Teotihuacana, Mexico
-Overtaken by the aztecs; pre-mayan civilization
- The city is surrounded by larger pyramids, representing the moon & sun & smaller pyramids that represent the phases of the moon
-Similar to the Washington monument (Meant to be seen as a political space)
Hieroglyphics
Complex written system derived from the Ahtsib: royal artist/scribes
- Mayan as a spoken language has lasted centuries but Mayan as a written language died out by the 18th century
-People tried to destroy it (colonists)
-Conversion; thought of satanic pra
Making art is part of a reciprocal relationship between Mayans and the Supernatural
-Represents mutually beneficial relationship between life & death
-Blood=offering/sacrifice
-"The Princeton Vase"
-Writing was gift that must be repaid from the divine source (The incised bone)
-The Ball Court, Copan, Honduras (Seen as portals to the unde
Representation of relationship between Mayans and Supernatural in art
-"Ballplayer, Maya"
-Temple I (Temple of the Giant Jaguar)
-Statue at the top and stairs indicates place of worship/practice
-9 tiers=9 levels of the underworld
-Kings are depicted in mayan art as falling into the mouth of a supernatural figure to the las
Manifestations of human sacrifice in Mayan culture
-Presentation of captives to Lord Chan Muwan
-Bloodletting practices as an offering
-Aristocratic captive=more valuable blood
Past and Present Mayan Civilization
-Debris Field Left by Migrants on the U.S. Side of the Border
-"The Great City of Tenochtilan"
-"The Two Fridas
Stereotypical Indigenous Art
-Frederic Remington: Stereotypical art on native culture ("The Cheyenne")
-Edward Curtis: Photographed indigenous communities through his own perspective ("Grinding Meal")
-Ammerman: addresses stereotype
3 Cultures on Northwest Coast of North America
Haida
Tlingit
Tlakwagila
Shaman masks
protects/shields your face; Transforms to be able to heal
types of masks
-animal/human
-spirit/animal
-Human
-Animal
Navajo Sand Paintings
-Impermanence; must be destroyed; Rarity; made for special occasions (Not an everyday art)
-They're only to be seen by Navajo with proper knowledge on the meaning
Hiawatha belt- Haudensaunee (Iroquois)
5 squares to represent 5 nations joined together in peace; lines on the outside to indicate openness to peace
Repatriate:
send back to their home country
Native American Graves Protection & Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)
-Human remains
-Associated funeary objects
-Unassociated funeary objects
-Sacred Objects
-Cultural patrimony
-Affects how museums/anthropologists collect materials
-Forces US museums to return any materials that violate NAGPRA
!Kung San Village (Kalahari Desert)
-"Powder Container," Dobe, Botswana (1971)
Ostrich beads & Turtle shell
-healing ceremony: song & dance during celebration or healing
Nkisi nkondi (hunter figure)
-Represents ritual process to heal
-Hunter figure gets angry when punctured and tries to find the source of evil & malevolence (sickness)