July 2020 THE INDIAN TRADER
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A grouping with a Navajo weaving by Belinda Nez, Navajo pottery jar by Lorraine Williams, basket by Edith King (Southern Paiute), Sioux child’s fully beaded mocs (c. 1900), a buffalo fetish, Yakima beaded bag and loom beaded strip.
American Flags and Patriotic Symbols in American Indian Art By T. Wallin
As I sit here writing, I’m thinking about all the celebrations that will be taking place this Fourth of July. There will be picnics, fireworks, and most of all a blaze of red, white, and blue decorations including flags flying from homes and businesses. A couple of my friends are American Indian art collectors. They specifically collect art with American flag motifs or patriotic symbols such as eagles and U.S.A. Some of their items date to the late 1800s. One might wonder why American Indians, at that period of time, would use the American flag as a design on their clothing or weavings. A few books and academic papers have been written that explain cultural or political reasons and I’ll leave it up to our readers to further investigate. Instead, I’ll focus on the ingenuity, variety and aesthetics of these works of art. Navajo weavers have been using flags and patriotic symbols in their
weavings since the 1870s. The flags might not always have the correct amount of stars and stripes, but it is unmistakably an American flag. Pictorial wall hangings with eagles, shields and United States of America, meticulously woven, are a testament to the creativity and talent of the weavers. Basketry is another of the arts that can have flags, eagles and wording. I have seen examples of Apache, Mission, Navajo, Paiute and Makah baskets with flag and patriotic symbols. Many are done in red, white and blue, but most utilize natural colors that the weavers would commonly use. A few years ago, one of my collector friends custom-ordered a basket from Southern Paiute weaver, Edith King. He said, “It just needs a flag in it somewhere”. A year later, a fantastic, finely woven basket depicting an eagle with flags as wings came in the mail.
