triptych; three panels of computer printout paper with side roller track intact; running horse with Native American rider, a running Euro-American is in front of horse, carrying a piece of paper with writing and saying the name of a Native American tribe; movement to the left

%C2%A9 Lakol 1995 %28Cultural Copyright%3B Lakol%3B of the Lakota Culture%29

Anthropology: We're Not Your Indians Anymore, 1995

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For this work on paper, the contemporary Native American artist Wanbli Koyake has adopted the traditional Plains pictographic style, originally developed for painting animal hides. The scene features a group of Native people on horseback wearing traditional Indigenous dress and regalia. Riders are identified by traditional name glyphs (symbols) in place of their English-language names. They and their steeds knock down and trample people on foot—academics, teachers, and scientists—who hold books relating to their study of Native American people. As the horses overtake them, those on foot shout English names of Native tribes.

While visiting the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University, known for its extensive ethnographic collections, Koyake requested a copy of the museum’s cultural terms list, which matches the Euro-American names for Native American tribes with the names the tribes call themselves. Koyake literally drew upon the printed document to create this artwork.

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Yellow, Anthropologie (#296)
Details
Title
Anthropology: We're Not Your Indians Anymore
Artist Life
American (ȟáŋwožu (Minneconjou) Lakȟóta), born 1954
Role
Artist
Accession Number
97.114a-c
Curator Approved

This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

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triptych; three panels of computer printout paper with side roller track intact; running horse with Native American rider, a running Euro-American is in front of horse, carrying a piece of paper with writing and saying the name of a Native American tribe; movement to the left

© Lakol 1995 (Cultural Copyright; Lakol; of the Lakota Culture)