Evening star., 1941-02-16

same impression is created, the
same story told.
This story, much more fascinating
than many romance, is Of the age
old culture of a race, long regarded
as savage, and its persistence, In
spite of association with those who,
through lack of understanding, dis
missed it as unworthy of considera-
ton.
There has been so much miSin-
formation circulated about the
American Indians through the me-
dium of literature and art produced
for and by the white man. that it
has been difficult to know the truth,
but now in these exhibitions they
speak for themselves, and in no un-
certain terms The art OF these
people is obviously primitive but at
the same time racial. There are
tribal differences but elemental
unity. Its universal source is desire
for decoration, for the purposes of
which objective symbols have been
taken from everyday life 1t is the
naturalness of these, combined with
instructive knowledge of funda-
mental principles, which gives to
Indian art its outstanding signlfl-
canoe. Balance and rhythm, color
composition. and proportion, were
not taught the American Indian as
such. but were inStinctively felt.
Craftsmanship also was reckoned as
highly important.
From before the time that the first
explorers set foot on this continent
until midway of the last century, the
quality of Indian art was upheld to
a reasonably high standard; then it
began gradually to deterlorate; now
seain it has come back to its own.
Native Instinct Lives.
The reason for this is the recog-
milton of a number of students of
Indian art of its inherent merit,
together with the belief that the
native instinct toward art was by no
means dead. The revelation came
through drawings and water color
paintings by young Indians IN Okla
homa and New MeXlco-WorkS which
while representative of things seen
Indian ceremonials, the wild HE OF
prairie and forest-were inherently
racial in character.
Prof. Jacobs of the University OF
Oklahoma, collected some of these,
took them abroad to show at con-
gress of art teachers, and arranged
for their reproduction in full color
with descriptive text by a publisher
of Nice, France. Meanwhile, Ken
meth M. Chapman of the laboratory
of Anthropology, Santa Fe, N. Mex,
discovered like ability among the
Indians of some of the local pueblos
and was encouraged by it. In Den
yer. Miss Anne Evans further Stlm-
ulated production by appreclatlVe
purchases and enthusiastic eXplolta-
ton. At the Olympia international
exhibition in Los Angeles in 1882 an
Indian. Ase Blue Eagle, received for
one of his water colors much COW
eted award. Then in 1886 came a
great event-an Indian Arts and
Crafts Board, under authority OF
Congress, was organized and began
functioning here in Washington
under the auspices OF the Depart
ment of the Interior. This boaro
consists of five members, appointed
bv the Secretary of the Interior and
serving without pay-as for instance
do members of the National Com
mission of Fine Arts. John Collier,
Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Is
chairman; Rene d'Harnoncourt was
appointed general manager.
The first steps that this board
took we're to acquire as complete
knowledge as possible, through per-
sonal surveys, of the needs and
potentialities in this particular field,
among all the several tribes in the
United States and Alaska, after
which effort was directed toward
upbuilding and maintaining nigh
standard and then establishing
market-a sound basis for the de-
velopment and maintainance OF any
art. That it has worked well the
exhibitions here and in New York
amply testify The best works OF
the past have been collected and set
before the craftsmen as examples.
All the silver now has to have the
stamp of genuineness and quality II
marketed with authority. The same
is true of woven fabrics. This
means that not only the work OF
the Indians is being improved, but
also the taste of the public.
Aided by Curator.
In assembling and arranging the
exhibition in New York Mr.. dHar-
noncourt had the assistance Of
Fredric H. Douglas, curator of In
dian art of the Denver Art Mu-
scum The exhibition here was
chosen by Mr.. d'Harnoncourt, but
arranged by Miss Lewis, head OF
the art department of the Library.
Some of the works shown came
from Mr.. dHarnoncourt's own COL
lection, others from other private
collections; still others from the
arts and crafts shop in the Interior
department and from out-to-town
museums.
The arrangement of the material,
as we'll as the material itself, is
excellent. Over the stair rail are
hung in the hall brilliant rugs,
finely woven and very good in de-
sign. In the cases in the hall,
S;ainst the north wall, are water
colors by such well known painters
as Ava Tsireh, Joe H. Herrera and
others. In upright cases to right