The Hidden Narratives inside Indigenous Jewellery 

This week, AJF goes to Santa Fe, NM, US. There, the vacationers will soak up The Tales We Carry, on view on the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA). The exhibition’s curator, Brian Fleetwood (Mvskoke Creek), will give us a particular tour of his present. 

There isn’t a monolithic “Indigenous jewellery,” states Fleetwood. Every tradition and nation brings its personal traditions, imagery, themes, supplies, etcetera. In different phrases, there’s Hopi jewellery, and Tlingit jewellery, and Ho-Chunk jewellery, and Mvskoke jewellery, and Oneida jewellery, and a whole lot of others. The Tales We Carry highlights greater than 100 up to date Indigenous artists throughout the everlasting assortment of the IAIA Museum of Modern Native Arts’ (MoCNA). On this interview with Noelle Wiegand, Fleetwood takes us via his curatorial strategy, the wealthy which means embedded all through Indigenous craft, and the way one may start their very own Indigenous jewellery assortment.

The Tales We Carry stays on exhibit via March 21, 2028.

Noelle Wiegand: The Tales We Carry options over 100 Indigenous makers. How did you strategy this from a curatorial standpoint? What key elements have been you searching for when selecting which works to incorporate?

Brian Fleetwood: First, I’d prefer to acknowledge the curator of collections at MoCNA, Tatiana Lomahaftewa-Singer. Tatiana contributed a substantial amount of work and experience to the event of the exhibition and needs to be acknowledged as co-curator. The Tales We Carry wouldn’t have occurred with out her.

 The first theme of the exhibition is exploring the connection between Indigenous jewellery and storytelling. The exhibition focuses on artists who’ve ties to IAIA, with many of the works coming from MoCNA’s everlasting assortment. We regarded on the current historical past of Indigenous jewellery and the way in which that the Institute has acted as a hub for up to date Native artists, and the way the works of the artists introduced have interaction with the aim and capabilities of jewellery, significantly from an Indigenous perspective.

Initially, I had round twice as many picks as finally made it into the exhibition. I actually needed to get as shut as potential to participating within the full depth and breadth of North American Indigenous jewellery observe with the exhibition, taking a look at materials, course of, area, tradition, and extra. That is an inconceivable activity for a single exhibition, in fact, however I’ve an actual curiosity in pushing again in opposition to the preconceptions and generalizations that individuals are likely to have relating to Native tradition and artwork. The picks we settled on have been works that I felt have been uncommon, illustrative, or important, particularly inside the present’s premise that jewellery is intimately tied to private storytelling.

My definition of jewellery is broader than most. Jewellery is, so far as I’m involved, any adornment or modification of the physique for the aim of expression or the reification of the self. The issues we put on and the way in which we current ourselves are highly effective instruments for creating and telling our personal tales. The jewellery we select to position on our our bodies reminds us of the place we come from and who our persons are. It communicates to the world our achievements, values, allegiances, and the way we wish to be seen. Storytelling is central to a lot of Indigenous cultural observe, and jewellery serves as a type of container for our tales and id, which permits us to hold them with us, and to rewrite them as desired or vital. The items featured in The Tales We Carry are all works that relate to this concept; jewellery is a vessel for narrative.

What does this assortment as a complete say in regards to the IAIA group, its historical past, and future?

Brian Fleetwood: I’m typically hesitant to talk broadly about something, and particularly Indigenous individuals and tradition, that are so usually flattened and generalized by the broader dominant tradition. There are over 500 federally acknowledged tribes in the USA alone, all with particular and distinctive histories, cosmologies, and cultures. With dozens of tribal nations represented on the IAIA campus at any given time, particular person college students, workers, and school hail from Indigenous cultures that vary from North of the Arctic Circle to South America, and even all over the world.

I’d argue the variety of cultures, materials histories, and traditions of constructing inside the IAIA group is richer than primarily another institute of upper schooling within the nation. This wealth of views and histories feeds a dynamic, inventive environment, the place concepts, data, and understanding are shared and traded from particular person to particular person and tradition to tradition as college students, workers, artists-in-residence, school, guests, and extra come to phrases with their place in that unimaginable conjunction of inventive and ideological forces. The works within the exhibition mirror this range and dynamism.

I inform my college students that conventional and up to date works will not be at odds with each other however are important to 1 one other. All the things we take into account conventional was an innovation sooner or later, and all the pieces we take into account up to date depends on the work and perception of all of the individuals who have come earlier than. The work within the exhibition displays this range of expertise, perspective, intent, materials, course of, and type.

Materials processes, group, and storytelling are all pillars all through Indigenous jewellery. Describe the way you approached the structure of the exhibition to speak these concepts.

Brian Fleetwood: The exhibition is loosely divided into three rooms that tackle every of these themes individually.

As one enters the primary and largest room, they’re greeted by the title wall, mounted with Denise Wallace’s Craftsperson Belt. This segmented belt manufactured from silver, quite a lot of stones, and walrus ivory, with meticulously constructed figures and scenes, depicting culturally primarily based craft practices, introduces the viewers to the primary theme: course of. This house is devoted to particular varieties and processes frequent to Indigenous jewellery observe. Instances characteristic such processes as tufa casting and lapidary. This room additionally options processes not so carefully tied to European metalsmithing observe, like beadwork, and people much less generally related to Indigenous jewellery—enameling, for instance.

The center room is the smallest and most intimate of the three. That is the group room and focuses on the IAIA group particularly. This house incorporates the work of previous school, together with a few unconventional Charles Loloma items. Additionally featured listed below are the works of numerous former artists in residence, every participating in considerate, bitingly up to date work that’s nonetheless deeply linked to historic cultural observe. The artists featured embody Wayne Nez Gaussoin, Jodi Webster, Kenneth Johnson, and Kevin Pourier. Nonetheless, the true focus of this room is a big ground case with the work of present and up to date college students. These younger jewelers are working with a various set of supplies, themes, varieties, and processes, and it’s thrilling and humbling to have the ability to work with them. Some standout works embody these by Carly Feddersen, Jerome Nakagawa, Jeremy Crimson Eagle, and Jaycee Custer.

The ultimate room focuses on storytelling, and it incorporates instances that every give attention to regionally or culturally particular work, resembling that made within the Southwest, Northwest Coast, and by members of the Native American Church, in addition to work that serves sure cultural capabilities, resembling crowns for Native pageant royalty, cowboy/Western tradition, and conceptual and political work.

Panorama or relation to the land is a crucial theme all through Indigenous jewellery, however it’s not all the time depicted by way of a picturesque panorama. Give us an instance of a chunk within the exhibition that showcases panorama in a extra summary method.

Brian Fleetwood: Relationships with the land are a elementary part of Indigenous tradition, broadly talking, and recognizing and honoring these relationships is central to a lot Indigenous cultural observe. Works do generally depict literal landscapes, however way more usually this relationship to the land is mirrored within the selecting and dealing with of supplies.

Indigenous cultures usually conceptualize the land itself as a physique, usually one in all which we people are actually a constituent half, with company and rights simply the identical as any physique—not merely place, however being.

Nicholas Begay, a Navajo artist and IAIA alum, has numerous works within the exhibition that touch upon mining practices on his individuals’s reservation. Amongst these are repousséd and chased copper items that mimic the contours of strip mines. Although fantastically made, these items, when worn on the physique, look nearly like wounds.

Are there any items within the exhibition which have acquired a shocking or controversial response from attendees?

Brian Fleetwood: I’m not conscious of any explicit controversies, and I’m fairly powerful to shock, however I’ve loved the responses to Indian Chief Headdress, by Richard Glazar Dinay. This piece is an aluminum exhausting hat embellished with, amongst different issues, buffalo nickels and a Bureau of Indian Affairs Police badge. Folks appear considerably bemused at its inclusion in a jewellery present. This response is a incredible alternative to speak in regards to the backstory of this piece, the response to which is usually very enjoyable to observe as nicely. In a tongue-in-cheek reference to tribal police, Glazar, who’s Mohawk, appears to be utilizing the exhausting hat as an allusion to his individuals’s status as ironworkers. Known as “skywalkers,” these Indigenous metalworkers are thought of among the many most expert on the planet and are chargeable for big swaths of North America’s most well-known skylines.

What does the general public generally misunderstand about Indigenous jewellery? How would you reply to that false impression? 

Brian Fleetwood: The largest false impression I encounter is a reductive view of what constitutes Indigenous jewellery, though that is true of Indigenous arts and tradition extra broadly. It’s essential to acknowledge that there isn’t a monolithic “Indigenous jewellery.” Quite, there’s Hopi jewellery, and Tlingit jewellery, and Ho-Chunk jewellery, and Mvskoke jewellery, and Oneida jewellery, and actually a whole lot extra. Every tradition and nation has its personal traditions, imagery, themes, materials inclinations, and so forth. Recognizing this range and complexity is frankly an ethical necessity, however it additionally makes for a richer understanding of Native jewellery, in addition to artwork and tradition extra broadly.

What makes a chunk of jewellery distinctive, and the place ought to one begin in the event that they have been to start amassing Indigenous jewellery?

Brian Fleetwood: What makes something distinctive is such a broad and tough query. I suppose it relies on the work, however demonstrations of technical talent, design or storytelling acumen, or improvements in materials, course of, and expertise are all indicators of labor value noting.

I’d encourage people focused on amassing Indigenous jewellery to first see if there’s a tribal museum or cultural middle close to the place they dwell. They’re extra frequent throughout North America than you may suppose. These usually have exhibitions or outlets that characteristic the works of tribal members, and workers are usually very educated and obsessed with speaking about this sort of work.

The Native artwork market circuit could be my subsequent suggestion. Essentially the most well-known of those is Santa Fe Indian Market, organized by the Southwestern Affiliation for Indian Arts, although there are numerous extra throughout the US, together with Mvskoke Artwork Market, the Heard, the Autry, Eiteljorg, and an important deal extra. These are a wonderful strategy to see a various array of artists from numerous tribal nations, in addition to to satisfy and discuss to the artists themselves.

Lastly, do your analysis and acquire what you’re keen on. In the end the jewellery you acquire and adorn your self with is part of your story, and that’s your story to inform. Who am I to say how it’s best to inform it?

Are you seeing any frequent traits in rising Indigenous artists? 

Brian Fleetwood: I see a lot of traits, however few frequent ones. Rising Indigenous jewellery artists are bearing their respective cultures into the long run and tending their very own private practices alongside. The range and disparity of the multitude of cultures informing these jewelers’ work makes it very tough to pin down commonalities.

I make no claims as to what Indigenous jewellery will seem like in 15 years, or 30, or 5. However I’m very excited to be stunned.

Are you able to please share with our readers any discoveries that you’ve not too long ago made pertaining to Indigenous jewellery artwork?

Brian Fleetwood: I don’t understand how snug I’m with the framing of discoveries, however I’ve been doing fairly a little bit of analysis on bolo ties within the final couple of years. I feel they’re underrated and possibly a bit maligned in some circles, however they appear to be having a little bit of a cultural renaissance within the US and past. The historical past of the cultures, subcultures, and countercultures who’ve adopted it as part of their gown is completely fascinating. I labored on (together with my co-curators Ana Lopez and Hannah Toussaint) a touring exhibition knowledgeable by a few of this analysis known as All people’s Bolos. It’s at present at Fuller Craft Museum, in Brockton, MA, US, via June 8, 2025, and can be on view on the gallery Hecho a Mano, in Santa Fe, NM, the summer season of 2025.

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