OF GODS AND HEROES


S'KLALLAM ARTIST JEFFREY VEREGGE SHOWS SUPERHEROES CAN COME FROM ANYWHERE BY ANNE BOLEN


N


ew York seems to be a magnet for villainous extra- terrestrials. Fortunately, in these terrifying scenarios we also have superheroes who are ever ready to de- feat them. Yet in one such battle, 1950s-style flying saucers and giant Celestials are being foiled by an army of comic book heroes and heroines drawn in


a style that evokes figures carved into totem poles or other Pacific Native artworks. Instead of “Kaboom!” or “Bam!,” the aliens shout


“ɬəmɬəmcínəŋ!,” the Salish term for thunder. And the Marvel comic book characters fighting to defeat these invaders include not only stars of the silver screen—such as Iron Man, Black Widow and Hulk—but also those less often in the limelight, such as the Pakistani Ms. Marvel and the American Indian Red Wolf. This epic “t'aʔmát ʔaʔ sx̣ʷiʔám',” or “stories of suspense,” is the


creation of S'Klallam artist Jeffrey Veregge. Stretching across two immense murals—each 50 feet long and 8 feet tall— at the National Museum of the American Indian in New York, this “Jeffrey Veregge: Of Gods and Heroes” exhibit will be on display until October 13, 2019.


SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 35


PHOTO BY MORGAN VEREGGE


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