Images and Intercultural Relations

Good Intentions are not Enough When I first published my website, the Native American page was illustrated by a photo of something commonly known as the "Chief Joseph Brant Mask." It is one of the oldest extant examples of 'False Faces' used by the Iroquois for ritual purposes. There are various types of masks made of different materials; the Brant mask is made from wood, with a horsehair wig. Joseph Brant was the Anglicized name of an Iroquois chief who settled in Canada in the 18th century. Tradition holds that he brought the mask with him from what is now New York state. The mask, as far as I know, is in the Heye Collection, which is now part of the National Museum of the American Indian.

My website had been online for a couple of months when I was informed that the Iroquois Council of Chiefs had declared all Iroquois false face masks to be sacred objects whose images should not be disseminated among non-Indians. They also called for the return of all masks from museums and other collections, claiming that the misuse and distribution of these objects interfered with traditional Iroquois medicine practices.

As a matter of principle and respect, I removed the mask image from my page as soon as I found a suitable replacement (discussed below). But in practical terms, I'd be surprised if the "recall" effort were successful, given that time and circumstance have already dispersed such masks to many places around the world.

Furthermore, the sale of medicine masks, real or facsimile, is rampant anywhere there is a significant interest in Indian culture. The photo here shows an "Iroquois Indian" gift shop in Québec with a huge mask replica (circled in red) hanging on the door. I've deliberately blurred the mask beyond recognition, since I don't want to create the same controversy all over again. But pragmatically speaking: will my conscientious, good faith effort here make any dent on the souvenir trade in dozens of shops in Québec? Not much, I don't think.

What's the Image Problem? Despite my doubts about chances for success with the mask situation, I do not criticize the attempt. I am sympathetic to the needs of the Iroquois and others to retain "control" over images central to their cultures. It is undeniable that mainstream American culture tends to "take over" everything in its path. Example? Ironically, the same Québecois who sell Iroquois masks have laws protecting their own French-based culture, largely because they perceived the need to protect their own province's culture from being assimilated by the English-speaking majority across North America.

The following graphics further explore the way Indian imagery has been mishandled by uninformed outsiders. This is not the result of extensive research, either; these are just clips from the latest collection included with Freehand v.5, a popular illustration program. Note that these images all come from the section Holidays: Thanksgiving.

Western-style tipi This is a highly stylized drawing of a tipi -- a type of dwelling used by nomadic people living primarily in the Great Plains region. Tipis generally were not used by the eastern woodland people, who lived in more solidly-constructed houses and villages, so there were no tipis around when the Pilgrims and other Europeans first arrived in eastern North America. In other words, as a representation of the Indian role in Thanksgiving, this image is off by about 2000 miles. It perpetuates the myth that all Indians on the continent lived in identical homes and had identical lifestyles.

Western-style headdress This image has problems similar to those of the tipi. A large "war bonnet" of eagle feathers like this was a style of headress more popular among western tribes, and relatively rare among eastern tribes. As a comment on how ludicrous the notion is, I'll paraphrase the way an Indian friend described it: "just imagine trying to wear one of these while running through a forest with low branches overhead." Again, as a representation of Indians at Thanksgiving, this image is stereotypical and very misleading.

Indian Waiter The best thing about this third clipart image is that the man's attire is fairly accurately depicted. Without going into detailed research about the extent of beadwork or other items represented here, I wouldn't object -- except that the guy looks for all the world like he's carrying some European-style serving dish, ready to serve to the new colonists at their big November feast. Like: not only did Indians keep the settlers from starving to death through the winter; they also worked as waiters. I hope nobody sees any of this clipart and uses it as a serious representation of Thanksgiving, or of early Indian-European relations in general.

So, Why the Cat Figure? My criteria for an illustration included my concern that Native Americans not be perceived as "historical figures" since they are very much alive and part of our world today. For me, that ruled out any 19th century photos of famous Indians. I also wanted to dispel the notion that Indian history revolved around battles with non-Indians, or that all Indians lived on the Great Plains and hunted buffalo. The mythology surrounding these issues is enormous. So I passed up all available images of bows, arrows, tipis, buffalo, and so on.

Finally, I came across the Key Marco Cat in the Smithsonian collection (which is available for non-profit uses such as this). The reason I chose the cat is because, if the Smithsonian description is accurate (16th century), there is a fairly good chance that the early Indians who created this object were among those who were virtually exterminated by European incursions into their homelands, much like the cougar itself. The cat image also escapes many of the stereotypes associated with Indians, and its reported age suggests that it should be largely, perhaps completely, devoid of European influence, unlike later, more familiar artifacts.

Florida's Indian history is long and very complex; the origin and evolution of the Seminole nation is a fascinating story in itself. Visitors are encouraged to explore it through some of the other links on my Native American page. Just press your "back" button, or the left arrow below, to return there.