New Light on Old Tale

There are two sides to every story. But when it comes to “cowboys and Indians” stories, until recently we heard only one: the white man’s side of the tale.

To fill us in on the other perspective, the Autry Museum of Western Heritage recently opened an exhibition, “Powerful Images: Portrayals of Native America” that gives a more balanced account. With emphasis on the visual aspect of the story, it compares images in mainstream literature, art, film and advertising with how Native Americans represent themselves through their own artistic traditions.

“By exhibiting the original Native American art, we see the American Indian in a new light,” said Paul Apodaca, a professor at Chapman College in Orange and a scholar for the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian. Apodaca, a Navajo, was a consultant for the Autry exhibit.

Ten of the largest and most prominent museums in the West, in consultation with Native Americans and non-Native American curators and scholars, contributed many key pieces to this multimedia effort.

Among the works on view are elegant Lakota and Crow feathered bonnets, Comanche shields, Shoshone hide paintings, a modern bronze by Lakota sculptor Francis Yellow and an acrylic by T.C. Cannon.

Also on display are 19th-century oil paintings of American Indian life by Europeans who visited the American West, several versions of the famous “Custer’s Last Stand” painting, movie posters, children’s American Indian costumes, Pontiac automobile signs and a huge Indian Roadmaster model Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

To show how the Native American themes have been reinterpreted through the years, Apodaca points out a neon sign and denim shirt embroidery--both depicting an Indian in feather bonnet. As for the motorcycle, both Native American and non-Native American curators saw it as a logical choice, said Autry Museum chief curator James Nottage. “Everybody wants to be chief and everybody wants to ride a Harley,” Apodaca added.

One unusual example of contemporary Navajo art on display is by weaver Cecilia Yazzie. Reversing the main concept of the show, it’s a depiction of non-Native Americans by an American Indian.

The weaving contains images of astronauts walking on the moon. “She was criticized by other Navajos for including a nonnative theme in a traditional Navajo weaving,” Nottage added. Apodaca has a simple explanation for the image: “She was depicting something important to her at the time, like any other artist.”

“Powerful Images” will be at the Autry Museum until May 16. Special docent-guided, reduced-price tours for school groups are available, a bonus for fourth- and fifth-graders studying California history. For visitors who bring their families, a special publication about the show is also free.

BE THERE

The Autry Museum of Western Heritage is near the intersection of the Golden State Freeway and the Ventura Freeway in Griffith Park. Exhibit hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except Monday. Admission is $3 for children 2-12, $5 for seniors and students with valid ID, $7.50 for adults. For information, call (323) 667-2000.