Dear Jean P.S. Part Eight of 10
July 1, 2020
You could back track and read the intro, yes,
you could. This is kind of like coming into the middle of the movie. USA in the
early 1800s was – well, hell for some, opportunity for others. Get that cup o’
tea and click on. And those 4 “Dear Jean” letters elsewhere on this blog,
fiction yet true to the start of the Industrial Revolution, all threads to my
life and work in that small town on the banks of the Wabash. How one piece of
real estate went from First Nations land, to ultra-religious commune, to NO
religion communal town, then to lots of religion town! Who was good, who was
bad, who was ugly? One exceptional human who graced New Harmony, Mark Trela,
has departed, 6/25/20. Tears and smiles and gratitude, dude. Thank God he made
more.
Artist
Karl Bodmer and Indigenous Heritage
Thankfully others arriving were
educated and curious intellectuals. For instance, in 1832, Prince Maximilian of
Weid-Neuwied arrived with his hired young artist Karl Bodmer. Before cameras,
if you wanted visual documentation, bring your hireling artist! They stayed in
New Harmony for some months while they made plans to continue on into the
wilderness of western North America to research and document remaining healthy
indigenous tribes before they were crushed by the rapidly advancing conquest of
white men. Some alert Europeans, like the Prince, were quickly realizing how
fast the new country was snatching up land and how any intact indigenous North
American culture would soon be gone. The resulting book, Travels in the Interior of North
America, 1832-1834 by Prince Maximilian of Weid-Neuwied, is a true
treasure for American historians. Karl Bodmer is credited with being the first
white artist to properly, honestly, accurately, and beautifully depict First
Nations people.
Keep in mind that as USA was highly
determined to take charge of most of North America, part of that plan was to
commonly depict First Nations people in, well, let’s say “unflattering”
visuals. No photography just yet. White artists, whose work was used by
newspapers to show American Indians, always drew crude wild human-like
half-naked clueless fools. The colonies, then later the USA, both did
everything to convince whites that the strange savages were only in the way,
not worthy for current needs, primitive and stupid, bothersome and unable to
hold their liquor, terrible to their children, some trash to be removed. One
pale face artist wouldn’t. Swiss artist Karl Bodmer did not use his skill for
white “spin,” he only portrayed First Nations people as he saw them: proud,
intelligent, and interesting. His boss approved.
Here’s a fact: one precious copy of
Travels
has been dismantled, and many pages are properly on display at the
Bodmer Museum in New Harmony. I must explain something about this. The premier
historian and archivist of New Harmony, Josephine Elliott, had a shit fit when
the idea was proposed to take apart such a rare and valuable book. With many
long and heated passionate meetings — and if you knew Josephine, you know of
what I speak — the decision by Historic New Harmony was to proceed with the
dismantling of the book as the only way for the public to view it. To
Josephine, it was beyond the beyond for any librarian or archivist to ever
destroy an important book. Go see it for yourself: https://visitnewharmony.com/playexplore_cpt/maximilian-bodmer-gallery/
A fine fresh book, Karl
Bodmer’s Eastern Views by Dr. John Sears and Marsha V. Gallagher is
available. My copy signed! The Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska has the
primary collection of the documents that comprise the Prince’s data for their
travels. https://www.joslyn.org/collections-and-exhibitions/permanent-collections/art-of-the-american-west/karl-bodmer-mato-tope-four-bears-mandan-chief/ That collection sat in a drawer in
Germany for over a hundred years. Then somebody opened the drawer.
I found this of interest: Bodmer
wrote about working with his boss as they met Native Americans still living
with pride, dignity, and tribal culture intact. Bodmer realized the Prince had
a very sharp eye for details and a determined practice to write them down. One
time early on, the Prince let Bodmer see his notes of the people they met the
day before, and Bodmer was stunned. YIKES, my boss doesn’t miss a thing. The
person’s size, posture, approximate age, skin color, and then the details, tilt
of the feathers, the pattern of coloring of feathers, the design and color of
the bead work, the arrangement of the hair, the way the leggings hang, how long
the fringe, the design of the foot gear, face and body paint art, precise
details of any item that might be held in the subject’s hand, and every other
possible observation was there in writing. Bodmer explained, “I have to get
much better if I want to keep this job. I can’t miss a detail; my boss will
know.” Challenge accepted.
PEHRISKA RUHPA, MINATARRE WARRIOR IN THE COSTUME OF THE
DOG DANCE
Karl Bodmer, Swiss, 1809-1893
Handcolored aquatint engraving, 1844
This versatile artist’s remarkable success in depicting
Indians, wildlife, and landscapes is grounded in his consummate skill as a
draftsman. Before he applied color to his work he rendered an exquisite pencil
drawing of his subject. He developed every detail of the picture, recording the
exact form, color and texture of a garment as well as portraying the likeness
of the person who wore it.
1993, GILCREASE MUSEUM, TULSA, OK
As the Prince and Bodmer traveled
up the Missouri River to its headwaters and had reasonable meetings with native
cultures something more powerful was happening. As the Prince understood, the
US government was forcing East coast, then Mid-west First Nations folks to go
west and try to find common cause with other American Indians who were total
strangers, different customs, all that. Think of it this way: like expecting
Dutch culture folks to endure a forced move and attempt to blend into new land
and strange culture very far from their natural homeland, let’s say Italian
culture, people, and dynamics. I suggest here that the hundreds of distinctly
different tribal cultures thriving in 1492 in North America were not one big happy
family.
The plaque in Kalamazoo: “… three
thousand Indians gathered on this spot for nearly a week, as their Chieftains
held council, causing a weird, mournful, dramatic scene, they took up their
long line of march for the then far west, beyond the ‘Father of Waters’.” I’m
still pissed. Free Leonard Peltier.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
To be continued
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