Blog Post 2

The indigenous spirituality is often somewhat hidden in the art of indigenous people. Their spirituality is not blatantly portrayed as with most other religions. For example, one of the most common works of art in the churches today is some portrayal of Christ on the cross, and this is immediately linked to Christianity. However, with indigenous spirituality, it is a little more subtle and you have to look closely to find the hidden spiritual meaning. Lippard mentions this when she says that much of the Indian art contains a “covert religious or spiritual aspect” (108). As I looked at the different pieces of art in the chapter, I found that I struggled to see the religious symbolism in it. Most of their spirituality looks to the four corners of the earth as their gods. Most of their rituals and art have to do with the land that they live on, and therefore in order to find the religious content in the art, we have to look to the portrayal of the land in each piece and see whether or not it has a religious connection.

In the beginning of the book, Lippard explains that there are two different meanings for “landing.” One is the literal idea of sense of place or being at home in a particular area. The other is more figurative and is a journey in order to find that sense of place or home. Sometimes the sense of place is a reality, but other times, it is never reached. As I looked at some of the art of Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, most of her artwork portrays this loss of sense of place. She portrays the difficulties and struggles that her tribe faces trying to find their way back “home.” She tries to speak out against the destruction of sacred Indian lands. She portrays the displacement of the Indians from their land and many of the horrible things that they have encountered because of it. Much of the Indian art has to do with “landing” and once again finding that sense of place.