North by Northeast: NYFS celebrates Mohawk and Tuscarora Traditions.
Overholser, Lisa
The Hudson Valley Quadricentennial in 2009 spurred all kinds of
special celebrations in cities along the Hudson River, from flotilla
parades and festivals to art fairs, music performances, and exhibitions.
The central focus of the Quadricentennial was Henry Hudson's voyage
four hundred years ago up the river that now bears his name. Hudson, an
English explorer under contract with the Dutch East India Company to
find a quicker trading route to the Near East, set sail with a crew of
Dutch and English sailors in hopes of finding that path. He may not have
realized it then, but Hudson's explorations on the Dutch boat the
Haff Moon would significantly alter the social, cultural, and economic
fabric of the northeastern United States.
An important part of the story is his party's contact with
indigenous peoples. Among the Native American tribes in the Northeast at
the time were a loose confederation of Haudenosaunee (Iroquois is the
more common non-native term) tribes of New York State and Canada, as
well as the Wabanaki tribes of New England and the Canadian maritime
provinces. Cultural traditions like basket making and beadwork served
not only functional purposes, but also strengthened familial and tribal
connections and demonstrated the integral connection between the
environment and the artists' heritage.
For its part in the Quadricentennial celebrations, the New York
Folklore Society commemorated these still-thriving cultural traditions
with "North by Northeast: Baskets and Beadwork from the Akwesasne
Mohawk and Tuscarora." At the core of North by Northeast was an
exhibition held from September 25 to October 24, 2009, on the first
floor of the historic, sixteen-sided Nott Memorial at Union College in
Schenectady, New York. The exhibition displayed the work of
Haudenosaunee artists from New York featured in the larger traveling
exhibition, "North by Northeast: Wabanaki, Akwesasne Mohawk, and
Tuscarora Traditional Arts," curated by folklorist Kathleen
Mundell, director of Cultural Resources in Rockport, Maine.
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Helping us open the reception on Friday evening, October 2, was
Kathleen Mundell, the curator of the larger traveling exhibition. After
speaking briefly about the traveling exhibition, Mundell gave an
overview of basket making and beadwork practices among Native American
tribes in the Northeastern U.S. and explained how those traditions have
changed over the years. Another highlight of the eve ning was the
blessing given by Mohawk spokesperson Tom Porter, who works as a Native
American spiritual counselor in the New York prison system. Although we
had to close the evening in darkness due to electrical problems
affecting the entire university, the opening reception was nonetheless a
warm, enthusiastic commencement to our month of events.
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Among the Schenectady Greenmarket vendors on Sunday, October 11,
were four Haudenosaunee who made the long drive to Schenectady to
participate in the market. Artists included Mary Clause (Tuscarora
beadworker), Judy Cole (Mohawk basket maker), and Carrie Hill (Mohawk
basket maker). Curator Sue Ellen Herne brought a few items from the
Akwesasne Museum to sell. Despite the cold, breezy weather, Greenmarket
visitors welcomed the opportunity to see the beautiful items at their
tables and speak with the artists.
Later that day, as a part of the New York Folklore Society's
annual Field Trip, Herne gave a thought-provoking talk on "Culture
and Commerce" at the Old Chapel building on the Union College
campus. She spoke eloquently about her own experiences navigating the
tricky line between basket making as a cultural tradition and the
commodification of that tradition. She came armed with some surprising
facts and statistics. One particularly startling fact was her
calculation that, by the time basket makers take into account the number
of hours they spend preparing a basket and what they receive at a
typical market, basket artisans make only about $5.10 an hour.
Statistics like this highlight some of the difficult choices that must
be made by traditional artists.
Continuing the Field Trip, Lynne Williamson, folk arts director of
Intercultural Resources in Hartford, Connecticut, gave a guided tour of
the exhibit to New York Folklore Society members. Williamson, a
contributor to the original traveling exhibition catalog, was able to
provide a more in-depth look at some of the objects on display, pointing
out aesthetic features and providing cultural background.
On Saturday, October 17, filmmaker Courtney Hunt came to the Reamer
Campus Center Auditorium at Union College to speak about the making of
her award-winning film Frozen River, Grand Jury Prize--winner at the
2008 Sundance Film Festival. Audience members viewed the provocative
film and were able to engage in direct conversation with the filmmaker.
This was a rare opportunity to hear a noted director talk about film
technique, the technical and conceptual issues she confronted in the
process of filming, her writing process, and more. Joining Hunt in the
panel discussion was Andrea Foroughi, associate professor of history at
Union College. Expanding the conversation, Foroughi put the film into a
wider sociocultural context and pointed out some statistical facts
relevant to issues brought forth in the film, particularly regarding the
difficulties facing households led by single women throughout history
and some of the cultural differences between Mohawk society and
mainstream American society.
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The Mohawk women's singing group Kontiwennenha:wi : Carriers
of the Words, recently nominated for a prestigious Native American Music
Award, came to help us close the exhibition on Saturday, October 24.
They gave a beautiful performance, filled with music and dance, and even
had audience members up on their feet in an interactive demonstration of
Mohawk social dances. The group sang in both Mohawk and English, and
many of the members, including Teresa Bear Fox and Maxine Cole, spoke of
the importance of preserving these traditions for themselves and their
communities. Cole, a language instructor at Akwesasne, spoke about
language instruction and the importance of language to cultural
identity.
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For more information about the exhibition, including more
photographs and video clips, visit wwwnyfolklore.org/
about/baskets.html. "^T"
Lisa Overholser is staff folklorist at the New York Folklore
Society, where she manages the mentoring and professional development
program and contributes to many other projects and initiatives. She
holds a Ph.D. in folklore and ethnomusicology from the University of
Indiana. She thanks Rachel Seligman, director of the Mandeville Gallery,
for her assistance in organizing the North by Northeast exhibition.
