Smithers begins with a document from 1825, in which an unnamed white traveler reminisces about encountering a group of Cherokees. Much of our written knowledge about historical Native Americans comes from archives that were collected and maintained by Europeans and their descendants.Īlthough there is now a “vast scholarship” on two-spirit people focused on the American Plains, Smithers notes, one gap in the literature has been the Woodland Indian cultures of the Southeast, like the Cherokees. He asks if “two-spirit people a constant thread in the fabric of Cherokee society, or were two spirits examples of adaptive and innovative identities and the products of the settle colonial milieu”įrom a settler point of view, the question can’t be answered well.
![one spirit native one spirit native](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/65/31/aa/6531aa708cf223a1cbd6eec2c968ab7c.png)
![one spirit native one spirit native](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d5/5e/82/d55e823db4cd77aff4fc58f872c211f7.jpg)
Since “ighteenth- and early nineteenth-century Europeans and Euroamericans associated Native American berdaches with transgressive gender behavior and nonproductive sexual activity,” Smithers writes, most written records of two-spirit people are slanted. Such “language was loaded with often negative moral and medical connotations.” The term is still used, but many now consider it demeaning, because the French bardache can be traced to the Arabic bardaj or barah, meaning “a slave or ‘kept boy,'” explains Smithers. Until the late twentieth century, anthropological and historical literature referred to two-spirit people as berdaches, a word taken into English from the French. Please contact me at James Ayers studios with any questions you might have.Much of our written knowledge about historical Native Americans comes from archives that were collected and maintained by Europeans and their descendants. Do you have questions about Two Souls, One Spirit giclees? His hair is adorned with feathers: the red ones are dyed eagle feathers and the black ones are crow. These hairlocks were not taken from foes in battle, but instead would be gathered from family members as a reminder of the people a warrior protects. The garment is decorated with locks of hair. (Notice how the fan and the sheath form zig-zag angles to pull your eye through the painting.) The man’s shirt came directly from a museum catalog in my research library. The woman holds a feather fan – used for purifying smoke “smudging” ceremonies – made of red-tail hawk feathers. mid- to late-1800s ceremonial garments, resplendent with intricate beading. Historic detailsīoth the man and the woman are dressed in c. These tones, together, make a stronger impression than either would alone (like the man and woman themselves). Notice how the man and woman’s clothing are complementary colors-their outfits are on opposite ends of the color wheel. The background, too, adds to the serene air with the muted shades of grey…but notice the splashes of red tones to add a touch of passion to the composition to emphasize the bonding these two people share. These shapes both draw your eye to the faces of the couple and give the painting a tranquil feel. There are soft, angled curves in the crook of the man’s arm and in the drape of the buffalo robe. I use curved angles throughout the piece to create a softness appropriate to the scene. Notice how the dark-against-light colors causes an angle to form across the faces of the man and the woman and highlights their contented expressions. This gentle act adds another layer of meaning to the intimate exchange. I chose to depict their affection to one another with the robe because such garments represented warmth, security, and comfort to the Lakota people (who relied heavily on the buffalo for sustenance). As the warrior wraps his beloved in a warm buffalo robe, he reveals his deep devotion and unending fidelity with this seemingly small gesture. Two Lakota lovers take a private moment for themselves in Two Souls, One Spirit. Read more about embellished giclees here. Your print will be shipped within 10 business days of purchase. Embellished giclees are only available as canvas, stretched, and ready-to-hang and take 8 to 10 weeks to complete. Canvas prints have two finishing options: 1) Shipped rolled in a tube or 2) stretched and ready-to-hang with a gallery wrap finish.
![one spirit native one spirit native](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/AjMAAOSwPh5ZKzza/s-l300.jpg)
Fine art LIMITED EDITION signed giclee - prices start at $235Įach numbered print comes with a certificate of authenticity in your choice of high-quality watercolor paper (edition of 500) or canvas (edition of 250).