American Indians in Britain - Report from Europe

T he American Museum in Britain, which was founded in 1961 and occupies a Regency country house outside Bath, is dedicated to showing art and artifacts from the United States. This summer's exhibition, on view until November 3, is entitled The North American Indian: As Varied as the Land and is drawn entirely from the museum's collection.

The premise of the show is twofold. The first is that American Indian culture is not homogeneous but rather as varied as the land on which it thrived. The second is that the images that come initially to mind--particularly to Britons--are conjured from books and films.

The major part of the exhibition is divided geographically The first section is devoted to California, where the Spanish missionaries devastated the native population by uprooting them from their villages, exploiting them for labor within the missions, and depleting much of the agricultural resources. The acorn harvest was an important ritual, for acorns were an important part of the Indians' diet. The vegetation also provided splints from which the Indians wove baskets, which were considered vital for religious use. They were also used to store food and they represented life itself, since infants were carried in them.

On the Great Plains of central North America the majority of the Indian population was nomadic, depending on the buffalo not only for food but also for clothing, tools, and shelter. By contrast, the Indians of the southeast woodlands, between the Appalachian Mountains and the Gulf of Mexico, were farmers who lived in villages. They were great builders, and because they did not migrate from place to place, they had more time for play, with the game of lacrosse an important part of their lives.

In the subarctic and Arctic areas of North America, a vast stretch of land, life was exceedingly harsh due to the long winters and brief summers. Hunting was vital, as was water and ice for canoes and sleds. In the southwestern region of North America, the land itself was considered sacred to its inhabitants. Included in the displays in this section are blankets, rugs, jewelry and pottery.

The last section of the exhibition is called "Images of Indians" and shows European perceptions of Native Americans from the fifteenth century to the excesses of Hollywood.

Judith Elsdon is the curator of the exhibition, which is partly sponsored by an anonymous Friend of the American Museum. There is no catalogue, but a free gallery guide is available at the museum.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Brant Publications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group