Artist Statement of Samantha Jacobs.

SAMANTHA JACOBS (Seneca) of the Turtle Clan learned beadwork, as a child, from her mother. After years of traveling the Pow Wow Trail, she became proficient in leatherwork, as well as beadwork. Samantha was an active member of the Buffalo Creek Dancers, which functioned as both a performance and educational group, traveling the country to perform. As a community educator, she has expanded her repertoire to include other traditional arts like tufting and quillwork. She showcases her beadwork in juried art shows and is a member of the Native Roots Artist's Guild. She has won awards for her beadwork designs in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

I incorporate the motifs symbolic of the Creation story into my work, because the knowledge and cultural heritage of my People find the foundation of who we are from the story. I see beadwork as an opportunity to showcase my skills as an artist, but also as an educational opportunity. For those who see the beads, it is a chance to understand more about who we are as Haudenosaunee--an opportunity to see the iconography of what we hold dear, what we believe in, and what we give thanks for.

The Three Sisters, in Seneca, more correctly termed Johehgoh, is translated as "Our Life Sustainers." We acknowledge not only the sustenance provided, but also the supportive nature and delicate balance of the food system of Johehgoh in our Thanksgiving Address and in our motifs found in our art.

Wild strawberries known as Shesa:h Ojisdoda'sha' are considered a medicine, because they are the first berry of the year. The Haudenosaunee give thanks for and acknowledges strawberries during the Thanksgiving Address and when they ripen in June. Strawberries are also prominent in Haudenosaunee beadwork designs. A fivepetal flower in beadwork design is sometimes used to represent the original Haudenosaunee Nations: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca.

Traditional ecological knowledge involves understanding that there is a balance to the world, knowing not to take more than what you need, learning to do no harm, and seeing these concepts firsthand as instrumental to learning and carrying them forward. These traditional concepts are foundational to understanding the relationship that we as people have with the environment.

I feel it is important that museums and art centers invite indigenous artists to share their knowledge and beliefs. Being able to talk and work with knowledge bearers, such as indigenous artists, gives the public at museums and art centers chances to ask questions and interact on personal levels that could not happen in any other form. Each interaction is a teachable moment. What's the purpose of a museum if it's not to learn and pass on knowledge? Nothing beats learning from the source.