he may have been taken advantage of by a more powerful person at the time. Regardless, it was interesting to dig up some more information on Frederick and explore more about him.
Being a Hopi native, I wanted to continue looking at their culture and some other ways how they used art in their everyday lives. Digging into more research, I found the Hopi were more well-known for woven items rather than paintings, such as the one Frederick produced. I also found that they are famous for an item known as a Kachina doll. These dolls were made for spiritual regions, as the Hopi believed the dolls “control other aspects of the natural world and society, and act as messengers between humans and the spirit world. The Hopi believe that the kachinas are divine and sacred beings.” These dolls seem to be a really important aspect of their culture and women are taught how to make them at a very young age. The source I found about Hopi art and culture also touched on the pottery they made and went through the process the artists went through to eventually make what they wanted. I think another aspect of the pottery making was that the clay came from their land, which was really important to them as well. The article also talked about how they went about decorating the pottery they made. It states, “Mineral or vegetal paints, such as the tansy mustard for black paint, are used for painting pottery. Paint was applied with a yucca leaf brush. After the design is applied, pottery is fired out in the open over a fire. The pottery is placed upside down on sandstone platform or grate over a fire and covered with large pottery shards to protect the new pottery. The firing take several hours until the ashes from the fire is nearly cold, after which the pottery is removed and inspected.” This process is very similar to the one artists use now when firing the clay in a kiln, but this process is a lot more natural and complex. The pottery itself was used for serving food, carrying water, and storing seeds to be planted in the next season. Other reasons for making the pottery included ceremonial purposes. The Hopi were also famous for their woven baskets and textiles, which the article also talks about. The main purpose for the baskets was for personal belongings, and it is stated in the article that baskets were always unique and were made specifically for the person in mind. Textiles they made include “belts, sashes, blankets, women’s dresses (mantas), and men’s ceremonial kilts.” It is also stated that men were known to do the weaving while making these textiles rather than women, which I found to be interesting. These items were also special to natives due to the material they made it from, cotton that they grew themselves. The Hopi seem to be a culture of great tradition and they are proud of what they make and try not to waste anything they produce.
For this final paragraph, I wanted to reflect on the project in general, as well as the course itself. I thought it was a really cool project and I enjoyed focusing on an artifact and researching some more artistic elements of native culture in the American Southwest. I got the chance to look at other people’s exhibits and I thought it was really cool to see everyone focused on a different item within native history. I enjoyed browsing the website and reading what other students had to say about their artifacts. I enjoyed the process of trying to find a piece that spoke to me in terms of how relatable it was to me, even though I am not the biggest artist myself, I thought the native boys were similar in age to me, and if I were them, I could see myself sitting by a fire and painting or drawing to pass the time, just like they are doing. In terms of the class in general, I really enjoyed all of the prep material we were assigned to read and observe, like the paintings and videos we talked about in class. I am a super introverted person, especially in big groups of people so I apologize for not contributing much to class discussion. It is definitely something I am working on and trying to get better at! I wanted to take the second portion of the class in the fall, but I have other requirements to fulfill my major and minor so I will not be in that class! To everyone who is continuing the journey in Native American history, I wish you all the best and hopefully, you enjoyed the class as much as I did!
Sources
“American Indian Film Gallery: Hopi Arts and Crafts.” American Indian Film Gallery: Cultures of Apache Tribes and Hopi Tribes, scalar.usc.edu/works/american-indian-film-archive/hopi-arts-and-crafts.
“Collection: [Monroe Frederick Paintings and Drawings] | Modern Manuscripts & Archives at the Newberry.” Archives.newberry.org, archives.newberry.org/repositories/2/resources/975#:~:text=Biography%20of%20Monroe%20Quamahongiva%20Frederick. Accessed 31 May 2024.
“Hopi Indian Arts and Crafts | American Indian Film Gallery.” Aifg.arizona.edu, aifg.arizona.edu/film/hopi-indian-arts-and-crafts. Accessed 31 May 2024.