We'wha and the Two Spirit Tradition,
Then and Now
June 14 - July 14, 2018
Opening reception with artists: June 14, 6 - 8 PM
(Historical essay: Names and Roles of Two Spirit People: An Historical Perspective ->)
|
John Molloy Gallery is pleased to present “We’wha & the Two Spirit Tradition, Then and Now,” an exhibition and sale of antique work by We’wha and Arroh-ah-och, two Native American 19th century Two Spirit (transgender) artists, as well as contemporary work by Mona Bear Medicine Crow (Crow), Thomas Huakaas (Lakota), Sheldon Raymore (Lakota, Cheyenne River Sioux) and Iakowi:he'ne' (Mohawk).
The Two Spirit tradition specifically refers to transgender people, although it can include anyone in the LGBTQ community. In traditional Native American society, people who identified as having two-spirits, i.e. both male & female, were accepted and often given a special status within the community. While the terminology varied from tribe to tribe, the ethos of acceptance was widespread throughout tribes and often granted these individuals special status. |
We Wha (1849 - 1896), Zuni dough bowl circa 1880
|
Arroh-ah-och, Laguna ceramic pot, circa 1900
|
This is the first gallery exhibition that highlights the role of Two Spirit people in traditional Native American society and includes the extremely rare work of the two best known 19th Century two spirit artists, We’wha and Arroh-ah-och, along with contemporary Two Spirit artists.
Prominent in this exhibition are a Zuni ceramic bowl circa 1880 attributed to We’wha (1849 - 1896) the well-documented Two Spirit artist and a Laguna ceramic attributed to Arroh-ah-och, a Two Spirit ceramicist in Laguna also active at the end of the 19th century. When the first American ethnologists visited Zuni pueblo in Arizona circa 1880, they were quite taken with the physical presence of We’wha who was six feet tall and one of the tallest members of the community as well as one of the strongest. Yet We’wha dressed as a woman and performed the traditional female duties, including pottery making. She was considered among the best potters in the community. |
|
Her status in the community was that of a lhamana. Lhamanas were highly respected members of the community who, though born male, lived the traditional life of a woman. They often served as mediators and were reported to have special ceremonial and spiritual responsibilities.
The Laguna Pueblo ceramic circa 1900 was made by Arroh-ah-och, a Laguna two spirit artist (ca. 1830 - 1900). We first hear about her from Ruth L. Bunzel in her landmark book THE PUEBLO POTTER, published in 1929. “At Laguna, I saw a pot of typical Zuni feeling and treatment which I first took to be a Zuni pot. My informant, however, assured me it was an old Laguna piece. Later she remembered it was made by her uncle, one of the last men-women of Laguna, a famous potter, now dead, who had once visited Zuni and had been so much impressed by Zuni pottery that he introduced Zuni designs into Laguna” (57). The reference to “one of the last men-women” suggests that as the 20th century brought cultural assimilation to the Native communities of the Southwest, the more repressive attitudes of the dominant culture were in motion. Arroh-ah-och was a contemporary of We’wha’s although not as well known. After all, We’wha travelled to Washington, D.C. and lived with the ethnologist, Matilda Coxe Stevenson, and her husband for six months in 1886 where she became the darling of the D.C. social scene. She was introduced to President Grover Cleveland. In accounts written at that time, she is often referred to as the “Indian Princess” with no indication of gender ambiguity. Will Roscoe’s THE ZUNI MAN-WOMAN is a great source of information about We’wha. One only wishes that we knew more about the trip to Zuni when Arroh-ah-och and We’wha would have met. They certainly discussed pottery making as each was among the finest potters in their community. What inspired Arroh-ah-och to adapt Zuni designs and bring them to Laguna? We can only surmise that her interaction with We’wha had an enormous influence on her work. Likewise, the iconic status of We’wha in the Native American Two Spirit community has had a strong impact on the current generation of artists even if not directly though her craft. |
Mona Medicine Crow (Crow) - "Crow Dancer in Elk Tooth Dress" - mixed media on vellum, 10 x 8 inches, 2016
|
Mona Bear Medicine Crow with her painted Tipi Door at show opening, June 14, 2018
|
Mona Bear Medicine Crow grew up at Crow Agency in Montana and came to New York to study at Parsons School of Design. After ten years of working in the New York art world, she returned to Crow Agency to focus on her craft. John Molloy Gallery is pleased to present Mona Bear’s work for the first time. She was the curator of the gallery’s noteworthy 2006 exhibition, APSAALOOKE ART & TRADITION. Apsaalooke is the traditional term the Crow people have used to refer to themselves. |
|
Tom Red Owl Haukaas is an enrolled member of the Rosebud Lakota tribe and his work has earned many awards over the last 25 years. Tom’s art includes quillwork, beadwork and dolls as well as Plains traditional and contemporary 2D art forms, the latter which is featured in this Two Spirit show. His vignettes are filled at with historic detail. Tom’s work has been included in many notable museum collections and exhibitions, including Denver Art Museum, Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, and Tacoma Art Museum. |
Tom Red Owl Haukaas (Lakota) - mIxed media, 8.5 x 11 inches
|
Tom Red Owl Haukaas (Lakota) - mIxed media, 8.5 x 11 inches
|
|
Sheldon Raymore of the Cheyenne River Sioux Nation is a Two Spirit multidisciplinary performance artist, second generation tipi maker, traditional storyteller, fashion designer, costume designer and cultural consultant. He communicates traditional Native American stories transformed from experiences of oppression that let audiences observe contemporary life through a Native American lens. His work has graced Grammy Red Carpets and theater productions at Nuyorican Poets Cafe and La Mama (NYC). His visual art titled "PrEPahHontoz Tipi Project" has been displayed at the Whitney Museum of Art, United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and will be soon be featured in Amsterdam, Netherlands during the 2018 International Conference in July. Ever the consummate keeper of traditions, he continues to cultivate his artistry, with the utmost integrity, humility, and authenticity, letting the love for his culture shine through in all that he does. Iakowi:he'ne' (Mohawk) has always pursued an in-depth cultural exploration of cross-cultural Tribal Art and Design. She finds inspiration for her jewelry from a global perspective through art, fashion, and business. Iakowi:he'ne' is the designer of KwiioCouture - a contemporary Native American collection of one-of-a-kind heirloom jewelry and accessories. |
Iakowi:he'ne' (Mohawk) jewelry
Iakowi:he'ne' (Mohawk) jewelry
|
|
The great media theorist, Marshall McLuhan, speculated that the electronic culture would re-tribalize Western society. His observations, now made more than fifty years ago, are becoming actualized in our communities via acceptance of same-sex marriage and gender neutral bathrooms, gradually bringing us towards the communal attitudes on gender issues that Native American culture made manifest more than 100 years ago.
historical essay: Names and Roles of Two Spirit People: An Historical Perspective -> 
Tom Red Owl Haukaas (Lakota), "OSH TISCH" - mixed media, 8.5 x 11"
|
