Imponderables: Under The Mistletoe
POSTED BY: nvghostrider
UPDATED: Wednesday, December 31, 2008 13:31
VIEWED: 10713
PAGE 7 of 10
http://www.lahontanvalleynews.com/article/20080309/NEWS/102393790&pare
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I've known him for quite a while. His unethical pursuit of decoy making, misrepresentation, self promotion, and disrespect toward the show we recently attended has prompted me to make a move against him. I actually supported his efforts until recent events pulled the wrong string. I did some digging and confirmed some rumors about him. Things like teaching non-natives (not just demonstrating), calling his craft a "traditional art" despite never having learned the actual traditional way to make them, and disrespecting the people who work so hard every year at the show. I would love to greatly discount the value of his work as it is not true traditional and can be valued equally as one would value a Chinese, Indian (from India), or Mexican reproduction. Yeah, he's a Native American. But that's like having some random English person making a piece of expensive looking furniture and claiming it's a traditional piece of English furniture that takes an apprenticeship and years of work before even being capable of placing their makers mark on the piece. His knowledge did not decend from previous makers making, his piece purely decor. Some justice must be served or his actions will destroy tradition and honor of the previous makers. This is not an easy task. He already has ignorant people with a lot of money on his side. Luckily I have history and tradition on mine. Too bad history and tradition mean little to society these days.
https://www.leg.state.nv.us/68th/95bills/ACR30_EN.TXT
I am named on this Resolution from the State Of Nevada in 1995. It is noted by them that there is a mistake. Jimmy and Wuzzie George are not my grandparents. That was a cultural miscommunication made by one of the representatives. The State has it on file that I have decended from their people and I have learned from their grandson, Martin George. Some uppety woman wanted to see my verification of being a traditional maker. Verification comes from elders, other makers, and demonstration of that craft. I have all of that. But such things aren't traditionally something verified on paper. This reolution and perhaps a resolution from the Tribal Council may be all the verification I will ever need.
Wow. I'm being a real nice guy over this. There are many other avenues I considered. This is the most acceptable.
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The country is making a big mistake not teaching kids to cook and raise a garden and build fires.
-Loretta Lynn
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Holy. Fucking. Crap.
Aiko Kitahoshi, passenger aboard the LoS, frequently awol due to the phenomina that is rl.
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huh. so thats the guy? dumbass. *agrees with RF*
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Yeah it has taken everything I have not to just kill the evil stupid ass... here we have the most incredible native artist ( NV) who works so hard to maintain the craft of his people ( a people who were set upon and decimated by the whites) and he persists in maintaining this tribal craft of decoy making which dates back more than a thousand centuries, He's done so much and yet this worthless ass has taken all the credit...so angry.
How dare he. ok trying so hard to be calm and zen...
ChrisMoorehead sweety if you have a minute..would you mind terribly shredding them slowly and painfully? Thanks :) HUGS
I am trying really hard to just let it go, but I am so angry that the asshole would take a centuries old tradition and co-opt it for his personal monetary gain
To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others.
--Francois Mauriac
It's fuzzy-minded liberal thinking like that that gets you eaten.
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NVG here, 5AM:
It really sucks. We are down to exposure, popularity, and media coverage. Small things really as related to the actual issues, but like many things in the modern world they seem to matter more than the truth. With the right exposure, friends, and media coverage a person can easily manipulate the truth to their benefit. People who backed him (especially the ones with money) would hate to admit being on the wrong side and probably never will. Like I said, if they knew the actual value of his pieces they will be pissed. His work is incredible, but he surely is on par with people not of our persuasion in terms of spirit and credibility.
I did have a great idea. It may blow up in my face as people are easily persuaded in terms of notoriety and greed.
I may present a resolution before the tribal council aimed toward preservation of tribal arts and traditions. With so few people left to verify true artisans it may be a difficult sell, but I believe in the good intentions I based the idea on.
One of the people supporting me has encouraged me to weed out the charlatans and to continue on the way I have been on. Apparently more exposure on my part is not a bad thing.
Comparison:
It is difficult to compare work, value, and price without sounding like a complete dick. But the truth is this:
He is not traditionally trained. He is self taught and did a ton of research, which is commendable, but not acceptable to define as traditional artist. The training I received was the classic apprenticeship tale: braving mud and mosquito, ice and wind, working to all hours of the night just to finish a piece exactly as taught. My first acceptable piece was not ready until ten months after the beginning of my training. Even then it was over a year before I was able to complete a piece and apply my mark. Some of my mentors work has elements of my own work attached. It is impossible for me to find those pieces as the value of his work has prompted people to lock them away.
There has been instances where he has taught non-natives how to construct decoys. Literally. And for money. Now, I've seen people demonstrate before allowing observers to try making one themselves. This seems an acceptable practice within limitations. He has clearly gone beyond those limits as a few of those people have made their own and sold them for decor (which is the true value of his work). It can be understood that he puts a considerable amount of time into his work. But the materials are free, he doesn't work so he has plenty of time, and the art he pursues is a dead art with no people left to consult as to it's actual construction and spirit. He has devalued his own pieces and made a profit. That is on the edge of being evil as it has devalued the previous makers to which he has no relation. People have bought into that and have been misdirected by him. This is not much different than using magic to hurt people. It is wrong and must be accounted for.
When I sell a piece or demonstrate it all has a base rate: 30 dollars an hour for decoy work, 60 a day for demonstration, free to consult on matters related to the work, work of previous makers, and pondering on native art. I don't charge the tribe when they ask me to work with the kids during the summer recreation program. I take the afternoon off as not to be paid for that time. They do offer a stipend to cover my fuel for collection of material and lunch. It has been told to me by several people that others (including Mr Williams) have charged a few hundred dollars a day. Why do this? it totally devalues the work of both the artist and the children. To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others.
--Francois Mauriac
It's fuzzy-minded liberal thinking like that that gets you eaten.
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Continued:
The guide lines I was sworn to follow:
Never work while drinking. My mentor was an alcoholic and hated himself for doing so. He had too many emotional issues that seemed to get in the way of his work excelling. He didn't want those limits to hinder me.
Learn to speak and write well. His grandparents had problems relating to the people studying them Though certain concepts are lost in translation, the spirit of those things can be sealed in the words we say and write.
Never teach non-natives and consider only teaching people of the Stillwater Marsh. Any sweatshop can set up a decoy production and pass them off as Native art. Though there are now laws protecting the true traditional arts, there will always be some people looking for more money rather than applying the true concept of the art; survival.
Keep your prices as low as possible. It allows everyone a chance to buy a piece and gives the maker much needed practice. The true value of the decoys is utility, not aesthetics.
To this I have to add: Embrace confrontation. Demonstration of the work speaks for itself. There will always be people trying to discount a makers work and credibility. A true maker has nothing to hide and is open with the people who question them. This is a primitive concept usually not requiring translation or explanation. After being told stories of people watching me work and noting to others that the way I work is how it has been done before me is a huge honor. Having been over a year since I first heard this I am still in a state of shock. For me there is no greater praise than hearing that I do the work and I do it correctly.
The final form of the decoy is this:
http://contentdm.library.unr.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/spphot
os&CISOPTR=498&CISOBOX=1&REC=1
I have never had the courage to make one until now. They are the tule body with an actual duck skin stretched over it. The ultimate decoy, it is responsible for the survival of the Stillwater people. I think this may be the time to make them. People outside of museums have never seen them.
I think some people question my intentions. But few people understand the weight people like me carry. Ancient ways being exploited, on the edge of death...
Naw, there's no reason to be so fired up and passionate.
Thanks for reading folks. It is almost 6:30Am and I just needed to purge some info. I also didn't feel like writing all this down just to lose it later.
Merry Christmas To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others.
--Francois Mauriac
It's fuzzy-minded liberal thinking like that that gets you eaten.
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that was a very CK-esque post ;) and I think you have a very valid point. that guy seems more lame by the second ><
that decoy's amazing btw.
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MsA here...
Well said NV 
You really should see him demonstrate. It's amazing to watch To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others.
--Francois Mauriac
It's fuzzy-minded liberal thinking like that that gets you eaten.
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i'd love to see him demonstrate. i love building/constructing/making things, so i'd probably be like hovering over his shoulder annoyingly just *staring* O_O without blinking until he was done XD (is a fan of the "how its made" show on Discovery ;) )
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Check out Obama-Guns at RWED. I felt in the giving mood and issued a reply not becoming a gentleman.
Oops. My bad.
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The country is making a big mistake not teaching kids to cook and raise a garden and build fires.
-Loretta Lynn
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