Artists work to carve a cedar tree into a prominent figure in the Kwakwaka’wakw culture, the Moon.
B
y emphasizing significant facets of Native cultures, the series underscores the messages that Native America is our America. Native contributions sustain our everyday lives,
from the
physics of suspension bridges created by the Inka to food staples such as corn, developed by Mesoamerican farmers. The series also inquires about how contemporary Native people connect to the world around them and to prior generations. The late Beau Dick, a Kwakwaka’wakw artist and carver, remarks: “There’s a certain relationship that our people have with the cedar tree. It reconnects us with our ancestors, with our story, with our identity. And, it’s just really sacred to us…. My grand- father did that. My great grandfather did that. My great-great-great grandfather did that.… I’m following their footsteps. And, that’s really personal and we share that. We’re following what was provided by our ancestors and the relationship they had with the Creator.” According to Dr. Roosevelt, “Native Amer-
ica can show audiences the diverse, intricate and effective cultures that allowed the first people to make the continent their own. Their achievements are truly impressive, and I feel these aspects of their history are made clear in the series. Although many Americans do know about the cultures, there are some that seek to denigrate them for various reasons – ranging from competition for land and re- sources to racial nationalism and simple igno- rance. The series makes clearer to the viewer how the Native cultures integrated specialized knowledge about their habitats and societies into formulations that are some of the great art styles of the world.”X
Theresa Barbaro is a regular contributor to American Indian magazine and an adjunct assistant professor of anthropology at two colleges on Long Island.
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 17
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