Post by blackcrowheart on Apr 20, 2006 22:46:38 GMT -5
American Indian art, photographs and literature
American Indian art, photographs and literature are on display this
month at the Simi Valley Library to raise public awareness of the
culture, and to promote a powwow at Moorpark College this summer.
The curator of the exhibit, which will run through April 30, is the
founder of a local American Indian nonprofit organization.
www.venturacountystar.com/vcs/sv/article/0,1375,VCS_239_4621286,00.html
Corina Roberts, 42, a longtime resident of Simi Valley, is presenting
her own artifacts in order to educate the public.
"I would hope that people understand that American Indians aren't just a
part of the past," Roberts said. "They are a part of the present."
For the exhibit, "Why We Dance," she set out dozens of handcrafted
pottery items, including miniatures of wedding vases and water and food
storage containers.
Roberts, who was born in Germany and moved to Simi Valley at the age of
9, said Western culture is growing away from spirituality and a sense of
closeness with one another. She said she felt that American Indian
culture has maintained those ideals, and would like to share that with
the community.
"In our society, we have a lot of commercialism without a lot of
substance," Roberts said. "I want to give them something real, something
they can relate to."
In addition to pottery, Roberts showcases a number of other items in the
exhibit; there are pictures of dancers in formal tribal attire at
powwows, a collection of popular American Indian CDs and examples of
modern literature.
The ceramic wares come from Acoma Pueblo in New Mexico, Roberts said.
"Each pot is fired, hand-painted, and has a couple weeks invested to
create it."
In the exhibit, one small book is titled "How Can You Sell the Air," by
Chief Seattle, The city in Washington state was named for him.
"He made a famous speech about how he could not understand how the
European people could divide up the land without understanding its
relationship to all living things," Roberts said.
She said she has noticed something fundamental about the native culture.
"We live in a society where we live next to a family and never know them
because everyone is focused on taking care of themselves," Roberts said.
"The indigenous culture is about taking care of the planet and taking
care of each other."
She became active with the American Indian culture in her 20s when she
went to her first powwow — an American Indian ceremony that includes
dancing, eating and singing.
"I was so excited when I heard the drumming," she said. "It was my first
spiritual experience."
American Indian art, photographs and literature are on display this
month at the Simi Valley Library to raise public awareness of the
culture, and to promote a powwow at Moorpark College this summer.
The curator of the exhibit, which will run through April 30, is the
founder of a local American Indian nonprofit organization.
www.venturacountystar.com/vcs/sv/article/0,1375,VCS_239_4621286,00.html
Corina Roberts, 42, a longtime resident of Simi Valley, is presenting
her own artifacts in order to educate the public.
"I would hope that people understand that American Indians aren't just a
part of the past," Roberts said. "They are a part of the present."
For the exhibit, "Why We Dance," she set out dozens of handcrafted
pottery items, including miniatures of wedding vases and water and food
storage containers.
Roberts, who was born in Germany and moved to Simi Valley at the age of
9, said Western culture is growing away from spirituality and a sense of
closeness with one another. She said she felt that American Indian
culture has maintained those ideals, and would like to share that with
the community.
"In our society, we have a lot of commercialism without a lot of
substance," Roberts said. "I want to give them something real, something
they can relate to."
In addition to pottery, Roberts showcases a number of other items in the
exhibit; there are pictures of dancers in formal tribal attire at
powwows, a collection of popular American Indian CDs and examples of
modern literature.
The ceramic wares come from Acoma Pueblo in New Mexico, Roberts said.
"Each pot is fired, hand-painted, and has a couple weeks invested to
create it."
In the exhibit, one small book is titled "How Can You Sell the Air," by
Chief Seattle, The city in Washington state was named for him.
"He made a famous speech about how he could not understand how the
European people could divide up the land without understanding its
relationship to all living things," Roberts said.
She said she has noticed something fundamental about the native culture.
"We live in a society where we live next to a family and never know them
because everyone is focused on taking care of themselves," Roberts said.
"The indigenous culture is about taking care of the planet and taking
care of each other."
She became active with the American Indian culture in her 20s when she
went to her first powwow — an American Indian ceremony that includes
dancing, eating and singing.
"I was so excited when I heard the drumming," she said. "It was my first
spiritual experience."