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Transcription: [01:03:42]
{SPEAKER name="Greg Arnold"}
That's where I see carving helping tradition
[01:03:46]
and helping, like my generation - all generations really.
[01:03:50]
Because all of us participated from real old- elderly gentleman who's on a walker, to young kids.

[01:04:00]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 2"}
You know, one of the things, along with languages and cultural preservation is that
[01:04:05]
In many cases, you see a lot of Indian tribes thriving because this whole process of change-
[01:04:11]
We're all in a kind of a state of flux, you know
[01:04:13]
You gotta realize that traditional Indian art is not traditional Indian art in the old sense. Okay?
[01:04:20]
We have had, for example, various schools of painters
[01:04:25]
Plains Indian painters on the Southern Plains
[01:04:29]
And their style of painting depicts horses and people in very elaborate and colorful tribal dress.
[01:04:38]
And you can see this trend going to about 1930
[01:04:43]
And then suddenly, something very different happens.
[01:04:45]
The canvases begin to shimmer with a different kind of feeling, a different kind of attitude.
[01:04:50]
You see the animals doing different things.
[01:04:53]
Finally, it gets to the point where the animal almost totally disappears, and you see a lot of people
[01:04:57]
And you see a lot of scenery in the background that looks very surrealist.
[01:05:01]
And there are lots of different examples of this transition occurring even in wood carving.
[01:05:06]
The traditional wood carvings of the Makah Indians have gone- have been in a state of transition
[01:05:12]
I think it's all for the good, because I don't think any culture is able to really stand still in time
[01:05:17]
And say 'this is it, this is all there is to it.’
[01:05:19]
Because we're being affected by modern life.
[01:05:21]
Policies are changing, attitudes are changing,
[01:05:26]
The whole life form around you is kind of coming in, and
[01:05:29]
There's a kind of a pressure going on, there's a kind of state of emergency going on
[01:05:33]
And artists feel this, and usually, they're the first ones that can make this first transitional step
[01:05:38]
Because it's a very scary process to be able to take something which you have been doing for years
[01:05:42]
And go beyond it. Okay?
[01:05:46]
Because there's problems of interpretation,
[01:05:48]
There's a lot of fear on the part of the public
[01:05:49]
Because they don't always realize what you're doing.
[01:05:52]
But I think you can see that also in wood, and also in stone carving.
[01:05:56]
Since we're talking about this period of flux
[01:05:59]
And we're talking a little about some of the artifacts that come out of these cultural programs and museums in preservation or conservation,
[01:06:07]
Why don't we ask Ms. Watt. Ruth, in terms of basketry,
[01:06:12]
are there things that some of the young people are doing in basketry that you think has changed or is not like it used to be
[01:06:19]
Or are there some things happening in basketry that you can talk about?

[01:06:23]
{SPEAKER name="Ruth Watt"}
Well, on our reservation, there's very little interest in basket making among the young people
[01:06:30]
Maybe about 3 or 4 years ago, my mother had some basket classes
[01:06:37]
and there was very little interest in it.

[01:06:39]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 2"}
I see.


[01:06:39]
{SPEAKER name="Ruth Watt"}
And it's too bad that it's like that.
[01:06:44]
I have three nieces who have become real interested in making baskets.
[01:06:48]
So, I think that they will be able to be on their own, in a short time.

[01:06:56]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 2"}
Right. So along with all of this change and flux, people find other interests.
[01:07:01]
And so some of this stuff is put aside
[01:07:03]
And I think Ruth is here precisely for the reason that basketry does happen
[01:07:09]
And in some cases, it's thriving- in some areas.
[01:07:13]
But it's getting, it's turning into something that was a ‘used to be.’

[01:07:17]
{SPEAKER name="Ruth Watt"}
Yes. Even now, we used to have a neighbor that made handles for us,
[01:07:22]
and it's very difficult for us to find anyone who makes real good handles
[01:07:28]
[laughter]
[01:07:30]
We have come across some men that made hands,
[01:07:34]
But we weren't quite satisfied.
[01:07:36]
[laughter]

[01:07:38]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 2"}
Even in our community, we have difficulty finding people who can make these huge excellent pow-wow drums
[01:07:44]
You know, the ones that you see where people are out dancing-
[01:07:47]
How many people- a lot of you people go to pow-wows.
[01:07:49]
Have you seen those dances [?]
[01:07:51]
The whole gear, the whole feather work,
[01:07:53]
Everything has changed, and some of the stuff has-
[01:07:56]
I look at it, and when I was a child, it was all different, okay.
[01:08:00]
Because you've seen these things happening, and they're very very beautiful and ornate.
[01:08:04]
But you don't recognize them as being the costume you wore some 10 or 20 years ago,