Find Your Valentine
Slog
News & ArtsMonday, November 17, 2008
Visual Art The Adaptation of Whales
Posted by Jen Graves on Mon, Nov 17, 2008 at 9:58 AM
This coming weekend, the Henry Art Gallery is opening an exhibition called Adaptation that celebrates the art of the creative ripoff.
From the show here's a part of Guy Ben-Ner's Moby Dick.
But Bruce A. Cook III, who says he has the backing of the Haida tribe in Alaska, has harsh words for another local whale adaptation: the Haida killer whale memorial (originally made in wood, replicated in front of the Burke) that Preston Singletary is going to re-interpret in glass at the Museum of Glass hot shop this weekend. The piece, when finished, will become part of the Burke's collection.
Cook, in a letter dated today and written to the Burke Museum (commissioning the piece) and the MoG, says the first replication of the monument—the one that stands in front of the Burke—was already a violation of Haida culture and should not be repeated.
How wonderful it must be to destroy a people’s identity and gloss it over as art.
Why weren’t Haida artists or Haida people contacted to voice their opinion on this replication? Are the Haida people being honored? Why should Preston be honored for replicating a funerary marker? Wouldn’t it be just as easy to replicate a headstone? Could and would Preston replicate his grandmother’s headstone in glass and also present this in his show... Is the person who this was carved for being honored again? Is the family it was made for being honored? Will it be given to the Haida people as another grave marker?
In Haida culture any clan symbols, songs, names, or lands belong to the women of the clan, essentially it is their cultural property. Was permission asked of the Brown Bear House for the use of the Howkan Whale? If yes, who was asked, was it the clan matriarch who is the owner? The only way you can attempt to claim a symbol would be in potlatch, The Haida court system. During that time the owner can stop or protest it, the way that I am doing now with this letter on behalf of the Brown Bear House from which my daughter descends and until the clan matriarch has appropriate time to respond.
Times have changed and because Bill Holm replicated the same piece decades ago does not make it acceptable to be done in the present day, are we not more aware and educated in these so-called enlightened times about these types of objects? As an educated Haida man and artist I do not feel honored by any of this. For a native artist to be doing a piece of this importance is doubly insulting and diminishes the power this object holds. We did not do art for the sake of doing art. Each piece we did had a time and a purpose.
For years non-Indians have taken our material culture and history and rendered it nearly unrecognizable. We are now left with very few remnants of our once rich and vibrant culture. We must hold on to what we have so that our children and grandchildren understand their place in this world. For people like Preston Singletary perhaps the Howkan Whale Monument is simply that, a monument, carved and painted over a hundred years ago by an unknown man for an unknown reason, it’s graceful and beautiful lines a work of art. For the Haida people the Howkan Whale is symbolic of our culture, of our tribe, of our belief system, of the way we honored our family in life as well as in death. When we forget what the Howkan Whale represents then we are truly lost and the Haida will be no more. This is not just a simple re-creation of an object d’ art, it is more than that, it is the further erosion of a tribe’s culture and history, our tribe’s culture and history. The mortuary pole is symbolic of a life, a person who lived and whose family honored them by having such a pole created as a remembrance of that life. It is very insulting to have this mortuary pole treated so casually and in this manner.
There are serious concerns that have been raised; legal, ethical and moral issues that may be affected should an improper project such as this proceed under the authority of your institutions. There is a fine line between the sacred and the profane. The re-creation of this pole is profane and insults the basis of our Haida belief system. I do not take this lightly and I expect The Burke and The Museum of Glass to do the same.
1
I would respectfully disagree. To me, it sounds very much like more sour grapes, unfortunately. The fact that someone interprets a piece of art, chooses to mimic it, can be a form of flattery. An immitation of something aesthetic to someone outside of your culture. The author and the tribe could look at it as an opportunity to assimilate and have others outside of the Haida gain appreciation and awareness of your culture. But no, all things Indian are to remain Indian. Comparing it to creating a replica of my grandmothers gravestone? That is kind of a silly analogy. Maybe I'm culturally insensitive ... but I can lay out a number of historical works of art done by white men mimicing death and often tombstones and symbols of death (the crucifix). To me, it comes across as totally pessimistic. And I guess I have one question, does the future and current situation always have to be that bleak to be a native american?
Or perhaps I am another ignorant white privaleged white man.
But then again, Contemporary American culture doesn't just kill native american culture. I am as much of a mut as they come greek, germain, slovak, irish, dutch, a touch of gypsy, and some native american (I just found out recently, Mohawk tribe). Do I have any cultural identity with any of these ethnicities? Uhm not really, I just get a lot of questions when I look like a giant Italian guy with an irish last name. My family sometimes cooks our slovak recipes in the holidays, and I do love greek food. But we aren't river dancing, belly dancing, or whatever on the holidays. Part of it makes me sad to have that much cultural washed away with the time, but a part of me is over it. No my people didn't die in the trail of tears, nor were my people given blankets with small pox. Nor were they bumped from reservation to reservation. We just got jobs, worked our asses off and American Capitalism just stripped the immigrants the culture of their homelands.
More...
Or perhaps I am another ignorant white privaleged white man.
But then again, Contemporary American culture doesn't just kill native american culture. I am as much of a mut as they come greek, germain, slovak, irish, dutch, a touch of gypsy, and some native american (I just found out recently, Mohawk tribe). Do I have any cultural identity with any of these ethnicities? Uhm not really, I just get a lot of questions when I look like a giant Italian guy with an irish last name. My family sometimes cooks our slovak recipes in the holidays, and I do love greek food. But we aren't river dancing, belly dancing, or whatever on the holidays. Part of it makes me sad to have that much cultural washed away with the time, but a part of me is over it. No my people didn't die in the trail of tears, nor were my people given blankets with small pox. Nor were they bumped from reservation to reservation. We just got jobs, worked our asses off and American Capitalism just stripped the immigrants the culture of their homelands.
2
Preston Singletary is Tlingit, not white. The Haida and Tlingit have been sharing cultural memes for a very long time. If Cook claims Singletary is violating his daughter's copyright, he should pursue it legally, but I'm sure the original is old enough to be in the public domain. Blown glass isn't a traditional Haida OR Tlingit medium anyway, so there's little chance of confusing Singletary's work with appearance or context of the original monument.
If it weren't for the interest of anthropologists and contemporary artists (native AND white), some significant portion of NW Coast art tradition and skills would have been lost altogether.
If it weren't for the interest of anthropologists and contemporary artists (native AND white), some significant portion of NW Coast art tradition and skills would have been lost altogether.
3
Correction: while Singletary is a member of the Tlingit tribe, he does not claim to be full-blooded Tlingit, if that matters.
4
This issue is similar to the controvery surrounding the cartoons of Mohamed published in a Danish newspaper a few years back. Different cultures view objectification and interpretation of religious beliefs in profoundly differing ways. This raises a lot of questions, not the least of which is: Does a non-member of a group; ethnic, religious or cultural, have to comply with cultural norms established by that group?
The same-sex marriage question is a good case in point. The religion of the majority population in the USA as practiced by that majority is seen to prohibit same-sex unions. A minority of the US population wants to challenge that belief. Is this minority required to respect the belief system of the majority and forgo same-sex unions?
The same-sex marriage question is a good case in point. The religion of the majority population in the USA as practiced by that majority is seen to prohibit same-sex unions. A minority of the US population wants to challenge that belief. Is this minority required to respect the belief system of the majority and forgo same-sex unions?
5
What has been missed by those that have posted so far, is the image of the whale is owned by a clan that Preston does not belong to. This ownership is recognized by a federal law called NAGPRA. NAGRPA was created so tribes could repatriate sacred objects from museums among other things. Nagpra created the frame work in which clans and tribes could actually own their intellectual property. Nagpra was created long after the Burke opened its doors, and Holm began copying totems and raising them on the UW Campus. Holm and Burke have chosen not to recognize the Law. The problem is not that Preston is Tlingit, the problem is that the clan that owns the image is not involved. This has nothing to do with your dumb white capitalist asses, or gay marriage, or Mohamad. Also, Bruce is a carver, and I am sure he wants to get paid to recarve that whale.
6
I think the real issue is that the anthropologists at the Burke think of Haida culture as something that exists solely in the past, to be studied, while the Haida themselves think of themselves as a living culture.
I think it's similar to the situation with Australian Aboriginal culture. Appropriating their images and other art for Western purposes, such as anthropological study, without consulting the creators, just marginalizes them further. Efforts to assign ownership of their culture to themselves, and not just whatever white dude happens to stumble across it, or run the station on which they live, has had a profound impact on making these people feel connected to the world again.
As "You Idiots!" points out, the Haida culture belongs to the Haida. We talk a lot about how the whites "extinguished their culture", but that's not really true. They're still here. And this stuff belongs to them. I'm surprised the Burke hasn't run into NAGPRA issues before this.
I think it's similar to the situation with Australian Aboriginal culture. Appropriating their images and other art for Western purposes, such as anthropological study, without consulting the creators, just marginalizes them further. Efforts to assign ownership of their culture to themselves, and not just whatever white dude happens to stumble across it, or run the station on which they live, has had a profound impact on making these people feel connected to the world again.
As "You Idiots!" points out, the Haida culture belongs to the Haida. We talk a lot about how the whites "extinguished their culture", but that's not really true. They're still here. And this stuff belongs to them. I'm surprised the Burke hasn't run into NAGPRA issues before this.
7
I guess ... I want to know. Doesn't the mimicry of Haida art expand the scope of Haida culture? Is that a bad thing?
8
@5 Laws aren't retroactive. You say NAGPRA was created long after these copies or versions of totems on the UW campus were created, therefore it doesn't cover them, they aren't native cultural artifacts, they are copies made before the law went into effect.
The glass object being made now could be considered to come under the law, but that would have to be proved in court if it comes to that.
Your obvious anger over this issue is analogous to that expressed by those opposed to the cartoons I mentioned earlier. You are helping me make my point.
Discussion about the appliction of and reaction to questions of intellectual property rights as well as religious doctrine, which is arguably intellectual property, is the whole point here.
The glass object being made now could be considered to come under the law, but that would have to be proved in court if it comes to that.
Your obvious anger over this issue is analogous to that expressed by those opposed to the cartoons I mentioned earlier. You are helping me make my point.
Discussion about the appliction of and reaction to questions of intellectual property rights as well as religious doctrine, which is arguably intellectual property, is the whole point here.
9
This is a fascinating topic. I see a superficial analogy to the Mohammad cartoons; however, I have much less sympathy for the Muslim world offended by those cartoons than I do for the Haida cultures that were displaced by our spoiled white asses who now live on their land. It does seem like there might be slightly more cultural deference called for in this case, even if we don't entirely agree with the rationale. The Muslim faith is in no danger of being destroyed from the outside (from the inside, well, a different matter). The Haida faith, on the other hand...
10
1. NAGPRA covers objects, not intangible images.
2. An interpretation in glass of a carved wooden object is not a copy, because the two mediums are so different. If I paint a portrait of my wife from a photo taken it of her, I am not making a copy of the photograph, but rather, a new artwork. The Haida never worked in glass.
3. If Holm had not reproduced the monument from the old photographs, no one living would be able to appreciate what the original artist had done.
2. An interpretation in glass of a carved wooden object is not a copy, because the two mediums are so different. If I paint a portrait of my wife from a photo taken it of her, I am not making a copy of the photograph, but rather, a new artwork. The Haida never worked in glass.
3. If Holm had not reproduced the monument from the old photographs, no one living would be able to appreciate what the original artist had done.
11
ummm....this isn't really going to add to the conversation much, but I have to let it out. Everytime I see the name "Preston Singletary" i get a giggle. He and his family were regulars at a brunch place I worked and I loved his name. It's technically Preston L Singletary III or something real close and it was my favorite name ever (until I came across Montana Von Fliss). Also, he's cute. I know a wierd amount of stuff about him, but I swear it's not creepy. What that has to do with the rights of native people to do each others art for the museum of glass, i cannot say.
12
@ 8 Comparing Nagrpa and the property rights of a clan to a fundamentalist movement is weird. I guess a few connections could be made here or there. Muslims are a people still able to fight Western Imperialism, were as Tlingits and Haidas have lost that war, and received a redress here and there, like Nagpra. The beliefs of Tlingits and Haidas were not monotheistic religions set on conquering the whole world, but family stories and crests that belonged to the clan. It is up to the clan and the Burke Museum to hash this out, but it is sad that the Burke has chosen to piss on the clan that owned original grave marker like this. But what else can we expect from white mother fucking benefactors of imperialism and genocide that always get their way.
13
@12 I don't think that the Tlingits, Haida or any other First Nations group have completely lost the war, as you put it. It seems to me that more people in this country are becoming aware of the issues and are also becoming more sympathetic to these issues as seen by native peoples. As the different Nations gain more economic clout they are gaining more focus in local and national politics. Here in the Northwest issues such as gaming, reservation land use, and harvesting rights keep tribal politics in the public eye. They are all subjects that are still controversial but if the war were completely lost they wouldn't be the political hot-potatos that they are.
The reason I brought up the Mohamed cartoons was to illustrate the power images have over us and how the display of them are viewed differently by different groups. I was not comparing Haida to Muslim as being equal, I was alluding to the dangers inherent in one group using the cultural signifiers of another.
The reason I brought up the Mohamed cartoons was to illustrate the power images have over us and how the display of them are viewed differently by different groups. I was not comparing Haida to Muslim as being equal, I was alluding to the dangers inherent in one group using the cultural signifiers of another.
14
@5: The Burke repatriates art in compliance with NAGPRA all the time - museum cooperation is compulsory in order to receive funding. NAGPRA requires the museums to circulate inventories of sacred objects to tribes and they are welcome to claim them. However, this debate brings up a fundamental difference between Canadian and US repatriation: intellectual property rights. These are virtually ignored in NAGPRA - it has only to do with physical repatriation.
Apparently the family of the carver were present at the unveiling of the reproduction in 1985 and must have approved in some way, but that certainly doesn't mean every Haida signed off on it. I will be interested to see how Robin Wright responds to this since her expertise is with the Haida and Haida art.
Apparently the family of the carver were present at the unveiling of the reproduction in 1985 and must have approved in some way, but that certainly doesn't mean every Haida signed off on it. I will be interested to see how Robin Wright responds to this since her expertise is with the Haida and Haida art.
15
While I appreciate this introduction to the misrepresentation of Haidan art, I find it odd that you would use Guy Ben-ner's work as a springboard to further your cause! In the first sentence, you reference a work from Stephanie Smith's terrific show 'Adaptation' travelling from the University of Chicago that will soon open at the Henry Art Gallery in Seattle. Or, did you even bother to research these facts? I am wondering if you even bothered to look at any of the work in 'Adaptation' beyond your cursory youtube search of the title "Moby Dick." Strange, I think that this exhibits your weak gesture at maintaining a solid arguement.
Why would you use a highly visable show and famous artists as a platform to create an otherwise legitimate discussion on a misrepresented culture of the Haida people? Does this mean that art should not be supported because it is questionable like Jessie Helms decried in the 1980's? Or, am I getting off track here?
Please make sure that you are citing the correct references while you are pushing your agenda and not using the antics of CNN, E! and MTV to prove your case.
Why would you use a highly visable show and famous artists as a platform to create an otherwise legitimate discussion on a misrepresented culture of the Haida people? Does this mean that art should not be supported because it is questionable like Jessie Helms decried in the 1980's? Or, am I getting off track here?
Please make sure that you are citing the correct references while you are pushing your agenda and not using the antics of CNN, E! and MTV to prove your case.
16
Preston Singletary is a highly skilled glass artist who is respected internationally. His love of all Northwest cultures, including his Tlingit roots are what motivates him to create inspirations of a profound tradition.
He has done more to expose both native and outside culture's to Northwest Coast art transformed into a new material than anyone in his generation. If you knew him you would know that he has never produced piece without great respect for his elders, teachers, family and friends. I think his work is a positive expression for a future generation.
I am sure he is learning from all this crap as much as he learns from every positive experience he has.
The fact is, there are envious folks out there who would rather complain about success rather then explore and take chances with their own life. Hey Bruce, it is so easy to criticize others, and what do you really know about Preston Singletary.
He has done more to expose both native and outside culture's to Northwest Coast art transformed into a new material than anyone in his generation. If you knew him you would know that he has never produced piece without great respect for his elders, teachers, family and friends. I think his work is a positive expression for a future generation.
I am sure he is learning from all this crap as much as he learns from every positive experience he has.
The fact is, there are envious folks out there who would rather complain about success rather then explore and take chances with their own life. Hey Bruce, it is so easy to criticize others, and what do you really know about Preston Singletary.
17
Preston here. First of all I am Tlingit and Kagwaantan is my house group. My family also has Eagle and Brown bear. If Bruce Cook lll would have asked me in the first place I would have assured him that I would not "re-interpret" the Howkan killer whale. I respect it for what it represents. I do understand the intellectual property issues surrounding NW coast art.
A patron of the Burke approached me to ask about making a piece of glass that would be donated to the museum. The idea to make the piece at the Museum of Glass was mine since I have been working with them putting together a large scale show opening next year. So they plugged me into one of their residencies. That way the museums could get together in the interest of creating events and educating the public about glass and NW coast art. The patrons of the Burke and students of the Native arts studies from the U of W could come in and see the piece being made if they wanted. A postcard was sent out with the Howkan whale, which has become sort of a symbol for the Burke and the Bill Holm study center with the word "inspired" by the (Howkan whale) announcing the date of the demo. This seems to be where Bruce Cook lll took issue.
The fact is I have made different interpretations of Killer whales with my art over the years and my "inspiration" comes from all NW coast art, Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian. Our tribes share quite similar cultures. We share songs, dances and creation stories, and the Haida are not the only ones who include Killer whales or large dorsal fins in their crest symbols. We owe a debt of gratitude to our ancestors for building such a rich culture. I am honored to have a connection to it, and I try and honor it to the best of my ability.
I respect Bruce Cook lll's knowledge of Haida art and culture. I can get behind a lot of the things he says about the culture. I have spoken to the tribal council in Hydaberg and explained the situation. I apologized for any misunderstanding, and expressed my wish to be understood. I also came to learn that Bruce Cook did not consult with them before writing that letter. Not that they wouldn't have supported his stance but my opinion he jumped the gun by proliferating this letter in the way that he has. Maybe they would have confronted me first to find out the situation. There are some instances on the NW coast that when the First nation or Native Alaskan artists become successful they seem to be looked at as leaders. I am of the thought that artists should be artists and elders should be the leaders.
I hope that this helps clarify my position.
More...
A patron of the Burke approached me to ask about making a piece of glass that would be donated to the museum. The idea to make the piece at the Museum of Glass was mine since I have been working with them putting together a large scale show opening next year. So they plugged me into one of their residencies. That way the museums could get together in the interest of creating events and educating the public about glass and NW coast art. The patrons of the Burke and students of the Native arts studies from the U of W could come in and see the piece being made if they wanted. A postcard was sent out with the Howkan whale, which has become sort of a symbol for the Burke and the Bill Holm study center with the word "inspired" by the (Howkan whale) announcing the date of the demo. This seems to be where Bruce Cook lll took issue.
The fact is I have made different interpretations of Killer whales with my art over the years and my "inspiration" comes from all NW coast art, Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian. Our tribes share quite similar cultures. We share songs, dances and creation stories, and the Haida are not the only ones who include Killer whales or large dorsal fins in their crest symbols. We owe a debt of gratitude to our ancestors for building such a rich culture. I am honored to have a connection to it, and I try and honor it to the best of my ability.
I respect Bruce Cook lll's knowledge of Haida art and culture. I can get behind a lot of the things he says about the culture. I have spoken to the tribal council in Hydaberg and explained the situation. I apologized for any misunderstanding, and expressed my wish to be understood. I also came to learn that Bruce Cook did not consult with them before writing that letter. Not that they wouldn't have supported his stance but my opinion he jumped the gun by proliferating this letter in the way that he has. Maybe they would have confronted me first to find out the situation. There are some instances on the NW coast that when the First nation or Native Alaskan artists become successful they seem to be looked at as leaders. I am of the thought that artists should be artists and elders should be the leaders.
I hope that this helps clarify my position.
18
Found directly in front of the Burke Museum, this is a replica of a grave monument in Howkan, Alaska. Called "Single Fin", the original monument was commissioned around 1880 by Moses Koohl-Keet as a memorial to his uncle, head of Brown Bear House, a branch of the Quetas Ravens. It was carved by John Wallace, then a young man. In 1985, Koohl-keet's relatives witnessed the unveiling of the replica at the Burke Museum's 100th anniversary. Curator Emeritus Bill Holm, carved it based on photographs of the Howkan whale, and on the original fin, which is in the Burke Museum's ethnology collection (cat. no. 1-1682). (http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/co…)
1) It is a replica made to help preserve what has been lost. If it wasn't there many would not be aware that it ever existed. Also, it is there to educated people of the culture. It certainly taught me a lot.
2) Many items have been repatriated to the tribes they have originally come from. In fact some artifacts have been waiting for the tribe to come take them and repatriate them.
3) I understand that being part of a clan means that they only have the right to the image, story, etc. But many clans and native artists ask for replicas so that their culture may be preserved an passed down to future generations.
4) Honestly, if nothing was ever replicated we would have lost so much history and culture already.
I suggest doing a little research on repatriation and replicas made with consent.
1) It is a replica made to help preserve what has been lost. If it wasn't there many would not be aware that it ever existed. Also, it is there to educated people of the culture. It certainly taught me a lot.
2) Many items have been repatriated to the tribes they have originally come from. In fact some artifacts have been waiting for the tribe to come take them and repatriate them.
3) I understand that being part of a clan means that they only have the right to the image, story, etc. But many clans and native artists ask for replicas so that their culture may be preserved an passed down to future generations.
4) Honestly, if nothing was ever replicated we would have lost so much history and culture already.
I suggest doing a little research on repatriation and replicas made with consent.
19
@6 I am a student of the curator of Native American art of the Burke Museum and I can assure you she does not think of the cultures she studies as 'dead'. she is constantly emphasizing that the cultures we are studying are still alive and practicing.
Also, The Burke did not commission this specific piece. A third party is paying Preston Singletary to make the whale piece and is then donating that piece to the museum.
Also, The Burke did not commission this specific piece. A third party is paying Preston Singletary to make the whale piece and is then donating that piece to the museum.
20
Update: The Burke was looking for a glass whale piece but this is not nor was it ever meant to be a 'replication' of the Howkan Whale. It was a case of poor wording on the Burke's part in the information letter that was sent out.
Advertisement
Most Commented on Slog
-
SL Letter of the Day: Pill The Homos! by Dan Savage
-
The AP Is Reporting That Whitney Houston Is Dead by Paul Constant
-
Slog Bible Study: Deuteronomy 21:10-14 by Goldy
-
Because Guns Make Us Safer by Goldy
-
SL Letter of the Day: Daddy Loves Who? by Dan Savage
-
Gregoire: "This is signed!" by Eli Sanders
-
Gay Kids Are Still Killing Themselves by Dan Savage
-
Whitney Is Dead, And So Is Hollywood by Kelly O
-
Planned Parenthood Exposed! by David Schmader
-
Stranger Tournament of Dunces, Match 3: Rep. Mark Hargrove vs. Rep. Norma Smith by Eli Sanders
RSS
Facebook
Twitter
Comments (20) RSS