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Indigenous Arts of the WorldDE ANZA COLLEGE
INTERCULTURAL/INTERNATIONAL STUDIES DIVISION
COURSE OUTLINE – Final Version
Degree Applicable
Effective Quarter Fall 2006
INTL 96
I. Catalogue information
INTL 96 History of Art: Indigenous Arts of the World 4 Units
(Also listed as Arts 96. Student may enroll in either department, but not both, for credit.)
Advisory: English Writing 1A or ESL 5
Four hours lecture
A general introduction to some of the many indigenous art traditions around the world, with emphasis placed upon traditional arts created for use in small-scale communities from the Americas, South Pacific region and Africa. Diverse art forms covered will include sculpture, painting, performance, ceramics, textiles and architecture from antiquity through the colonial period to the present. Topics addressing the religious, cultural, social, economic and political contexts of the art will be explored. Compares arts from indigenous peoples to other world art traditions and assesses the contributions of indigenous arts in a global context.
II. Course Objectives
A. Develop and use interpretive skills to analyze diverse art forms and architecture through an integration of the disciplines of art history, archaeology, anthropology, museology and history.
B. Examine major artistic traditions from representative cultures in light of religious, cultural, social, economic and political contexts.
C. Develop research and writing skills, analyzing representative examples of indigenous art forms from diverse cultures of the world.
D. Explore the origin and history of representative artistic traditions, examining stylistic characteristics through visual analysis and determining how historical and cultural changes are reflected by style and technique.
E. Assess the impact of European contact and colonialism upon indigenous cultures and both the maintenance and change in artistic traditions after European contact.
F. Compare and contrast indigenous arts to other world art and architectural traditions, acknowledging contributions and cultural exchanges.
G. Evaluate ethical issues regarding the collecting and exhibiting of indigenous arts, the role of the international art market, the impact of tourism and the appropriation of indigenous arts by artists from outside of their respective traditions.
H. Evaluate various approaches to the study of gender in the production and use of indigenous arts.
III. Essential Student Materials
None
IV. Essential College Facilities
Smart Classroom equipped with computer, LCD projector, internet access, opaque projector
V. Expanded Description: Content and Form
A. Develop and use interpretive skills to analyze diverse art forms and architecture through an integration of the disciplines of art history, archaeology, anthropology, museology and history.
1. Critically evaluate key terms used in studying indigenous arts such as “indigenous,” “aboriginal” and “Native,”“traditional”(in comparison to contemporary expressions), “art” and “artifact”, and “tribal” when referring to small-scale societies. Briefly introduce the history of the term “Primitive art” and “Primitivism”.
2. Introduce art historical methods, such as approaches to iconography and iconology. Develop skills in reading architectural plans.
3. Assess some of the major contributions of and changes in archaeology as it pertains to indigenous arts and antiquities from the nineteenth century to contemporary times.
4. Explore recent advancements in technology used in studying art at archaeological sites.
5. Investigate how anthropologists and geographers have described arts and cultures from diverse points of view including the importance of linguistic and demographic studies.
6. Analyze the history of museum collecting and exhibiting indigenous art and
cultures and critically assess how this history has changed and how it reflects changing attitudes non-indigenous scholars and collectors have towards indigenous peoples.
7. Investigate potential problems of cross-cultural translation as it pertains to the
study and presentation of indigenous arts, recognizing the multiplicity of meanings art can have in varying contexts. Explore contributions of indigenous scholars in the study of art.
B. Examine major artistic traditions from representative cultures in light of religious, cultural, social, economic and political contexts.
1. Analyze the role of indigenous arts within traditional religious and ceremonial contexts and question the definition of “art” as applied to ephemeral art such as altars or cumulative arts used in ritual as in Navajo sandpainting.
2. Compare ways indigenous arts have been used as expressions of social status or political power, such as Hawaiian feather arts used to show position as a high-ranking Ali’i. Include arts used in social or cultural identification such as textiles, dress, body decoration and scarification.
3. Assess the value of visual arts in maintaining oral history, geneaology and in communicating social values, such as the use of the Hei Tiki in Maori culture to recount family heritage and history.
4. Compare the social position of artists and contrast the role of the individual artist in diverse cultures. Introduce examples of scholarly literature recognizing the individual artist in small-scale Native societies and evaluate possible problems with such an approach as well as the problem of anonymity (not recognizing the artist) in past scholarship.
5. Recognize the role indigenous arts play in maintaining social relationships such as art used in Melanesian or West African age-grade societies.
6. Place traditional Native arts and sculpture within the larger context of performance or ceremony and analyze the social context of masquerades.
7. Recognize the importance of nomadic arts and cultures such as Native American arts from the Plains or Subarctic regions, and the importance of body arts and adornment.
8. Briefly introduce architectural history through important archaeological sites, such as heiau and marae sites in Polynesia or the Mississippian mound sites such Cahokia in the Americas.
9. Compare ways indigenous arts can be used in economic and cultural exchanges, such as marriages or divorces, and the importance of economic resources and exchange in the creation of art. For example the use of tapa or bark-cloth as important gifts in Oceanic cultures or art created for the Potlatch, a major gift-giving event or social institution in Native Northwest Coast cultures.
10. Explore some of the continuities and changes that have taken place in recent art created by indigenous artists. In addition to discussing the maintenance of traditions, recognize current issues such as environmental problems, the impact of globalization, or life on reservations.
C. Develop research and writing skills, analyzing representative examples of indigenous art forms from diverse cultures of the world
1. Explore diverse primary sources used in researching indigenous arts such as archaeological site plans, historic photographs and drawings, colonial documents and journals.
2. Use examples of arts works and analyze methods of exhibiting art from a
museum visit in researching and writing paper assignments.
D. Explore the origin and history of representative artistic traditions, examining stylistic characteristics through visual analysis and determining how historical and cultural changes are reflected by style and technique
1. Evaluate different theories and interpretations of the origin of certain artistic traditions, use of subject matter (iconography), materials and the development of techniques.
2. Recognize the early development of indigenous arts including examples from Paleolithic and Neolithic cultures, such as the rock art of Aboriginal Australia.
3. Apply skills in visual analysis to recognize stylistic characteristics of specific cultures, time periods and regions.
4. Analyze ways style or visual detail can reveal insight into historic and cultural change as well as the cultural diversity of Oceania, the Americas, and Africa.
5. Explore the relationship between two-dimensional and three-dimensional design in indigenous arts.
E. Assess the impact of European contact and colonialism upon indigenous cultures and both the maintenance and change in artistic traditions after European contact.
1. Critically evaluate the impact of colonialism, especially the destruction of art work and cultural resources, upon each region. Analyze the destructive changes in demographics, labor and land exploitation, indigenous religious practice resulting from missionary activity after European contact.
2. Explore how art changed during the Colonial period, the definition and value of the term ‘syncretism’ (blending of artistic traditions or cultures), and how some aspects of culture were maintained despite formidable odds.
3. Acknowledge new traditions and creative innovation after contact with Europeans. Recognize indigenous cultures are active and dynamic art producers today.
4. Analyze photographs from the Colonial era and their value as historic and art historical documents.
F. Compare and contrast indigenous arts to other world art and architectural traditions, acknowledging contributions and cultural exchanges.
1. Examine patterns of cultural exchange and compare and contrast similarities and differences in materials and techniques, function including ceremonial and social context, position, gender and status of the artist and relationship of artist to patron between areas within Polynesia and Melanesia, parts of the Americas, and/or Africa.
2. Recognize contributions of indigenous architectural styles and construction methods to world architecture.
3. Briefly introduce the many ways indigenous artistic traditions have influenced American art, architecture, and popular culture.
4. Explore ways indigenous artists have contributed to the contemporary international art world.
G. Evaluate ethical issues regarding the collecting and exhibiting of indigenous arts, the role of the international art market, the impact of tourism and the appropriation of indigenous arts by artists from outside of their respective traditions
1. Introduce a brief history of how indigenous arts were collected by Europeans under colonialism, origin of major museum acquistions, evaluate question of repatriation (return of objects taken during colonial period), introduce examples of repatriation. Compare examples from indigenous Americas, South Pacific and Africa.
2. Evaluate how diverse audiences have responded to exhibitions of indigenous arts, including popular appeal of “primitivism” and “lost” civilizations and the appropriation of indigenous art forms by European and American artists.
3. Assess the role of the international art market in the ethics of removing cultural artifacts and art from countries of origin and the role of UNESCO in preservation of archaeological monuments, such as the ancient city of D’Jenne, Mali. Critically evaluate the history of looting and destruction of cultural patrimony for case studies from the Americas, Oceania and Africa, such as the destruction of Polynesian sculpture by early Christian missionaries.
4. Explore the impact of tourism on indigenous arts, looking at how tourism affects archaeological studies and sites, contemporary artists and their artistic production, and how modern nations use indigenous arts and cultures to expand and enhance the tourist industry. Specific case studies will be explored, such as the development of Mexican Mayan sites for tourism and the resulting effects upon archaeological study.
H. Evaluate various approaches to the study of gender in the production and use of indigenous arts.
1. Gender roles in the production of various traditional arts and social position of
the artist, such as the importance of tapa (bark-cloth) production among Polynesian and Melanesian women.
2. Gender roles in ceremony and performance. For example, assess the value of both men and women in African masked dances, such as Gelede performance of the Yoruba, Nigeria, where women’s roles may be overlooked.
3. Critical discussion of how gender roles by both men and women are being questioned or are changing today, such as the increasing involvement of men in Native American pottery or basketry arts.
VI. Assignments
A. Reading assignments
B. Written assignments
1. A visual analysis paper requiring analysis of original works of art in a museum
setting.
2. A research paper requiring a bibliography of at least six sources.
C. Collaborative group work
1. group exercises conducting research in the library
2. group discussions of worksheets, readings, and brief primary sources provided in class.
3. brief in-class group presentations.
VII. Methods of Instruction
Methods of instruction may include, but are not limited to, the following:
Lecture and visual aids
Discussion of assigned readings
In-class essays
In-class Exploration of Internet sites
Quiz and Examination review performed in class
Homework and extended projects
Museum fieldtrips
Collaborative learning and small group exercises
Collaborative projects
VIII. Methods of Evaluating Objectives
A. In-class participation and collaborative group work, during which the student’s skill in interpreting relevant issues will be assessed.
B. A visual analysis paper for which the student will visit a specified museum in the Bay area and critically analyze works of art on the basis of cultural, political or social function and visual appearance (style). The visual analysis paper will be four to five pages in length.
C. A research paper in which the student will be evaluated on her or his ability to analyze, evaluate and synthesize primary and secondary sources. The research paper will be six to eight pages in length and will include appropriate documentation. The instructor will provide guidance throughout the researching and writing process.
D. Three exams, including a final exam, using the following formats:
1. Objective questions identifying works of art, geographic region and culture, historical period, dates, and media; definition of terms; additional questions in “short answer” format which require knowledge of the cultural, political, social contexts as well as issues of patronage, collection history and archaeology.
2. Written essays comparing and evaluating works of art from different cultures or periods on the basis of context as well as visual analysis.
IX. Texts
* Blier, Suzanne Preston. The Royal Arts of Africa: The Majesty of Form. London:
Laurence King, 1998.
*D’Alleva, Anne. Arts of the Pacific Islands. N.Y.: Perspectives, 1998.
*Penney, David W. North American Indian Art. N.Y.: Thames &
Hudson, 2004.
Supporting References
Anderson, Duane, ed. Legacy : Southwest Indian art at the School of American
Research. Santa Fe: School of American Research Press, 1999.
Bacquart, Jean-Baptiste. The Tribal Arts of Africa. N.Y.: Thames and Hudson, 2002.
Bassani, Ezio, Michael Bockemuhl and Patrick McNaughton. The Power of Form:
African Art from the Horstmann Collection. Milano: Skira, 2002.
Bernstein, Bruce and Gerald McMaster. First American Art : the Charles and Valerie
Diker collection of American Indian Art. Washington, D.C. : National Museum of
the American Indian, 2004.
Blier, Suzanne Preston, ed. Art of the Senses: African Masterpieces from the Teel
Collection. Boston: MFA Publications, 2004.
Campbell, Tyrone D. Timeless Textiles: Traditional Pueblo Arts 1840-1940.
Santa Fe : Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, 2003.
Cazimero, Momi, David J. de la Torre, Manulani Aluli Meyer.
N¯a maka hou/ New visions: Contemporary Native Hawaiian Art.
Honolulu: Honolulu Academy of Arts, 2001.
Cochrane, Susan. Bérétara: Contemporary Pacific Art. New South Wales: Halstead
Press, 2001.
Connah, Graham. African Civilizations: An Archaeological Perspective. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 2001.
Corbin, George A. Native Arts of North America, Africa, and the South Pacific : An
Introduction. N.Y.: Harper & Row, 1988.
Dewey, William J. The World Moves, We Follow: Celebrating African Art. Knoxville:
University of Tennessee, 2003.
Dillingham, Rick. Fourteen Families in Pueblo Pottery. Albuquerque: University of New
Mexico,1994.
Edmundson, Anna and Chris Boylan. Adorned : Traditional Jewellery and Body
Decoration from Australia and the Pacific. Sydney: Macleay Museum, University
of Sydney, 1999.
Feest, Christian J. Native Arts of North America. New York, 1992.
Forbes, David W. Encounters with Paradise: Views of Hawaii and Its People, 1778-1941.
Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1992.
Heermann, Ingrid, ed. Form, Colour, Inspiration : Oceanic Art from New Britain.
Stuttgart: Arnoldsche, 2001.
Herreman, Frank, ed. Material Differences: Art and Identity in Africa. N.Y.: Museum for
African Art, 2003.
Herreman, Frank, ed. Resonance from the Past: African Sculpture from the New Orleans
Museum of Art. N.Y.: Museum for African Art, 2005.
Hill, Tom and Richard W. Hill, Sr. Creation's Journey : Native American Identity and
Belief. Washington, D.C. : Smithsonian Institution Press, 1994.
Hiroa, Te Rangi. Arts and Crafts of Hawaii. Honolulu: Bishop Museum Press, 2003.
Holm, Bill. Northwest Coast Indian Art; an Analysis of Form. Seattle: University of
Washington Press, 1965.
Ihimaera, Witi, ed. Mataora: The Living Face: Contemporary Maori Art.
Auckland, N.Z.: D. Bateman, 1996.
Kaeppler, Adrienne, Christian Kaufmann, and Douglas Newton. Oceanic Art.
N.Y.: Harry N. Abrams, 1997.
Kirch, Patrick and Roger C. Green. Hawaiki, Ancestral Polynesia: An Essay in Historical
Anthropology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001.
Krumrine, Mary Louise and Susan Clare Scott, eds. Art and the Native American:
Perceptions, Reality, and Influences. University Park, Pa.: Pennsylvania State
University, 2001.
Kuwahara, Makiko. Tattoo : An Anthropology. N.Y.: Berg, 2005.
Lamb, Jonathan, Vanessa Smith, and Nicholas Thomas, eds.
Exploration and Exchange: a South Seas Anthology, 1680-1900.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
Lamp, Frederick John, ed. See the Music, Hear the Dance: Rethinking African Art at the
Baltimore Museum of Art. Munich: Prestel, 2004.
Lawal, Babatunde. The Gelede Spectacle: Art, Gender, and Social Harmony in an
African Culture. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1996.
McCulloch, Susan. Contemporary Aboriginal Art : a Guide to the Rebirth of an Ancient
Culture Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1999.
Mead, Sidney Moko, ed. Te Maori: Maori Art from New Zealand Collections.
N.Y.: Abrams, 1984.
Morphy, Howard and Margo Smith Boles, eds. Art From the Land : Dialogues with the
Kluge-Ruhe Collection of Australian Aboriginal Art. Charlottesville: University of
Virginia, 1999.
Morwood, M.J. Visions From the Past : The Archaeology of Australian Aboriginal Art.
Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 2002.
Neich, Roger and Mick Pendergrast. Traditional Tapa Textiles of the Pacific.
London: Thames and Hudson, 1997.
Penney, David W. Art of the American Indian Frontier : the Chandler-Pohrt Collection
Seattle : University of Washington Press, 1992.
Perani, J. and F. Smith. The Visual Arts of Africa: Gender, Power, and Life-Cycle
Rituals. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1998.
Petridis, Constantine. South of the Sahara: Selected Works of African Art. Seattle:
University of Washington Press, 2003.
Phillips, Tom, ed. Africa: The Art of a Continent. N.Y.: Guggenheim Museum, 1996.
Rushing, W. Jackson. Native American Art in the Twentieth Century : Makers, Meanings,
Histories. London: Routledge, 1999.
Shaw, George Everett. Art of the Ancestors: Antique North American Indian Art.
Albuquerque, N.M.: University of New Mexico Press, 2004.
Smith, Bernard. European Vision and the South Pacific.New Haven: Yale University
Press, 1985.
Spivey, Richard L. The Legacy of Maria Poveka Martinez. Santa Fe: Museum of New
Mexico Press, 2003.
Starzecka, D.C., ed. Maori: Art and Culture. Chicago: Art Media Resources, 1996.
Stourton, Patrick Corbally. Songlines and Dreamings: Contemporary Australian
Aboriginal Painting: the First Quarter Century of Papunya Tula. London: Lund
Humphries, 1996.
Summers, Catherine C. Material Culture : The J.S. Emerson Collection of Hawaiian
Artifacts. Honolulu: Bishop Museum Press, 1999.
Szabo, Joyce M. Painters, Patrons, and Identity : Essays in Native American Art to
Honor J.J. Brody. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2001.
Tabualevu, Mereisi Sekinabou Vosararawa, Josefa Uluinaceva, and Sereima Raimua
Traditional Handicrafts of Fiji. Suva, Fiji: Institute of Pacific Studies of the University
of the South Pacific, 1997.
Thomas, Nicholas. Oceanic art. N.Y.: Thames and Hudson, 1995.
Thomas, Nicholas, ed. Tattoo: Bodies, Art and Exchange in the Pacific and Europe.
London : Reaktion, 2004.
Thompson, Robert Farris. Face of the Gods: Art and Altars of Africa and the African
Americas. N.Y.: Museum for African Art, 1993.
Van Tilburg, Jo Anne and Adrienne L. Kaeppler. Splendid Isolation : Art of Easter Island.
New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001.
Vogel, Susan, ed. For Spirits and Kings. N.Y.: Metropolitan Museum, 1981.
Wardwell, Allen. Island Ancestors : Oceania Art from the Masco Collection.
Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994.
Werness, Hope B. The Continuum Encyclopedia of Native Art : Worldview, Symbolism,
and Culture in Africa, Oceania, and Native North America. N.Y.: Continuum,
2000.
Willett, Frank. African Art. London: Thames and Hudson, 2002.
Video resources:
African Art: Its Cultural Meaning. Princeton, N.J.: Films for the Humanities and
Sciences, 2003.
African Art: Legacy of Oppression. Princeton, N.J.: Films for the Humanities and
Sciences, 1999.
Beyond Tradition: Contemporary Indian Art and Its Evolution. Phoenix: Jacka
Photography, 1989
Cannibal tours. L.A.: Direct Cinema Ltd., 1987.
From the Roots: California Indian Basketweavers. Nevada City: CIBA, 1996.
Hands of History.Montreal, Quebec: National Film Board of Canada, 1994.
Ka Haku hulu: The Featherworker. Honolulu: Hawaii State Dept. of Education, 1987.
Separate Visions: Native American Art. Flagstaff: Museum of Northern Arizona, 1989.
Skin stories: Tattoo. Honolulu, Hawaii: Distributed by Pacific Islanders in
Communications, 2003.
Taking pictures: New Guinea. Watertown, MA: Documentary Educational Resources,
1996.
Te rua. Wellington, N.Z. : New Zealand Film Commission,1991.
Internet resources:
www.bishopmuseum.org State Museum of Cultural and Natural History, Hawai‘i.
www.maoriart.org.nz/ contemporary Maori art organization
www.oceanicartsociety.org Oceanic Art Society
www.nmafa.si.edu National Museum of African Art
www.africanart.org The Museum for African Art
www.mnh.si.edu Smithsonian Natural History Museum
www.nmai.si.edu National Museum of the American Indian
www.sarweb.org School of American Research (Native American Art)
www.miaclab.org Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Santa Fe, New Mexico
www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/bhc/
Bill Holm Center for the Study of Northwest Coast Art, Burke Museum
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