The American Indian Festival 



September 23 



to 



October 1 3 



By Lois Rubinyi 



Festival Coordinator, Raymond Foundation 



The symbol of the American Indian Festival 

 is shown on this month's cover. The design, 

 from a Pima basket in the Museum's Grier 

 Collection, represents the house of Siuhu, a 

 Pima legendary figure whose mountain home 

 was so hidden by confusing trails that no one 

 could find him. 



Rose Ayala, a volunteer at the American Indian Center, conducts a session of 

 the Center's Community Services Day Camp. Photo by Orlando Cabanban. 



To BE ALONE in a large city — to be cut off from family, 

 friends, land and, most importantly, from one's own iden- 

 tity — this is often the situation of the Indian who comes to 

 Chicago. Indians have been arriving in Chicago in increas- 

 ing numbers, from a few hundred in the early 1950's to the 

 present population of 16,000. Many come as family units, 

 but the largest number come alone. Many have come to 

 participate in Bureau of Indian Affairs vocational train- 

 ing programs, biU a number also come on their own. 



Their existence largely unknown to the general Chicago 

 public, these Indians from 99 tribes in 28 states and Canada 

 have, nevertheless, a valuable contribution to make to the 

 cultural and social life of this city. It was in this spirit that 

 the idea for an American Indian Festival developed. A great 

 deal of the creativity and ingenuity of mind, heart and hand 

 that enabled these various Indian peoples to survive and 

 flourish across much of the United States still remains. Since 

 the culture of any people is often intimately related to the 

 land where they live, it is not surprising that Indian cultures 

 have changed even as the American landscape has been 

 altered. 



Few people see any continuity between the Indian cul- 

 tures of the past and the present. Our image of the Indian 

 past comes largely from novels (often highly romanticized), 

 television, and films. The generalized Indian stereotype 

 takes little cognizance of the great diversity of Indian cul- 

 tures on the American continent, including vast differences 

 in language, religion, government, art and social organiza- 

 tion. Few people have had any contact with the Indians 

 of today. 



The American Indian Festival was conceived with the 

 idea of providing a creative context in which person-to- 

 person contact between Chicagoans — Indian and non-In- 



dian — could take place. In creating the festival, the Museum 

 is working with the American Indian Center. The Center, 

 a non-profit organization, has sought by its own activities 

 to preserve Indian culture. Most importantly, it provides 

 a focal point for Indian social activity in the large city. 



The Museum has long displayed some of the most beau- 

 tiful creations of Indian cultures in its halls, but objects 

 alone can never fully tell the story of their creation and cre- 

 ators. The emphasis of the festival is on living people and 

 their work and its major theme is American Indian culture 

 from past to present: continuity and change. Daily activ- 

 ities include demonstrations by Indian artists and crafts- 

 men of skills from many cultures such as : totem pole carving 

 from the Northwest Coast, basketry, beadwork, and costume 

 making from the Plains and Woodlands, with related films 

 on these crafts. Special events include performances by an 

 Indian choral group, dancing, and a canoe race on Lake 

 Michigan. Special exhibits will include a photographic 

 essay on the Indians of Chicago and a display of traditional 

 and modern Indian arts and crafts. The climax of the 

 festival will come the last two days with a Pow Wow given 

 by the Indians in which all Chicagoans — Indian and non- 

 Indian — will participate. 



Many of the festival activities relate to some aspect of 

 Indian arts and crafts, but, most importantly, these are re- 

 lated to the total context of Indian life. Too often, Indian 

 life both past and present has been devitalized by reducing 

 it to a series of rudimentary skills and craft productions. 

 The art of any people is a part of their culture and as such 

 is intimately related to all aspects of their way of life. It 

 reflects among other things, a particular view of the world, 

 raw materials which are available, and the amount of leisure 

 time a group of people has to pursue such interests. A 



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