American Indian Art as Interpreted by Hegel and Dewey

This post is somewhat unique in that it is written from my experiences more so than academic research.  I visited the Museum of American Culture, in Spokane Washington, and viewed a rather large display of the Columbia Plateau Indians.  I formed connections with a distant culture as I live in their area.

I’ve read numerous and complex theories of art from all kinds of philosophers.  However, two simple quotes gave me a clear understanding of American Indian art. 

“Patterns connect Plateau people to their culture, history, environment, knowledge, and values” Miles Miller.

“Geometric designs are ancient nature-based symbols that record how American Indian people experience and understand nature” Miles Miller.

  

I am applying the quotes from one culture to all.  So, my interpretations may not be entirely accurate, but they come from a place of respect.  To my knowledge, these photographs are representative of the late 19^th century.

Indian Woman and Child. Photographer: Heyn. 1899
www.tastearts.com

The art movements of the 1880s to 1920s are breaks from tradition where artists are reinventing expressions of their struggles, as they try to make sense of their environment.  American Indian art reflects the traditions of the past brought forth.  They encompass connections with family, tribes and the land.  Their art affirms relationships and co-existence with their environment.  

Cheyenne Woman in Cermonial Three-Hide Dress. Photographer: Unknown
amst312.umwblogs.org

G.W.F. Hegel and John Dewey speak directly to the nature of American Indian art.  Hegel wrote that art enhances reality by transforming ordinary objects so they can be contemplated at higher spiritual levels.  Meaning is given to the mundane, as art imitates the object in relation to the human condition.

 

Plateau American Indian Flat Bags.  Photographer: Unknown
angelaswedberg.blogspot.com

Dewey suggested that art consists of living the human experience, and that it contributes directly to the enrichment of life.  He wrote that artifacts are objects that reflect challenges of everyday life, both great and small.  It is the processes of responding and acting to the underlying tensions between man and the environment  that reflect the essential conditions of life. 

Old Totem Poles in Chief's House. Photographer: Unknown. 1895.
www.loc.gov

It is a natural step to see how American Indian artifacts are infused with symbols and meaning that represent relationships with each other and land.  Art, tools, and daily experiences all become a way of life.  Another philosopher, Martin Heidegger, would affirm Hegel’s and Dewey’s notions, as the object’s utility give meaning to human relationships through their everyday usage.

Crow/Plateau Style Horse Bridal.  Photographer Unknown
angelaswedberg.blogspot.com

Dewey was open in his opinion that we tend to objectify the human experience and reduce works to objects of beauty or craft.  He felt we had the ability to thoroughly experience other cultures, but that we do not.

Dewey voices opinions shared by many philosophers that have thought on art.  What he speaks to is social convention and attitudes towards art.  American Indian art was not a movement or a genre.  It was an honest reflection of how of a culture lived.  Viewing the art forms relationships and connections.  It allows us to see beyond ourselves and gain insights to how a people lived. 

American Indian art, along with a healthy approach, defines the full power and potential that art has to offer.

Works Cited

Dewey, John. Art as Experience. Art 623, Aesthetics. Tiffin University. N.d. Web.  Nov 6, 2013

Hegel, G.W.F. Introduction to Aesthetics. Art 623, Aesthetics. Tiffin University. N.d. Web.  Sept 1, 2013

Heidegger, Martin. “The Origin of the Work of Art.”  Art 623, Aesthetics. Tiffin University. N.d. Web.  Nov 13, 2013