The love I have
in my life with my girlfriend, preserving my people's art and traditions,
and the talented Yanktonai Sioux artist Oscar Howe.
Inspiredby the
Yanktonai-Sioux artist Oscar Howe, it was a school art class assignment to
convey an emotion through color. I was told by my peers, unknowledgable when
it comes to Native culture, that I failed at portraying love in this composition.
On the contray, I got many amazing compliments about it from those who do
know the color meanings and symbolism used to portray love in a Native American
perspective.
As in my other
piece, The Flute Player, I described to people the tradition of playing the
flute to court a young woman, which is shown here by this young Blackfoot
man. His throbbing red heart beats hard for the love he feels for a special
woman as he plays her a musical piece he wrote just for her and her ears only.
The hummingbirds, put in to add movement to the piece, were seen as a daily
animal sign that love was in one's life, or soon to be in the future. The
elk footprints below him, to complete his overall shape of a diamond, I put
in because any young man that was seen as romantic and a great lover, husband,
and provider for his family was believed he had "elk medicine",
since male elks create such beautiful mating calls when the season starts.
The blue background, even though love is a very alive and vibrant emotion,
was seen to symbolize calmness, serenity, and relaxation. I persoanlly feel
such a state of being when I am with the one I love. It seems nothing is going
on around you but that moment with your loved one, and you seem to lose all
worries in the world. The diamond background being as I mentioned the shape
he naturally makes with his body, arms, birds, and elk prints. Having the
background blue shades seperated added to the composition being in Oscar Howe's
style. He seemed to make the background apart of the main subject he put in,
rather than a back area to add to the foreground that you'd think is to be
focused. Many of my peers also did not understand this concept, but I feel
people here will.
I believe I have
the right not only to love, marry and have family, but to do so in my people's
ways and customs. Love and sex today is seen as such a casual thing that even
the youngest teens are doing it with those they do not even know their names,
to the point where its no longer special when they're older. Personally I
believe people like that are ruining themselves. These days, even in modern
Indian society, many do not follow this tradition anymore when it comes to
love. When people ask me to play my flute for them live, they seem to not
understand my perspective when I tell them that traditionally it is a courting
instrument, so I only play for the one I love. Not including the songs I have
recorded that are intended for people to hear to be exposed to the anicent
beauty of the native flute as an instrument instead of a courting love tool.
I proudly still uphold this love tradition of my people, and felt to convey
this emotion I feel, and the duties with it, through art.
Artist: Steven
Two Hawk - Native American (Blackfoot)/French Canadian
Medium: Acrylics
Website: http://lakota-eyes.deviantart.com
My flute compositions:www.myspace.com/steventwohawk
