Dane G. Hansen Museum
Logan, KS
785-689-4846
http://www.lasr.net/leisure/kansas/phillips/logan/att1.html
Dineh "The People"
/ Life and Culture of the Navajo
The Navajo call themselves the Dineh, or the
people. They are extraordinary survivors, a proud and indomitable group
who have rebounded from every misfortune that fate has thrown them. As the
largest Native American group, they have been remarkably successful in retaining
their ancestral identity and culture. This exhibit consists of eighty pieces
including textiles, paintings, photographs jewelry, and other artifacts.
It will be on display through December 3, 2000. (left: Francis Luis Mora
(1874-1940), Navajo Family, oil on canvas)
Having resisted the Spanish and their Native American allies
for nearly three centuries, the much shorter war with the United States
resulted in a devastating defeat. Forced into submission mainly through
starvation and interned in an alien landscape at Bosque Redondo, they were
finally allowed to return to a homeland laid waste by the US Army. Constantly
hampered by the US Government's failure to honor treaties, the Navajo's
renaissance in little more than a century is a remarkable example of character
and pride overcoming adversity.
When
considering Navajo art, one immediately thinks of their magnificent textiles
and jewelry, which have become highly prized throughout the United States
end other parts of the world. Art as an aesthetic is something relatively
new to Navajo culture. To the Navajo, everything has a use. Their early
textile were items to be worn. Now their rugs adorn the walls of homes and
museums. The creative influence of Navajo jewelry can be seen in the store
displays of jewelers in New York, Paris, and London. Painting is not a widespread
art form, in Navajo society, but their major artists contribute to an accurate
depiction of the Navajo lifestyle. Pottery and basketry have never been
highly developed either for common use or art. The Navajo historically traded
their silver work and textiles for baskets and pottery with the neighboring
Pueblo tribes. This tradition continues today, although objects used in
ceremonies are usually made within the reservation. (left: Turquoise
Nugget Necklace and Bracelet with Mercury Dimes)
The objects in the exhibition are from the collection of
the Harmen Museum of Art in Golden, Colorado. The exhibition was organized
and nationally toured by Smith Kramer Fine Art Services of Kansas City,
MO in cooperation with the Colorado Historical Society.
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Read more about the Dane
G. Hansen Museum in Resource
Library Magazine
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Copyright 1996-2000 Traditional Fine Art
Online, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Navajo call themselves the Dineh, or the
people. They are extraordinary survivors, a proud and indomitable group
who have rebounded from every misfortune that fate has thrown them. As the
largest Native American group, they have been remarkably successful in retaining
their ancestral identity and culture. This exhibit consists of eighty pieces
including textiles, paintings, photographs jewelry, and other artifacts.
It will be on display through December 3, 2000. (left: Francis Luis Mora
(1874-1940), Navajo Family, oil on canvas)