Synthesis Journal 2

I. The Commercialization of Art

"The dominant culture prefers to make over its sources into its own image, filtering them through the sieve of recent local art history, seeing only that which is familiar or currently marketable and rejecting that which cannot be squeezed into 'our' framework" (p 26).

Observe the Kokopelli figure, Dreamcatchers and Totem pendants: Based in Native American culture, these are images that have been accepted by Western society as trendy icons to adorn our homes and bodies. What were originally sacred images are now the stuff of souvenir shops, having first been elevated in the consciousness of Western thought to the position of "high art" in the galleries. What was once special and unique to an individual Native American culture now has all the significance of a Big Mac, manufactured by white businessmen and sold at Wal-mart. All the while these ancient traditions are being desecrated, contemporary art created by Native Americans is largely ignored if it does not fit the pre-conceived notions of what indigenous art should look like.

II. The "Art IS Life" Connection

"Dying cultures do not make art. Cultures that do not change with the times will die" (p 28).

The creation of art is the communication of an identity. When a culture is assimilated into a dominant society without retaining something of its individuality, that culture is dead. When a culture holds too tightly to "tradition" without allowing a natural evolution of identity to occur, the art becomes archaic artifact and that culture is dead. Changing with the times while maintaining individuality keeps the culture alive - a tremendous challenge in the wake of Western dominance.

III. Language as the Key to Preserving Identity

"That is the true meaning of illiteracy in a class society; one is not in control of the language one speaks" (p 48).

It saddens me to think of the rich diversity of cultures becoming homogenized through the powerful use of English as the accepted language. My ancestors were German and Polish, but as soon as they set foot on American soil, they adopted the official American language so that they could become useful American citizens. Now all I have left of my traditional culture is my religion (Catholic) and a few Polish recipes...and I as a "full-blooded American" have always felt a sense of homelessness, of not truly belonging to the culture in which I live.