American Indian Analysis

The National Museum of the American Indian is an active and visible component of the Smithsonian Institution, the world's largest museum complex. It carries one of the world's greatest collection of Native artifacts, photographs, and historical records expanding from the Western Hemisphere and so on. The museum is located in the financial district of downtown Manhattan, Bowling green to be exact, the building is huge and the area surrounding it even on a chilly day looks nice.

Museum Ambassador Ruth Rosenberg whos voice was gentle just not the loudest voice to hear in a large group of people gave us a 45-minute tour through the exhibition “Infinity of Nations.” It consisted of more than two hundred art pieces chosen out of seven hundred

objects of cultural, historical, and aesthetic importance from the center of George Gustav Heye in New York City. The phrase is taken from reports by the Intendant of New France to his superiors in which he describes the lands north and west of Lake Superior as being filled with an “infinity of nations.”
One of the pieces I considered memorably was a white dress with gray flowers on each shoulder called ”Jingle dress.” Maria Hupfield is a Canadian artist who through her sculptures and performances demonstrates with other international artist her ongoing commitment to Native American communities. Being Anishinaabe-kwe and a member of Wasauksing First Nation. The dress is composed of lined notebook paper, each ruffle or as the artist calls ”jingle” is inscribed with the name of an indigenous writer because writing is a craft that not many people can do which I agree.
The change of lighting from light to dark made this piece stand out. At first glance, it's obviously 3 bulls one in the left side, the second in the middle and the third on the right glowing in neon lights nothing special. Besides the color red signifying anger and passion what does ”Father, Son, Holy Ghost” mean?. The bulls signify the imposition/adoption of Christianity among the native people. The horns bringing ”Thorny” questions about a different belief system, how supposedly the Christian religion takes away from Native American tradition and spirituality.
I went in with an open mind, even found it easier to learn by observing and reading the small captions than having someone teach me. Although it's impossible to find every piece amusing since everyone has their own depiction of ”ART” yet every piece in the exhibit to me was cool. Not in the sense of it being breathtaking or astonishing but because of the uniqueness, everything told a different story, gave a new understanding of the culture which sets it apart.