Transcripts For CSPAN3 Indigenous People Of The Great Plains 20240711

Assistant director of Curatorial Affairs and curative arts, and i would like to share with you a little bit of our native american collection and the history of native americans and the culture of native americans here in texas. Its very appropriate that we sort of begin with the contemporary. Im standing here right next to a magnificent piece of sculpture by noted artist alan hauser, who was apache. He was born in oklahoma. He was a descendent of geronimo s band, who was removed to oklahoma after the after geronimo and his band were captured. Terrificbecame a artist. As you can see here, one of the main foci of this particular piece is a native american on horseback. That is truly the story of native americans in the Southern Plains region and in the panhandle especially. Once horses became available to 1600s, particularly the comanches and some of the apache people they were able to obtain horses from the traders in santa fe stealing some of them as well. They were able to then utilize the environment much more efficiently because they could. Over much longer distances reallyon hunting culture became the strong suit, the highlight of the area, and it became a culture of mobility. What im going to do today is to share with you some of the objects that were associated with that kind of mobility. Objects such of clothing that were beaded with glass beads, obtained through trade. What i would like to do is to begin by starting out, looking at some moccasins because moccasins are really a diagnostic feature of plains indian people, and everybody understands, you know, youve got to wear something on your feet. Each tribe throughout the planes in the historic period, and by the, i mean the 1800s into early 1900s every tribal group had its own distinctive style of moccasins, be at the way they were cut and shaped, and then also decorated. Some folks would bead them completely on the top. Others would also incorporate porcupine quill work sewn onto them. Here in the Southern Plains, quite frequently, such as what you can see on this particular pair that could be either comanche or kiowa, they work partially beaded but also decorated with green paint in this particular instance, and in thatonderful tin cones would make a very pleasing sound as one would be walking. At the heel, there was oftentimes a little bit of leather fringe that was put on there, and people used to say this is to obscure the tracks as they are walking, but thats not necessarily the case because these people did not spend much time walking. They work on horseback. Really, what it was was that fringe was just decorative to hang off of the back of the moccasin as the person was on horseback or to sort of flitter off as they were galloping on horseback. It was purely an aesthetic kind of thing. Tot i would like to do is move from here and then show you kindsther very specific of artifacts that were very characteristic of the Southern Plains folks like the kiowa, likely comanche. Like the comanche. The moccasins we were looking at a moment ago were all made for men, but for women, it was generally boots so that you have these moccasins with these leggings on them. Sometimes they were all made in one piece. In this particular instance, it is two pieces. You can see the wonderful geometric designs to the agreed work the reddish purple maroon color of those are actually things p used forgs that were decorative purposes as well. These glass beads used by the comanche and kiowa they took beadwork to an enormously fine art, and often times, it showed up in the objects associated with the native american church. Here are some of these kinds of things. The little pouch with the figure in the center of it. Very tiny beads. Each one painstakingly put on. That people carried into the teepees during the ceremonies, and the rattles that were used to keep time with for the songs, and each one of those handles, wonderfully beaded, although in some instances, as wrappedere, it was just with thread instead of need work. They were using and adapting all the different types of materials that they had with them. On the planes in this area of is alanes, what we have great deal of veneration for children. Not only do you see wonderful toys such as this in the small which were seen as toys, but instructional toys because they were teaching young girls how to care for their own young when that time came, and then, of course, this magnificent keio a cradle that we see here. This is a fullsize cradle, fully beaded, and its very interesting to note that often times, with keio a cradles, there would be a completely different design from one side of the cradle to the other, and even the color a complete shift in color as well as designs. This was very typical of the 1900s for kiowa as well as comanche cradles that had these wonderful wooden frames, sometimes painted. This one also has elaborate decoration in terms of the that are the tacks added as well. What i would like to also do is show you probably our most significant single object in our native american collection here. It is a headdress that belonged , who wasmanche chief captive who white rose through Comanche Society to alternately become the leading chief. Become to ultimately the leading chief. He was involved with the red river war along this area against the United States government, as the native people were being pushed out. He was considered to be a great leader. He was also involved with the 1864es of adobe walls in and again in 1874, and he lived well into the 20th century and ultimately became an incredible advocate for the comanche people and other tribes, and he was an early leader of the native american church. Him is a photograph of taken around 1900 or so. His full glory as an adult wearing his finest clothing, and the headdress behind this set is really a remarkable example of these kinds of objects that were worn by men of high rank and high status. The golden eagle feathers that are topped with horsehair on them, the red woolen cap, and in metallicrful, sort of rick rack along the brow. For many of the people of the trailer nation, a full brought in like this would have importance,eat highranking status for anyone who had the opportunity to obtain one, to own one, and earned the right to also where it. So this truly is one of the great pieces that we have in the collection. We are very grateful to the continue to come and visit and to examine this piece as a part of their family heritage as well, so what we are trying to do is to not only educate the public about historic native american arts and culture, but we are also reaching out and working with totemporary native people help educate us even more about traditional native american heritage. Particularly here on the panhandle. We are specifically looking towards our kiowa and comanche friends for that. You can watch this and other programs on the history of communities across the country at cspan. Org, cities tour. This is American History tv only on cspan3. Watching American History tv, all weekend, every weekend on cspan three. To join the conversation, like us on facebook at cspan history. On lectures in history, it every University Professor Patrick Allitt teaches a class on richard nixon, his National Security advisor henry kissinger, and some of their key Foreign Policy initiatives. He focuses on nixon and kissingers attempts to stop relations with the soviet union which result in the first armscontrol treaty between the countries. He also talks about their diplomatic overtures towards china including nixons visit in 1972, which reestablished official communications with the communist nation for the first time in 25 years. Later in the class the professor and students talk about kissingers 1979 memoir recounting his activities during nixons first term