Another art event!

Containers of Belief Containers of Belief was an exhibit filled with Native American art, pottery, jewelry, and much more. Oneonta is an area that was once inhabited by Native Americans, so its history is rich here. This exhibit was filled with selected Native American works from many different tribes throughout America. Some are old pieces, while others are fairly new. One of my favorite pieces on the whole exhibit was Olla, a large water jar from San Ildefonso in New Mexico. It dates back from 1830 to 1850. The name Olla actually means a large water jar. Large is a great word to describe the size; the jar is at least twice the size of my head. It appears to be made of clay and painted with black designs. A rope made out of clay wraps around the opening of the jar. The bottom of the jar is not flat but rounded. Which meant that the jar could not stand on its own; it was probably placed in the ground. In a glass case was a water drum from Ontario. They described this drum as a small wooden keg. It would be about halfway filled with water and then the top was covered with dear hide. A long stick, which was held between the thumb and the forefinger, was used to hit the drum. The sound was adjusted by wetting the hide or adding more water to the inside. This drum was painted red on the wood and a red cloth was twisted around the top to hold the deer hide to the drum. The water drum was used in ceremonial and social dancing. The beat the drum made represented the heart beat of mother earth and the people danced in harmony with the beat. A piece that was interesting was the pipe bowl from Lakota, South Dakota made around 1850 to 1880. This type of pipe represented the female principle and the planet world. There was another pipe that represented the male principle and the animal world; when the two were joined together, it symbolized the creation. The pipe is a disoriented T shape, with black lines at both the openings. The smoke that came out of the pipe was thought to carry the prayers of the smoker to the Great Spirit, the Creator of all. The pipe looks to be made of some type of stone, cut real smooth. There is a large canteen made of plain ware ceramic from the Hopi tribe in Arizona, made around 1875 to 1890. Obviously the canteen was used to carry water on long journeys. One side of the canteen was flattened, which when carried laid against the body of the pack the hiker was carrying. It is a very large ceramic canteen, which meant it was heavy and the clay loops near the opening shoed that it was meant to endure heavy use. There was a woven tray from the Western Apache tribe from Arizona. It was used for washing and serving. The designs in the middle represented the squash blossom, which was a common motif for the Apache tribe. When looking down at the tray, one feels as if they are looking down at the plant that is beginning to bloom. It is supposed to remind one that there is more life in the desert than one could imagine and that water is scarce for all life in the rough terrain. I thoroughly enjoyed this exhibit. Native American art is something that has always interested me. I once spent a few weeks one summer at a Navaho reservation. It was such a cool experience. We spent time in the sweat lodge and even dug for clay bowl remains. My brother is a quarter Native American, so the culture is important to me.