Welcome to the Street Prophets Coffee Hour cleverly hidden at the intersection of religion, art, science, food, and politics. This is an open thread where we can share our thoughts and comments about the day. A special exhibit—Reborn Rez Wrecks—at the Missoula (Montana) Art Museum (MAM) featured imaginative sculptures depicting traditional Native culture using found and salvaged metal by Blackfoot artist Jay Laber (1961-2019).
According to the museum description:
“A precise craftsman, Laber built large scale sculpture that weighed hundreds of pounds with tight tolerances. He would meticulously sift through hundreds of parts before selecting and inserting exactly the right piece to suggest or describe an essential detail. An expert at considering all the angles that sculpture might be viewed, he made his works appear active, kinetic, and full of energy.”
MAM is situated on the traditional, ancestral territories of the Séliš (Salish or “Flathead”) and Qlispé (upper Kalispel or Pend d’Oreille) peoples. MAM is committed to respecting the indigenous stewards of the land it occupies. Their rich cultures are fundamental to artistic life in Montana and to the work of MAM.
Sentinel
This piece was created in 1999.
Warfare on the Northern Plains was common, but it was not usually waged by one tribe against another. Warfare was carried out by small, independent raiding parties rather than by large, organized armies. The motivation for war was personal gain, not tribal patriotism. Through participation in war an individual gained prestige, honor, and even wealth (as counted in horses.)
War honors were usually graded on the basis of the amount of courage displayed in winning them. Among the Blackfoot, the highest honors were given to capturing an enemy’s gun. Also ranked high were the capture of a bow, shield, war shirt, war bonnet, or ceremonial pipe. The taking of a scalp ranked below these things.
Shown above is a detail of the tail.
Detail of the rider’s leg
Open Thread
This is an open thread which means that all topics are welcome.
