Native Insights in Art

Uponwalking into a coffee shop decorated with the motif of dragonflies,Bonnie Kahn pointed to one and mentioned that some Indians see them asspirits of children. Kahn recognizes many things within the multitudeof Native American cultures. She has spent her life sharing thoseinsights with the rest of the world. Her next journey will includesharing her perceptions of the internal world to guide others outwardto new realizations.

A Native Understanding for Human Nature and the Arts
By Sherry Harbert, Foreign Interest

 BonnieKahn grew up in a magical world. It was filled with wild animals,spirits of the elders, adventure and honor. Kahn’s world was very realand continues to exist. She first discovered its existence as a younggirl at the Tulalip Reservation in Washington state.

 “Iknew back then that I was really lucky,” said Kahn. “Just that sensethat there was magic around and I was really lucky.” Kahn spent herweekends and summers on the reservation with children from more thansix tribes in the Puget Sound region. “We ran together like a pack,”she said. “We played on the beaches and in canoes. We had a ball.” Kahnremembered Maggie’s Grocery as the local hang-out for her and herfriends. “I heard lots of stories. I remember hearing about one man whocould fly. I would hear the drums at night. I heard of the magic. Iremember watching parents with long robes baptizing the kids.” The LongHouse, a place for ceremonies and celebrations, required respect. Kahnwas told not to go inside by her mother. “It doesn’t mean I didn’t pokemy head through the boards to peek inside, and I knew I was prettynaughty.”

 Kahn’smother understood the symbolic and cultural duty of all on thereservation. “She worked with the Bureau of Indian Affairs,” said Kahn.“She died of a brain tumor. She chose to die in that cabin.” Kahn’sfather built the cabin on the reservation and moved into it in 1962 tobe close to work. Kahn described the cabin as a single-room dwellingthat offered no shower or warm water. Kahn did not see the lack ofamenities. Her experiences on that reservation were so rich that shebuilt an amazing professional life with them.

Learning the Nature of Art

Kahnlearned of the similarities and differences of tribes when she moved tothe Makah Reservation in 1983. Located on the northeast tip of theOlympic Peninsula in Washington state, the reservation is best known asNeah Bay. Kahn arrived at Neah Bay to work as a substitute teacher. Herfirst day was marked by tradition which permeates every facet of theculture. She said no one spoke to her. It was a stark difference fromher days at Tulalip, so she ventured to ask an elder. Kahn said theelder explained that the night before drumming foretold of impendingdeath. It was not a time to talk, but to wait. That evening a youngTheron Parker crashed his vehicle. He survived, but his cousin died. Hewas sent to prison. Parker would eventually redeem himself in hiscommunity by being the first to pass the harpoon during the first legalwhale hunt after 70 years.

 The1999 hunt was allowed by the federal government in the outer coast offthe Strait of Juan de Fuca. The federal permit was intact for severalyears before public outcry and multiple government agencies barred thetribal practice. After years of court battles, Parker and four otherswould subsequently test the ire of the tribe, activists and thegovernment by shooting a whale one late summer day in 2007. The Makahdenounced the activity while continuing to answer for the traditionthat was guaranteed with the Treaty of Neah Bay in 1855. Parker pleaded with a misdemeanor and was placed on a two-year parole.

 Thedark environment of the Pacific Northwest was starkly different fromthe warmth of the American Southwest. After Kahn’s one-year teachingstint at Neah Bay, she moved to Sante Fe, New Mexico. Kahn had grownaccustom to the Makah and Tulalip reservations and their very intensedarkness. She referred to it as a moodiness that the environmentcreated. “There’s just a darkness with the clouds and the trees,” shesaid. Her response to the sun in New Mexico was much like a cultureshock. “In New Mexico there was the sun. I actually became depressedfrom too much sun.”

 Kahn’sworking environment was far brighter. She met a real estate developerwho purchased the Frank Lloyd Wright “Potter House.” The iconicdwelling was originally intended for a couple in El Paso, Texas.Wright, who was also designing the Guggenheim Museum at the time,offered the design to the owners in Santa Fe. Both structuresintroduced designs of curvatures that continue to astound onlookers.The Guggenheim opened only months after Wright’s death. The Guggenheimcelebrated its 50th anniversary with an exhibition this year. ThePottery House became one of the two sites for the Frank Lloyd WrightFoundation. Equipped with her degree in art education, Kahn found a newsense of awareness at the foundation. She would soon learn the art ofcurator to launch collections for Frank Purdue and the Robert PamplinJr. collection of Western and Native Art that was partly exhibited inthe Portland Art Museum.

 Kahnbegan working on creating Pamplin’s collection of Civil War artifactsto specializing in his quest to preserve the horse culture of the West.She learned the value of restoring collections to honor and educateothers. Kahn continued her work in collections and preservation withthe Oregon Historical Society and the Nez Pierce tribe in Lewiston,Idaho. “Keeping the spirit, that’s what I’m all about.” Her latestpreservation work involves a collection with the Chehalis tribe where arecent artifact from her first Native American reservation in Tulalipunearthed a 10,000 year old remnant. Kahn is mindful of both the artand the artists who produce the works in preserving and sustainingNative American art.

Kahnsaid there is a delicate balance with the artists. Native American artrepresents the external world through an internal connection withnature. “They seek out what is before them. They interpret that from aninternal look.” It is a different mindset from many other artists wholook to express their inner feelings and ideas with external mediums.Kahn actively features about 25 artists at any given time. She said theart is more than emblems, eagles and chiefs. “You can see a whole newrevolution,” said Kahn. “I’ll see a trend form and processesinfluenced.” The degree to which Kahn works to showcase the talents ofNative Americans earns a great deal of respect. She told of manyvisitors enter her gallery wanting more than the art. “They are seekingtheir history.”

 “They’reseen as a part of history, yet they are actively looking around,” shesaid. “But they are not the past. They are citizens of today. They areactively evolving in their culture. They are growing and changing likeany other culture.” Art is such a dynamic part of life for NativeAmericans that many struggle to show its value beyond daily life. Kahnworks with many young artists who find it difficult to explain theirdesires to their parents,” Kahn said. “It’s not encouraged, because artis life and life is art.” The Wild West Gallery proved a venue to showwhy it is so much more.

 Kahnhas showcased rare photography exhibits, Navajo rugs, Tlingit carvings,Zapotec weavings and Southwest American jewelry. “Native American artis an interior world, so they share with you their inside. Lots of artin North America doesn’t show this world. Many people call NativeAmerican art as ‘arts and crafts.’ It’s art, bucko!”

An Earthly Illustration of Life

NativeAmerican culture is viewed through a telescope in the U.S. that looksmore into the past than the present. Casinos are the most visibleelement of the culture in the broader American landscape. Kahnrecognized that one must look deep within the landscape to see thebeauty of the culture. It is illustrated in the hills, forests, rivers,valleys and fields. Kahn’s ability to recognize that beauty andconnection with nature made her a natural as a curator of NativeAmerican art.

Sheopened her Wild West Gallery in Portland in 2003 to feature NativeAmerican artists. “I wanted to work with as many tribes as possible,”she said. “I wanted to represent as many as possible.” Kahn hasfeatured over 100 tribes inside her gallery. The works featurecarvings, jewelry, paintings and sculptures. “Native American art is aninterior world, so they share with you their inside. Lots of art inNorth America doesn’t show this world.”

Kahn’sgallery and art shows reflect a broad-range of Native American art andculture. She hosted a compelling show and book signing for “Shot theIndian: Media, Misperception and Native Truth,” in 2007, with authorKara Briggs "Shoot the Indian", Ronald D. Smith and Jose Barreiro tohighlight the issues of Native Americans inside their communities andin American culture. Many tribes continue to fight for their rights fortreaty-obligations of sovereignty, taxation, education and health andrepresentation.

Kahnexpressed her frustration at the lack of adherence to numerous treatiesnegotiated between Native Americans and the U.S. government. “Thegovernment doesn’t want treaties,” she said. “They don’t want toacknowledge the ones that are already in place. The government needs tohonor those treaties, period. The tribes are sovereign nations. It’ssupposed to allow them to govern themselves.” She was dismayed in howmany have been ignored. “The people who signed them years ago would beastounded on how things panned out.”

Kahn’sgallery has been a place where the sovereignty of the Native Americanis expressed in art. The 2007 show featured art work of Frank Salcidoof the Navajo, Robert Robideau of the Ojibway and Leonard Peltier ofthe Anishinabe-Lakota. The former two, along with others, were involvedin the 1975 Pine Ridge Incident which ended with the deaths of two FBIagents and one Lakota member. Kahn has featured their artwork in hergallery. Robideau, who was acquitted of any crimes, earned ananthropology degree at Portland State University and art educationtraining at the Native American Institute of Arts in Sante Fe, NewMexico. He died in February at his home in Barcelona, Spain.

“Robert(Robideau) worked with me in the gallery creating art from scrapmetal,” Kahn said. Robideau made paintings and shields. “I’ve beenselling Leonard’s (Peltier) paintings so he can raise money for hisdefense. He told me that ‘we all fired shots and people died and it waswrong.’ But only he is paying for it.” Kahn believes that minerals arestill the cause of the continuing hardships of Pine Ridge. “Look atWounded Knee, that’s all about minerals. There was gold in the BlackHills and the government wanted it.”

Theoutcome from the tragedy of Pine Ridge were very different for Robideauand Peltier, but their art extends beyond. The works of both menfeature nature in its most sovereign state. Inside Kahn’s gallery,Peltier’s paintings reflect images of the plains he remembers outsidehis cell block. For all Native Americans, nature is the most sovereignstate.

The First Conservationists

Kahncontinues to provide a venue to showcase the connection of earth andnative through her gallery. Her latest event featured Hopi artistssharing their art and beliefs of stewardship of the land. Warm Springsmembers Darlene Foster and Linda Meanus attracted an overflowingresponse to their sharing of knowledge as care-takers of the earth inAugust.

 “Climatechange is very important to the tribes,” said Kahn. “Tribes basicallylive in the seasons. In Neah Bay, the tribes were so wealthy. Therewere fish, oil, berries. They weren’t dependent on rain. The elementsin every area shaped the tribes.”

Kahnsaid the value of nature is acted upon in the most simple expressions.“If you find three roots, take two and leave one. Never eat when youpick.” Kahn explained why such simple concepts are important. “Itteaches patience,” she said. “Sometimes it is the smallest details, yetit is those tremendous things we tend to miss. It is of the upmostimportance.”

Withall the experience of knowledge Kahn holds, she does not considerherself a Native American. She does not take kindly to people who takeon the Native American lifestyle without understanding its depths andsacrifices. She said she can only provide glimpses, but they are ofgreat value to many others.

Taking the Next Journey

Kahnis very conscience of her environment and what it means to others. “Isought solace outside,” she said. “I remember the waves of the bay, thewinds. I saw how the world can be injured and saw how humor was veryhealing.” Her journey will take her beyond her gallery to a morepersonal level. She will close the gallery at the end of this year tobegin that transition. Kahn will continue to be involved in art andpreservation. She is currently working on a project in Chehalis,Washington. Kahn’s need to communicate on a deeper internal level ismuch in line with the journey of Native Americans. Her newly-acquiredskills as a life coach will provide her the tools to honor that quest.

 Fromall Kahn has learned about Native Americans, the two most prominentfeatures of all tribes is the oral tradition of storytelling and humor.“Tribes are so different, but the oral tradition and humor are alwaysvalued.” Kahn has found a way to bring those values to others in apersonal sense. She recently completed training as a life coach throughthe Baraka Institute to take healing to others.

 Shewanted to do something that created a way to healing after seeing somuch division. Kahn said she was dismayed at some recent actions thatare destroying the tribes. “Really bothers me. I talk to natives fromthe tribes who say there is so much blood needed to be considered. Someare raising those qualifying levels. It’s losing people from thetribes. They’re eliminating their own tribes. They need to look at newways to keep tribes strong.”

 Kahnplans to find ways to fix them. She says educating the young andpreserving the languages are vital. “We must promote and preserve andhonor the cultures.” Kahn knows that support for the arts is key tosustaining the culture. “One of the ways people keep traditions stayingstrong is by sharing beauty and power.” Kahn is set to be a force to dojust that.

October12, 2009 (updated Oct. 18, 2009, to correct spelling of Theron Parker'sname and clarify Pamphin's art collection exhibited at the Portland ArtMuseum.)
© 2009, Foreign Interest

Read the original article online at Foreign Interest.