Post by blackcrowheart on Jul 5, 2007 8:29:40 GMT -5
Suburbs a focal point for American Indian culture revival
BY ERIC PETERSON
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted Saturday, March 03, 2007
In numbers, American Indians are a minority among minorities in their own
land.
But Chicago's suburbs have become remarkably rich with opportunities to
celebrate their past and present culture, as a result of two organizations'
efforts.
They are the American Indian Center of Chicago - whose Trickster Gallery in
Schaumburg marks its second anniversary today - and the Midwest SOARRING
Foundation.
The Trickster Gallery is a venue for the modern voice of American Indian
artists and musicians. Meanwhile, Midwest SOARRING is dedicated to keeping
alive the spirituality and respect for both community and the earth that
defines Native American culture.
When Schaumburg first offered a refurbished 7,552-square-When Schaumburg
the American Indian Center of Chicago for $1 a year, the initial challenge
was to find enough art to fill the walls.
"It's created opportunities for artists both nationally and locally," said
American Indian Center Executive Director Joe Podlasek. "We're not stuck or
bound by museum regulations, though the exhibits here are up to museum
standards. But everything here we look at as a living thing."
Breaking stereotypes
Bunky Echo-Hawk, a Colorado-based artist, said he and the Trickster Gallery
both want to break down the stereotype that American Indian art is only
baskets and beads, pottery and feathers.
Echo-Hawk's work has been part of two exhibits at the gallery, a traveling
group show called "Impacted Nations" and a solo exhibition, "Weapons of
Mass Media."
His paintings combine arrestingly modern images with a clearly defined
point of view. There's Yoda from "Star Wars" in traditional American Indian
dress, the fictional "Napoleon Dynamite" standing outside a teepee, and
Sitting Bull interviewed by Larry King on CNN.
"I am excited to see Trickster Gallery grow," Echo-Hawk said. "I believe a
strong seed has been planted. I will always consider the gallery one of my
favorite places to show, and hope to exhibit there again soon."
The gallery also provided a rare venue outside Washington, D.C., for the
2006 Native Student Art Competition Exhibit sponsored by the U.S.
Department of Education's Office of Indian Education.
Among 20 national winners was 8-year-old Kanowan Kayotawape of Chicago, who
enjoyed seeing her painting, "My Good Tangles," exhibited in the Chicago
area this winter.
The entrants were asked to depict opportunities opened up by education.
Kayotawape's painting is a close-up of her own face with purple decorations
in her long dark hair. On the decorations, showing the dreams inside her
mind, were further images of her as a teacher, artist, singer, police
officer and Chicago Cubs baseball player.
"The reason it's called 'My Good Tangles' is that my mom used to complain
that I had a lot of tangles in my hair," Kayotawape said at the opening
reception for the exhibition.
"I'm really proud of her," said her mother, Madelina Kayotawape. "She has a
very steady hand for a little girl. This is our second time at the
Trickster Gallery. They've really opened up a lot of opportunity.T
That opinion is shared by Renee Holt of the Office of Indian Education.
Even with her national perspective, Holt still sees the Trickster Gallery
as something special.
Proud parents of winners across the nation hoped to see displays in their
own region, but that's been possible in very few areas, Holt said.
"My hope is that our winner from Chicago continues her interest in art and
that someday she will find inspiration to lead her people based on this
memorable time she experienced such a great honor," Holt said.
Building community
The Trickster Gallery's Schaumburg location provides both opportunity and
challenge for the urban population of American Indians.
Such a venue would have been impossible without Schaumburg's generosity,
Podlasek said. But its distance from the main American Indian community on
Chicago's Northwest Side makes it harder for many members to reach.
Yet it has still brought unexpected rewards, Podlasek said.
"We've found 73 families out here in the suburbs that ... had become
disconnected from the community," he said. "But now they come out to
volunteer and help any way they can."
Bill Miller, a Grammy Award-winning American Indian musician, has been a
singer-songwriter for 28 years, but has exhibited his visual art for only a
few years. One of the places is at the Trickster Gallery.
He's helping celebrate the gallery's second anniversary and the closure of
his own "Red Road to Reconciliation" exhibition today, by being part of a
free 3-10 p.m. concert.
Miller said there are 2.5 million American Indians in the entire nation -
fewer than there are Mexicans in Los Angeles alone.
In 2000, according to the U.S. census, American Indians made up 0.3 percent
of Illinois' population. It made up only 0.1 percent of Schaumburg's.
Yet Miller believes Chicago - home to the nation's oldest urban population
of American Indians - can also be a cultural capital of sorts.
Cultural defenders
Midwest SOARRING is a more regional, broader-based organization created in
1996 by Joseph Standing Bear Schranz, of Westchester.
It now does all sorts of cultural events, but the foundation began from a
desire to protect ancestral burial grounds. The name stands for Save Our
Ancestors' Remains & Resources Indigenous Network Group.
Native American beliefs prevent them from ever viewing their ancestors'
remains as artifacts or museum exhibits - though that's how they're often
treated by others, Schranz said.
Results of the foundation's efforts have differed widely depending on how
open property owners and developers are to others' interests, he said.
"We've saved over 1,400 acres in the state in the last 12 years," Schranz
said.
Daily vigils outside a site in New Lenox couldn't stop a golf course from
being developed there. Efforts to stop construction on the John Deere
family farm in Moline were more successful.
Midwest SOARRING has acquired a herd of seven bison, a symbol of endurance.
The foundation is looking for a new place to keep the herd, preferably in
Illinois.
The First United Methodist Church of La Grange serves as a venue for many
of Midwest SOARRING's smaller events, like recent presentations on
spirituality and the culture of the native people of Alaska.
One of the biggest upcoming events is a performance of "Spirit of the
People" by the Waswagoning Dance Theater March 24 at Dominican University
in River Forest.
Two other major events are the third annual Honor the Eagle Powwow May 19
and 20 at Starved Rock State Park in Utica and the 12th annual Harvest
Powwow Sept. 29 and 30 in Naperville.
Like large family gatherings, powwows both build and celebrate the bond
among Native American people, Schranz said.
BY ERIC PETERSON
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted Saturday, March 03, 2007
In numbers, American Indians are a minority among minorities in their own
land.
But Chicago's suburbs have become remarkably rich with opportunities to
celebrate their past and present culture, as a result of two organizations'
efforts.
They are the American Indian Center of Chicago - whose Trickster Gallery in
Schaumburg marks its second anniversary today - and the Midwest SOARRING
Foundation.
The Trickster Gallery is a venue for the modern voice of American Indian
artists and musicians. Meanwhile, Midwest SOARRING is dedicated to keeping
alive the spirituality and respect for both community and the earth that
defines Native American culture.
When Schaumburg first offered a refurbished 7,552-square-When Schaumburg
the American Indian Center of Chicago for $1 a year, the initial challenge
was to find enough art to fill the walls.
"It's created opportunities for artists both nationally and locally," said
American Indian Center Executive Director Joe Podlasek. "We're not stuck or
bound by museum regulations, though the exhibits here are up to museum
standards. But everything here we look at as a living thing."
Breaking stereotypes
Bunky Echo-Hawk, a Colorado-based artist, said he and the Trickster Gallery
both want to break down the stereotype that American Indian art is only
baskets and beads, pottery and feathers.
Echo-Hawk's work has been part of two exhibits at the gallery, a traveling
group show called "Impacted Nations" and a solo exhibition, "Weapons of
Mass Media."
His paintings combine arrestingly modern images with a clearly defined
point of view. There's Yoda from "Star Wars" in traditional American Indian
dress, the fictional "Napoleon Dynamite" standing outside a teepee, and
Sitting Bull interviewed by Larry King on CNN.
"I am excited to see Trickster Gallery grow," Echo-Hawk said. "I believe a
strong seed has been planted. I will always consider the gallery one of my
favorite places to show, and hope to exhibit there again soon."
The gallery also provided a rare venue outside Washington, D.C., for the
2006 Native Student Art Competition Exhibit sponsored by the U.S.
Department of Education's Office of Indian Education.
Among 20 national winners was 8-year-old Kanowan Kayotawape of Chicago, who
enjoyed seeing her painting, "My Good Tangles," exhibited in the Chicago
area this winter.
The entrants were asked to depict opportunities opened up by education.
Kayotawape's painting is a close-up of her own face with purple decorations
in her long dark hair. On the decorations, showing the dreams inside her
mind, were further images of her as a teacher, artist, singer, police
officer and Chicago Cubs baseball player.
"The reason it's called 'My Good Tangles' is that my mom used to complain
that I had a lot of tangles in my hair," Kayotawape said at the opening
reception for the exhibition.
"I'm really proud of her," said her mother, Madelina Kayotawape. "She has a
very steady hand for a little girl. This is our second time at the
Trickster Gallery. They've really opened up a lot of opportunity.T
That opinion is shared by Renee Holt of the Office of Indian Education.
Even with her national perspective, Holt still sees the Trickster Gallery
as something special.
Proud parents of winners across the nation hoped to see displays in their
own region, but that's been possible in very few areas, Holt said.
"My hope is that our winner from Chicago continues her interest in art and
that someday she will find inspiration to lead her people based on this
memorable time she experienced such a great honor," Holt said.
Building community
The Trickster Gallery's Schaumburg location provides both opportunity and
challenge for the urban population of American Indians.
Such a venue would have been impossible without Schaumburg's generosity,
Podlasek said. But its distance from the main American Indian community on
Chicago's Northwest Side makes it harder for many members to reach.
Yet it has still brought unexpected rewards, Podlasek said.
"We've found 73 families out here in the suburbs that ... had become
disconnected from the community," he said. "But now they come out to
volunteer and help any way they can."
Bill Miller, a Grammy Award-winning American Indian musician, has been a
singer-songwriter for 28 years, but has exhibited his visual art for only a
few years. One of the places is at the Trickster Gallery.
He's helping celebrate the gallery's second anniversary and the closure of
his own "Red Road to Reconciliation" exhibition today, by being part of a
free 3-10 p.m. concert.
Miller said there are 2.5 million American Indians in the entire nation -
fewer than there are Mexicans in Los Angeles alone.
In 2000, according to the U.S. census, American Indians made up 0.3 percent
of Illinois' population. It made up only 0.1 percent of Schaumburg's.
Yet Miller believes Chicago - home to the nation's oldest urban population
of American Indians - can also be a cultural capital of sorts.
Cultural defenders
Midwest SOARRING is a more regional, broader-based organization created in
1996 by Joseph Standing Bear Schranz, of Westchester.
It now does all sorts of cultural events, but the foundation began from a
desire to protect ancestral burial grounds. The name stands for Save Our
Ancestors' Remains & Resources Indigenous Network Group.
Native American beliefs prevent them from ever viewing their ancestors'
remains as artifacts or museum exhibits - though that's how they're often
treated by others, Schranz said.
Results of the foundation's efforts have differed widely depending on how
open property owners and developers are to others' interests, he said.
"We've saved over 1,400 acres in the state in the last 12 years," Schranz
said.
Daily vigils outside a site in New Lenox couldn't stop a golf course from
being developed there. Efforts to stop construction on the John Deere
family farm in Moline were more successful.
Midwest SOARRING has acquired a herd of seven bison, a symbol of endurance.
The foundation is looking for a new place to keep the herd, preferably in
Illinois.
The First United Methodist Church of La Grange serves as a venue for many
of Midwest SOARRING's smaller events, like recent presentations on
spirituality and the culture of the native people of Alaska.
One of the biggest upcoming events is a performance of "Spirit of the
People" by the Waswagoning Dance Theater March 24 at Dominican University
in River Forest.
Two other major events are the third annual Honor the Eagle Powwow May 19
and 20 at Starved Rock State Park in Utica and the 12th annual Harvest
Powwow Sept. 29 and 30 in Naperville.
Like large family gatherings, powwows both build and celebrate the bond
among Native American people, Schranz said.