History of American Indians and the United States

Art & Traditionalist Revivals

Dr. Kane

mkane2@albany.edu Humanities 109 | MWF 9:20 - 10:15 AM

Office Hrs: M 10:20 - 11:20 & F 1:30 - 3:30

Social Science 60S

Friday, October 20

coming up

  • Objects paper Nov 6
  • stay caught up with Kenny!

today's class

  • reading art
  • epistemologies & art
  • why Molly Brant
  • traditionalist revivals

reading art

  • formal analysis: where is the eye drawn, what is the narrative, what are the symbols/forms
  • historical/political references
  • humor & irony
  • stereotypes & pop culture
  • culture, land & identity

Jolene Rickard

skywoman
skywoman

Richard Danay

danay
danay

Arthur Amiotte

amiotte
amiotte

ledger art

ledger
ledger

Dahosen calendar

dahosen
dahosen

Never Alone

Molly Brant

  • ~1736-1796
  • noted diplomat and war leader
  • 1759 married Sir William Johnson, British Superintendant of Indian Affairs
  • post-Revolution influence on British

tradtionalist revivals

  • 1762 - Neolin & Pontiac
  • 1799 - Handsome Lake & Cornplanter
  • 1805 - Tenskatawa & Tecumseh
  • all born of a set of twins or triplets

1762 - Neolin & Pontiac

  • precipitated by animal pop decline
  • fasting induced dreams
  • rejection of alcohol and cloth, polygamy, focus on monogamy or celibacy
  • pan-Indian military resistance
  • extermination of European and African settlement
  • questionably Christian - shift from dualistic to monotheistic

1799 - Handsome Lake & Cornplanter

  • precipitated by punitive US treaties - 1786 Ft Stanwix
  • Handsome Lake's liver failure
  • rejection of alcohol, internal argument, wife beating, witchcraft, promiscuity
  • emphasis on peaceful coexistence
  • shift in women's roles and reframing of dualism

1805 - Tenskatawa & Tecumseh

  • precipitated by increased US settlement & Northwest Ordinance (1787)
  • Tenskatawa's liver failure
  • rejection of alcohol, cloth, firearms, witchcraft, Christianity
  • extermination of European but not African settlers
  • emphatic dualism w/ devil-influenced Americans
  • explicitly Pan-Indian politically and religiously

what do they have in common

  • triggered by some outside crisis
  • male savior figure + dualist elements
  • rejection of some European goods/influences
  • pan-Indian goals