Highlights From “Infinity of Nations”
A new exhibition explores thousands of years of artwork from the Native nations of North, Central and South America
- By Jess Righthand
- Smithsonian.com, January 04, 2011
(Walter Larrimore, National Museum of the American Indian)
Susette La Flesche was born into the Omaha tribe of Nebraska and attended school on the East Coast before returning home to teach in her community. In 1877, La Flesche saw the neighboring Ponca tribe expelled from their land, a calamity that killed up to one-third of all tribal members. Taking matters into her own hands, La Flesche became an advocate for Native peoples. She married Thomas Tibbles, a white reporter for the Omaha Herald in 1881. Together, the couple helped publicize the case of Standing Bear v. Crook, which resulted in a landmark civil rights ruling that recognized American Indians as persons under the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution.
“She was a precursor to today’s Native people, who find themselves living in two worlds,” says Blue Spruce. “Through her Western education, she was able to advocate for her own people in a non-Native world.”
Comments (4)
I saw many such exhibits at the Field Museum in Chicago and they are really nice. It's too bad these are in New York and I saw nothing like them at the Smithsonian. The Native American exhibits were quite disappointing.
Posted by Jerry Tennant on January 29,2011 | 11:34 AM
Again smithsonian never ever lets you down....I wish I were there when they were being created...would make me very very old....thank you smithsonian
Posted by pat jones on January 28,2011 | 01:43 PM
Wish I could visit it! It must be a fascinating exhibition.
Posted by Itziar Rey Perez De Pipaon on January 6,2011 | 11:00 AM
Maravilhosa Arte!!!
lindo,lindo,lindo.....
Bravo!!
Simplismente Arte...
Posted by Ana Claudia Jatahy on January 5,2011 | 06:09 PM