Native American Portraits
Native American portraits are the least traditional of all their art forms.
Many of the tribes had painting traditions, but these were all meant for ceremonial
purposes or for decorating functional items such as war shirts and tipi covers.
Most of the Native American portraits found today are by tribal artists but
may be just reflections of their way of life and not necessarily have any
kind of traditional painting elements. Still there is no denying the beauty
of these lovely Native American portraits. A talented artist must be able
to convey to his audience the personality of the individual portrayed in the
painting. This depends largely on the context in which the individual is painted.
The term Native American portraits might be more relevant when applied
to the paintings of tribesmen or tribal life made by non-Native individuals.
This is also relevant to portrait photography of a few decades ago which
depicts Native American chiefs or prominent personalities. Many famous
photographers such as William Heick have earned a reputation for themselves
in the field through their collections of Native American portraits. Many
books are also available on the subject with beautifully illustrated layouts.
Many museums of Native American art have entire sections devoted to portraits
and paintings.
Charles Milton Bell is yet another person who earned himself a name as a
photographer of Native American portraits. Bell took the majority of his
photographs for the Bureau of American Ethnology. Currently, many Native
Americans utilize these photographs as a means of recreating their history
within their communities. Many governmental organizations dedicated to carrying
out programs for Native American communities also provide training to historians
and curators enabling them to do better in preserving this rich cultural
heritage. Photographs and Native American portraits are but a part of the
much bigger picture involving a whole different culture.
Joseph Paige © 2006
|
