Indigenous Art Research Articles

Decolonizing moana stomachs: recipes for food sovereignty from Oceania

Colonialism, militarization and contemporary corporate food regimes have eroded the food sovereignty of the populations of Oceania. Such phenomenon named gastro-colonialism, has not only shaped local foodways with tinned and processed food, building a taste for it, but also made islands dependent from external food provisioning. In order to stress the relevance of the food sovereignty paradigm as a new arena for the emergence of collective actions in Oceania, this article analyzes firstly, the food sovereignty concept within the wider sovereignty issue, highlighting the plural and interconnected nature of sovereign-ties. Secondly, by analyzing the imperial forces accountable for such food dependency, it addresses the case of Tonga where the inalienability of the land could possibly shape a food sovereign milieu. Lastly, through a selection of indigenous artists, poets and writers bringing forward Hau‘ofa legacy it illustrates possible “recipes” that could be scaled up to decolonize moana foodscapes.

Research on the Integration of Discourse System of Chinese Indigenous Art Theory and Art Aesthetics

Abstract The long-term development of Chinese art theory can not be separated from the art theory doctrine system constructed by the West. In order to integrate Chinese art theory with aesthetics, it is necessary to localize the construction of Chinese art theory. This paper starts from the foundation of Chinese art aesthetics and proposes the direction of the construction of the Chinese art aesthetic discourse system. Based on the guidance of art discourse graph theory, combined with the BERT extractive summary model, the discourse relationship system is divided into four steps: task determination, vector representation of discourse units, graph encoder establishment, and discourse unit selection. Applying the model to reality analysis, the results are as follows: “art definition” is the keyword with the highest frequency and centrality in the field of art theory and aesthetic fusion after appearing in 2017, which is 295 times and 0.896, respectively. Art theory and aesthetic fusion of art are separated into two stages, based on 2020 as the demarcation line. After 2020, the keyword intensity becomes “empathy”, “modern art,” and “art aesthetics”, with an intensity of 4.4966, 3.4321, and 3.4565, respectively. China’s local art theories are shifting towards art aesthetics, and the integration is a natural process.

STUDY ON ARTS, HANDICRAFTS AND DANCES OF THE KUTIA KANDHA TRIBE OF KANDHAMAL DISTRICT IN ODISHA

The aim of paper is to highlight the traditional arts, handicrafts and dances of the Kutia Kandhas of Kandhamal District in the state of Odisha. The Kutia Kandha, a primitive tribe primarily belongs to the Kandhamal district areas like Balliguda sub-Division, Tumudibandha Block area, Gumma, Belghar and Bilamala and Jhiripani Gram panchayats. The people of Kutia Kandha tribe live in the hilly region and identify unique culture and customs. The art form has a deep cultural significance for the Kutia Kandha people, who view it as a way to preserve their traditional way of life and express their cultural identity. The research delves into the unique art forms, traditional crafts and vibrant dance practices that are integral to the Kutia Kandhas' way of life. Through ethnographic research methods, this study documents and analyses the symbolic meanings, social functions and the processes of preservation and transformation of these cultural expressions in the context of modern influences. The findings aim to contribute to the understanding of the Kutia Kandhas' cultural identity and the broader discourse on indigenous art and traditions. The study employs a qualitative research approach, primarily using ethnographic methods. Fieldwork was conducted in various villages within Kandhamal District, where participant observation, in-depth interviews and visual documentation were utilized to gather data. The participants include tribal elders, artisans and performers who provided insights into the traditional practices. Additionally, archival research was conducted to compare historical records with current practices. Data analysis was done through thematic coding, focusing on recurring patterns and cultural motifs in the art, crafts and dances of the Kutia Kandhas of Kandhamala in Odisha.

“The Scream”: Using the Visual Critical Pedagogy of Subversive Indigenous Art in the Elementary Classroom to Discomfort the Comforted and Activate the Empathic, Ethical, and Relational Dimensions of Reconciliation

This paper uncovers my journey as K-12 practitioner in British Columbia towards exploring the use of “subversive art” as a “visual critical pedagogy” (Gil-Glazier,2015; Naidus,2005; Peters, 2016; Zorilla & Tisdell, 2016) to advance my students and myself towards reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples in Canada. I use the powerfully unsettling painting done by Cree artist, Kent Monkman, titled “The Scream”, as a springboard for this inquiry. “The Scream” provides an Indigenous counternarrative to the colonial versions of residential school histories and has the potential to progress practitioners and students towards actionable reconciliation by activating their empathic and ethical consciousness. I attempt in this essay to weave together a cluster of concepts, as I explore: (a) the nature and evolution of truth in BC’s elementary school curriculum (Andersen, 2017); (b) the historical establishment of the curriculum in a positivist modality (Gadamer, 2013; Greene, 1975; Marker 2004); (c) Greene’s (1995) argument that aesthetic education can help students and practitioners to engage meaningfully with difficult knowledge; (d) Greene’s (1977, 1995) philosophy of wide-awakeness, through which students and practitioners can activate the power of difficult knowledge; (e) Gadamer’s (2013) “fusion of horizons” as a means by which wide-awakeness can function in this context; (f) “subversive art” as a form of “visual critical pedagogy” (Gil-Glazer, 2015); (g) and the critical pedagogy of Paulo Freire. I braid these concepts together using the scholarship of Indigenous scholar, Michael Marker (1951-2021) to provide the pedagogical rationale for my determination to establish the visual critical pedagogy of “subversive art” in my classroom.
 
 Key Words
 Subversive art, Visual critical pedagogy, Reconciliation, K-12 education, Practitioner inquiry

Towards A Radically Relational Post-Grotowskian Performance Paradigm

Jerzy Grotowski chose to name his College de France lecture series La „lignee organique” au theatre et dans le rituel (The „Organic Lineage” in Theatre and Ritual), and the author, who attended and documented these final public talks, contends in this article that organicity constitutes a through-line connecting Grotowski’s theatrical and post-theatrical research. The author draws from these talks, as well as from her Grotowski-based training, including her work with Rena Mirecka, and her research collaborations with Indigenous artists and scholars from Turtle Island (North America), including Floyd Favel, who worked with both Grotowski and Mirecka. The author points out that in diverse traditional cultural practices whose role it is to enhance, restore, and sustain balance between human and non-human forms of life, organicity is understood as a living force endowing performative processes with energy, power, and efficacy. The post-Grotowskian performance paradigm envisioned by the author hinges upon a non-anthropocentric perspective informed by the ecological and spiritual dimensions of relationality articulated by several generations of Indigenous scholars. She contends that such a paradigm shift, which challenges artistic practices glorifying human creative agency, can provide a viable alternative to the dominance of (Eurocentric) new materialist/posthumanist theories of non-human agency.

ADAPTATION OF TRIBAL ART OF CENTRAL WESTERN INDIA FOR DEVELOPMENT OF TEXTILE PRODUCT USING DIGITAL DESIGN SOFTWARE

The tribal art of Central Western India including the Warli, Gond, Bhil, Pithora, Mandana, and others boasts a rich heritage of vibrant colors, intricate patterns, and traditional motifs, reflecting the unique cultural and artistic diversity of the region. This research explores the fusion of tradition and modernity by adapting tribal art into textile design using digital design software to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of textile design. The study also aims to highlight the potential for sustainable development and economic empowerment of tribal communities while preserving and promoting their indigenous art forms. By bridging the gap between tradition and modernity, this research demonstrates the feasibility of adapting tribal art for textile products using digital tools, leading to innovative and marketable designs by preserving the art forms and improving the overall well-being of tribal communities.

The Impact of Globalization on Indigenous Art and Craft Industries: A Case Study of Maori Art in New Zealand

This comprehensive review explores the intricate relationship between Maori art, globalization, and cultural preservation. Tracing the historical evolution of Maori artistic expressions against the backdrop of globalization, the study delves into the contemporary significance of Maori art in preserving cultural identity. Global currents and their impact on Maori art are analyzed, covering economic dynamics, challenges, and opportunities presented by international demand. Strategies employed to safeguard and transmit traditional Maori artistic heritage are scrutinized, alongside governmental initiatives and institutional collaborations. The synthesis section recognizes achievements and challenges in integrating Maori art into the global arena, identifying the impact of globalization on traditional Maori art paradigms. Looking ahead, the study envisions a sustainable future for Maori art, proposing strategies for sustaining its vitality in an interconnected world.

A Message From the Pluriverse: The Spiritually Fluid Gift of Philip Cote’s Walls of Welcome

Called Walls of Welcome, Philip Cote—an Anishinaabe-Algonquin artist and spiritual elder—created a large-scale panorama inside the interior walls of the Roncesvalles United Church’s sanctuary in late 2021. Located in the west end of Tkaronto/Toronto—and believed to be the first Indigenous art mural inside a church in Turtle Island/North America (if not globally)—the wall painting visually narrates the Ojibway creation story and alludes to “The Eighth Fire.” The latter stems from an Anishinaabe prophecy that we (human beings) can unite in our shared humanity. Walls of Welcome gives us all a message from the pluriverse and a spiritually fluid lens for seeing our foundational stories. My paper explores how this mural brings communities together through the power of art and builds a new world for trust-building and healing that epitomizes truth and reconciliation.

GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS FOR MARKET ENHANCEMENT OF WAYANG PURBA SRAGEN: AN INSTITUTIONAL ANALYSIS

This research proposes a market recognition enhancement of wayang purba, a traditional indigenous performance from Ngebung Village, Sragen Regency, through Geographical Indications (GIs) registration. The research applies qualitative methods to explore the roles of academia, business, government, community, and media using the Institutional Analysis Development (IAD) framework by Elinor Ostrom. The IAD framework delivers the authentic potential of Sragen as a prehistoric site and a part of Central Java with solid roots in wayang performances. On the contrary, the analysis also found that stakeholder support still needed to run partially, overlapping roles that failed to achieve collective efforts in carrying Wayang Purba to gain recognition of GIs. The importance of GIs in increasing market recognition of indigenous art products underlies research suggestions on managing the roles of stakeholders in a more integrated manner. Research recommendations align with previous literature that the GIs scheme is the right step for cultural marketing that needs to be managed collectively. Even so, an in-depth exploration of the duties and functions of each institution still needs to be implemented in future research.

White interference, bad collaborations and new norms in Indigenous art: Can intellectual property law reforms fix this?

Indigenous art has had longstanding issues with Australian copyright law, including the issue of collaborations in Indigenous art. In 2023, a related issue concerning allegations of ‘white interference’ surfaced. Those allegations highlighted the problem of forming ethical collaborations in the Indigenous arts industry relying on existing law. Partnerships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to produce art have also been validly made leading to collaborations known as the ‘new norm'. This article explores white interference, bad collaborations, and new norms in Indigenous art. It analyses existing legal protections and those proposed by IP Australia, the Productivity Commission, and a Parliamentary Standing Committee aimed at protecting communal Indigenous Knowledge and the rights of Indigenous artists.

Decolonizing curatorial ways: Curating from Sámi perspective

The paper explores multiple perspectives on curating indigenous art and builds upon the case project of the nongraduate program for Sámicurators and its part realized in autumn 2022 at the SámiCenter for Contemporary Art in Karasjok. The curatorial ways are discussed from a threefold perspective: decolonizing curatorial practice, nonhierarchy of narratives, and pluriversal curating. The findings outline the main tools applied, such as the involvement of Sámicurators and scholars, nonindigenous scholars working with Indigenous art, the use of the lecture, presentation, and experience formats, and language use. The value of the project was in the unfolding of a broad perspective of what curating Indigenous art and research can be.

Amazonian Indigenous Artists as Agents of Interface: Artworks, Networks, and Curation Strategies in the COVID-19 Crisis

In this article, I analyse how the COVID-19 crisis crystalised and fuelled the vigorous role of Amazonian indigenous artists as, what I call, “agents of interface”, enabling connectivity, translation, networking and bridging information, ontologies, claims, and aesthetics. With the pandemic’s spatial restrictions and the reduction of global activity in the arts with a return to focusing on the local, I argue that it is important to look at interfaces as arenas from which to understand further reconfigurations, actions, and values in the arts. Based on the project and exhibition Ite!/Neno!/Here!: Responses to COVID-19 co-curated by the indigenous artist Rember Yahuarcani and me, and on other various initiatives, this paper explores how Amazonian indigenous artists became crucial agents of the interface in four main arenas providing first-hand, real-time information of the impact of COVID-19 at Amazonian urban and rural settings, channelling networks of aid and curation, connecting different agents and worlds, and engaging in curatorial collaborations. I argue that by acting at the interface, artists have reinforced their voices, while pushing for redefinitions of and positions in the art system and suggest that the COVID-19 crisis has introduced a new moment in the configuration of Peru’s art scene.

From a Native Worldview: The Concept of the Traditional in Contemporary Native American Art Practices

This article explores tradition and ceremony in contemporary Native American art. Indigenous scholars and artists use traditional knowledge to navigate contemporary contexts. Shared perspectives challenge binaries, problematic due to Indigenous peoples’ relationship to colonization. The study used Indigenous research incorporating critical theory (Grande, 2015), decolonizing and Indigenous Research Methodologies (Tuhiwai Smith, 2021), and Indigenous research rooted in relationality (Wilson, 2008). We examined traditional meanings for Native Americans in contemporary art through reflection and dialogue. Research components included a historical overview, an examination of literature, interviews, and oral histories. Transforming Our Practices: Indigenous Art, Pedagogies, and Philosophies (Ballengee Morris & Staikidis, 2017) was consulted, in which Indigenous artists described artmaking as regenerating collective memory. Suggestions were made to reconsider traditions in Native American art to promote new outcomes in visual arts research and pedagogy informed by Indigenous epistemologies.

Teaching Art through Engaging Anti-racist Viewpoints: Privileging an Indigenous Lens

Art teacher educators have obligations to prepare preservice art teachers and researchers to be culturally competent, to understand how to respectfully and knowledgeably include silenced voices into the classroom. Through this paper, we share a collaborative project we engaged with two arts-based researcher student groups toward approaching art learning from an anti-racist perspective using the lens of an Indigenous Pedagogy We demonstrate an Anti-Racist teaching cycle we applied that begins with cultural competency and leads to cultural relevancy. The project culminated with the development of anti-racist lesson plans toward a museum exhibition that utilized recommendations shared by four contemporary Native American Artists. Our purpose was to explore a method for changing the narrative by inserting multiple Indigenous artists’ voices into the classroom conversation.

A STUDY OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY BASED ON AFRICAN, AFRO-BRAZILIAN AND INDIGENOUS ARTS IN PRIMARY EDUCATION

The premise of this research is to encourage discussions about the importance of approaching cultural diversity, emphasizing African, Afro-Brazilian and indigenous arts in art classes in the context of basic education, through the construction of reflections that allow the appreciation and recognition of these cultures. as makers of Brazilian cultural identity. This is a bibliographical research, having as its main theoretical body, authors and articles that talk about the subject, as well as legislation that deals with the subject. Based on this research, it is possible to engender reflections about the rich elements that constitute African, Afro-Brazilian and indigenous cultures to disseminate them as belonging to Brazilian culture, as well as the implicit art in these cultures and their relationship with the educational field. With this, the reflection intends to help basic education teachers who feel challenged to significantly approach the theme, with the respect and appreciation that are due to them inside and outside the school.

Interviews and Conversations

Juma and Epona met in autumn 2022. At the time Epona, along with Nara Virgens and Melmun Bajarchuu, was curating an event1 on the topic of sustainability in transnational cooperation in performing arts, to which Juma was invited as a guest speaker. Since then, they have continued their conversation and exchanged their perspectives. A recurring topic in their conversation is the question of decentralizing power dynamics in the global performing arts scene, on the backdrop of climate change and unequal distribution of resources. As an Indigenous artist and activist from Pindorama (colonially known as Brazil), Juma's perspective is informed not only through her locality within a global performing arts scene but by the knowledge they carry and the challenges they are facing stemming from her (human and non-human) Indigenous coexistence. Based in Berlin, Epona works in the performing arts field as a producer and curator and has gained varied experience in transnational cooperation in recent years. Her critical approach has been informed by her Lebanese heritage within European contexts and by being a mother to her daughter.

“Once the Fire Starts Then There Is No Stopping It”: The Revitalization of Chinookan Art in the 21st Century, Conversations with Greg A. Robinson

Chinookan art centered on the Lower Columbia River and was created by Chinookan-speaking people living along the river and its tributaries. The style is unique, focusing on geometric forms, numerical patterns, and anatomical representation. It is embedded in Chinookan mythology and differs considerably from the more widely recognized Formline of Indigenous artists from the northern Pacific Northwest. It also receives less attention, both publicly and scholarly. Due to high rates of death along the Columbia from introduced diseases during colonial invasion, and high levels of looting that followed, Chinookan art nearly disappeared from the landscape. In the 21st century Chinookan art has had a resurgence, led by Chinookan practitioners. The resurgence occurs not only within individual households but also in public settings. This resurgence also includes an emphasis on teaching the style to youth, who learn that this is not just about making art but is integrally attached to culture more broadly, including connection to language, stories, protocols, and Indigenous identity itself. It is ultimately a source of pride, resilience, and resistance. As a result, where there were once generations who never saw a landscape with Chinookan art, there are now generations who will never know a landscape without it.

Paint and Coloring Materials from the Brazilian Amazon Forest: Beyond Urucum and Jenipapo

The Brazilian Legal Amazon region is divided into at least 155 ethnic groups and has the largest concentration of Indigenous people globally. It represents one of the most extraordinary levels of human, cultural, and artistic diversity, but its material culture is one of the least well-studied. This is especially true in technical art history and conservation science, largely due to (1) the limited international awareness of the richness of materials and techniques used by these Indigenous people and (2) the limitations of knowledge access for many scientists to literature usually published in Portuguese within social sciences and humanities. One result is that these arts are marginalized within technical art history, conservation, and conservation science. To address this knowledge gap, the authors explore 70 materials—among them pigments, dyes, binding media, and varnishes—used for paint production and coloring processes, including syntheses. The authors facilitate research possibilities within technical art history, conservation, and conservation science by presenting data from historical texts from the 18th and 19th centuries and more recent scientific literature. The work aims to build a more global, inclusive, and decentralized vision of art history and to create a more pluralistic narrative of Indigenous art history from South America.

Videographic, Musical, and Linguistic Partnerships for Decolonization: Engaging with Place-Based Articulations of Indigenous Identity and Wâhkôhtowin

N’we Jinan, a group of young Indigenous artists who run a mobile production studio and an integrative arts studio, travel to different Indigenous communities, where they support youth in writing and recording music that involves the local community. N’we Jinan employs social media to articulate and protect Indigeneity through the sharing of Indigenous music videos, empowering youth to resist continued colonization. These videos serve to create a sense of connection in Indigenous communities in Turtle Island (Canada) as well as offer a means by which non-Indigenous listeners can learn about contemporary Indigenous cultures. Viewed in conjunction with Nunavut’s Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit and the Northwest Territories’ Dene Kede and Inuuqatigiit, which provide a framework of traditional knowledge, values, and skills specific to Indigenous communities in the Canadian Arctic, the texts implicitly invite non-Indigenous listeners’ engagement in social justice activism as settler allies. The texts invite listening to and viewing the empowering songwriting and recording practices through the lens of social justice and wâhkôhtowin or kinship relations, which involves walking together (Indigenous and settler) in a good way and engaging with Bourdieu’s influential framework of cultural capital. The themes explored in the songs include cultural identity, language, and self-acceptance. The empowering songs of N’we Jinan are place-based articulations of identity that resist coloniality and serve as calls to action, creating embodied videographic, musical, and linguistic partnerships that serve as important articulations of Indigenous identity and which promote the decolonization of reading and listening practices and, by extension, education.

Contesting Extractivism through Amazonian Indigenous Artivism: Decolonial reflections on possibilities for crafting a pluriverse from within

This article provides an analysis of Amazonian Indigenous peoples’ “artivism” – understood as artistic expressions with activist orientation. It approaches artivism within the context of the emergence of Contemporary Indigenous Art in Brazil and its significance in the resistance against the centuries-long oppression of native peoples, illustrated by the advancement of extractivism in the Amazon. We focus on the artworks by four prominent Indigenous artivists: Jaider Esbell’s critical engagements with art history; Denilson Baniwa’s reanthropophagy movement; Daiara Tukano’s critique of articide; and Emerson Pontes’ transformation into Uýra, the Walking Tree. Altogether, the messages embedded in their artworks contest the dominant growth-oriented development narrative anchored on the pre-eminence of the human-nature ontological dualism, where Nature is reduced to economic resource, along with a view of development that positions western ways of knowing, being and living at the forefront of a civilizational continuum. We conclude by elucidating the central decolonizing role of Indigenous artivism and its potential to strengthen Indigenous’ voices and agendas which include exercising self-determination, resisting extractivism, and crafting more plural and just worlds.