Two categories of
objects exist that together create a remarkable narrative in the history of the Plains tribes. The hide paintings and the ledger book drawings of the Plains Indians stand out as a unique and creative example of worlds colliding. The hide paintings which acted as record keepers for the various tribes were created on objects made primarily of buffalo hide such as; tipis, shields,
parfleches, robes, clothing, and drums. The imagery depicted on the hide marked important events including battles, buffalo hunts and ceremonies. In the early to
mid-19th century a culmination of events shifted the use of
buffalo hide to ledger books for the representation of these images. The
acceleration of westward expansion brought many destructive changes to the
lives of the Native people. Two such changes directly effected both of the
objects. The first was the mass killing of the buffalo which greatly diminished the use
of hide and the second was the variety of new items introduced by non-Indians. Buffalo
hide, which was used in every aspect of the lives of the Native people, was no
longer readily available for their hide paintings. Furthermore, the
ledger books brought by non-Indians were purchased and traded and soon became
the new medium on which the tribes continued their tradition. It is
important to note that the use of hide was not completely abandoned by the
Plains tribes, rather the circumstances discussed significantly reduced its
integration in their traditional practices.
Crow man's wearing robe, approx. 1865
Nebraska State Historical Society
Hide Painting, 1890
Indian Arts Research Center, Sante Fe, New Mexico
Detail of a hide painting attributed to Cadzi Cody
Ledger Drawings
Wooden Leg (Kum-mok-quiv-vi-ok-ta), Cheyenne, 1882
"Social Dancers"
graphite, colored pencil, ink and watercolor on woven ledger paper
7 x 10 1/4 in.
Hood Museum of Art, Lansburgh Collection
Julian Scott, Kiowa, 1880
"Osage Dance"
graphite, crayon, laid ledger paper
Hood Museum of Art, Lansburgh Collection
Black Horse, a band of the Cheyenne tribe, 1877-1879
"War Party Coming Home"
ink, crayon, ledger paper
Newberry Library, Chicago
Possibly Cheyenne, 1890
ink, crayon, woven paper
Brooklyn Museum
Both the hide paintings and ledger book drawings can be found at many museums and institutions across the country. In the New York area, the National Museum of the American Indian, the Brooklyn Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art each have these items in their collections. Each institution displays these items differently depending on the category of museum. An excerpt from a recent paper I've written highlights these differences...
The Metropolitan
Museum of Art is the quintessential art museum, most inclined to display the
objects of non-western cultures outside of their intended use, focusing
primarily on the aesthetics of the objects. The concept to highlight the aesthetics of
objects from non-western cultures started as a way to counter the ethnographic
format so popular in the 19th and 20th centuries.[1] In a 2000 supplement to the Met’s mission
statement, the emphasis on the aesthetic merit of the “works of art” is clear.[2] “The
mission of The Metropolitan Museum of Art is to collect, preserve, study,
exhibit, and stimulate appreciation for and advance knowledge of works of art
that collectively represent the broadest spectrum of human achievement at the
highest level of quality, all in the service of the public and in accordance
with the highest professional standards.”[3]
While the goal
of museums like the Met has been to highlight objects with a focus on the aesthetics,
natural history museums place a different emphasis on the objects they
display. The American Museum of Natural
History utilizes the expanded version of natural history which includes the
fields of anthropology, human cultures and ethnography and displays objects in
their “natural” habitat, including humans.
Natural history museums observe the cultural property of non-western
peoples most commonly in reference to their function within the culture to
which the objects belong. The American
Museum of Natural History’s simple mission statement illustrates their focus on
human cultures from a scientific evaluation. “To discover, interpret, and
disseminate—through scientific research and education—knowledge about human
cultures, the natural world, and the universe.”[4]
According to
McClellan, “Striking a balance between the aesthetic expectations of Western
viewers and the values of other cultures remains a live issue for art
museums. In recent decades debate has
focused most heavily on the collecting, display, and interpretation of African
and indigenous arts of North America and Oceania.”[5] This current focus can be observed in
institutions like the National Museum of the American Indian, which acts as a
culturally specific museum, emphasizing the arts and objects of the indigenous
peoples of North and South America, from the ancient world to the present. Their mission states that “the National
Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) is committed to advancing knowledge and
understanding of the Native cultures of the Western Hemisphere—past, present,
and future—through partnership with Native people and others. The museum works
to support the continuance of culture, traditional values, and transitions in
contemporary Native life.”[6] Information on NMAI’s website noted by McClellan
states that the museum is dedicated to “reaffirming traditions and beliefs,
encouraging contemporary artistic expression, and empowering the Indian voice.” NMAI incorporates “Native methodologies for
the handling, documentation, care, and presentation of collections” and
“actively strives to find new approaches to the study and representation of the
history, materials, and cultures of Native peoples.”[7]
[1]
Andrew McClellan, The Art Museum from
Boullee to Bilbao (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008), 140.
[2]
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Mission Statement, http://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-museum/mission-statement,
accessed 18 December 2013.
[3]
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Mission Statement, http://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-museum/mission-statement,
accessed 18 December 2013.
[4]
American Museum of Natural History Mission Statement, http://www.amnh.org/about-us/mission-statement,
accessed 18 December 2013.
[5]
Andrew McClellan, The Art Museum from
Boulee to Bilbao. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008), 142.
[6]
National Museum of the American Indian Mission Statement, http://nmai.si.edu/about/mission/,
accessed 18 December 2013.
[7]
National Museum of the American Indian website, (Washington DC, 2006), quoted
in Andrew McClellan, The Art Museum (Berkeley:
University of California Press, 2008), 154.
