Winter 2019

Vol. 20 No. 4

Winter 2019

On the Cover

In the sculpture “The Look of Confi dence Was Apparent (As He Was About to Strike),” an Inuit hunter holds a “kakivak,” a type of harpoon, with a shaft made of moose bone and a silver trident tip. His knife in his hand is a replica of the full-size, traditional knives his grandfather taught him how to make. Looking at the hunter’s face, “you have that feeling that he knew he was going to get it,” says sculptor Michael Massie (Labrador Inuit/Métis/Scottish). The piece is on display in the ongoing exhibition “Ancestral Connections” at the National Museum of the American Indian in New York.

“The Look of Confi dence Was Apparent (As He Was About to Strike),” 2004, Michael Massie (Labrador Inuit/Métis/Scottish). Made of limestone, cocobolo wood, walrus ivory, moose bone and sinew. 15.5" x 10.4" x 5.8", gift of R.E. Mansfi eld to NMAI, 2006. 26/5812

Articles

Arts and Cultures

Ancestral Connections: A Constellation of Contemporary Artists Show Their Ties to Their Native Cultures

Anne Bolen

A new NMAI exhibition in New York brings together contemporary Native artworks with past influences spanning the Western Hemisphere. The pieces vary greatly in their forms and origins, yet their creators share a common thread: all take inspiration from their Indigenous roots.

Arts and Cultures

Filling the Silence: Baskets Preserve Shan Goshorn's Unique Talents and Depict Lasting Impacts of Indian Boarding Schools

Rebecca Head Trautmann

A basket series newly acquired by the NMAI pays tribute to the suffering of students at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School and to the unique talent of the late Shan Goshorn.

Arts and Cultures

Strong Words: Poet and Musician Joy Harjo Becomes the First Native U.S. Poet Laureate

Anne Bolen

Joy Harjo’s unique poetry and music have broken ground and helped revitalize an interest in these Native arts. This year, she became the first American Indian to be named Poet Laureate of the United States.

History

Redrawing History: A Graphic Novel Recounts the Conestoga Massacre from the Tribe's Perspective

John F. Ross

This graphic novel tells the story of a lesser-known atrocity in American colonial history, the massacre of the Conestoga tribe of Pennsylvania during the “Paxton Boys” rebellion.

Arts and Cultures

Native Authors Invade Sci-Fi: Indigenous Writers are Reshaping Speculative Fiction

James Ring Adams

Overcoming rear-guard resistance, American Indian writers and their allies are blasting a place in the speculative genre for an Indigenous worldview and discovering surprising affinities.