INDIGENOUS A&E: Peltier pictured, liquid smudge, retro whimsy
The latest: Immortalized in silver plate, smokeless smudge, humor at the Heard
After 50 years of incarceration, a recent photo shoot has yielded results that will last 1,000 years, with help from the former Secretary of the Interior. Shane Balkowitsch has been photographing hundreds of Natives for years using the complicated 1851 silver plate collodian method. He was contacted by Deb Haaland after Leonard Peltier was released from prison about doing a photo shoot with him. This was no easy task.'I had been sending him my photo books when he was in prison, but they wouldn't let him have them,' Balkowitsch told ICT. 'Then when Haaland called that led to setting up the shoot with help from Holly Cook Macarro from NDN Collective. I had to get permission from federal prison officials and traveled to Peltier's remote Belcourt [North Dakota] home with this Civil War era equipment and darkroom loaded in my truck. I took double of everything in case of a problem.'The promise was Leonard would sit for two hours but ended up doing four. Balkowitsch made seven plates, six for museums, one plate for Peltier and his family.'I had his trust from the beginning,' Balkowitsch said. 'He said I would take the best pictures of him. I explained the process – that he had to sit still for 10 seconds and the image in the glass plate would last 1,000 years. I outlined a few shots – one with an open window, one with an open door behind him, then one I was nervous to present – I had a plastic ball and chain I wanted to put on the ground next to him. He was fine with all of it.'
Balkowitsch shot him in the same chair that Deb Haaland, Billy Mills, and the great grandson of Sitting Bull all sat in. He got shots of Peltier with arms crossed defiantly; headshots; and one Peltier requested with his fist against his heart.The reaction has been strong, with the Smithsonian Institute, The Heard Museum, and the National Portrait Gallery, all accepting plates, and multiple newspaper and TV news stories.Balkowitsch said, 'I put every Native American into the best light that I possibly can. These are my brothers and sisters now coming into my studio, so this is a huge honor. When the former Secretary of the Interior asks you to do this for a man who has endured so much, I had to find a way.'
Wozani, meaning "the pursuit of good health", was founded in 2019 in the Badlands of South Dakota by Oglala Lakota tribal members Shilo and Shawna Clifford.The company has launched a new line of smudge balms and liquid smudge for those who want to smudge on the go or cannot have smoke around.'Wozani reflects our commitment to well-being for all,' said founder Shilo Clifford. 'Our products are not just remedies for specific ailments; they carry the spirit of our ancestors and wisdom of our culture. Wozani allows us to honor our Lakota identity and ensure our traditions are recognized in all we do.'The high-quality, handcrafted products are created with intention, using natural and organic ingredients. From smudge sprays and pain salves to wellness tinctures and balms – Wozani has remedies that honor Indigenous wisdom while supporting a wide range of health and wellness needs.The Smudge Balms – stress relieving, skin-nourishing balms, with sage, cedar and yucca root, medicinal properties and mood-enhancing aromas, smell great. In the Lakota tradition, medicines are applied topically, rubbed on the wrist or neck to feel better. The Smudge Balms come in three versions for better well-being: Positivity, Tranquility and Protection.Wozani has created transformative Liquid Smudge – a spray made from essential oils and plant essences. Liquid Smudge can be sprayed into environments, waved around when burning is not an option. Other popular products include Wozani's Pain Relief Herbal Salve and their Anxiety + Sleep Support Tincture. The Morning Star featured on the packaging carries meaning – symbolic of renewal and a prayer for well-being.A portion of the company's profits goes toward replanting herbs and medicinal plants and teaching about their uses. Wozani's offerings are grounded in sustainable practices and careful stewardship of Indigenous plant medicines, ensuring availability for future generations.
The Heard's newest exhibition, Bob Haozous: A Retrospective View, now through November 30, is the first major retrospective for Bob Haozous, Warm Springs Chiricahua Apache, born 1943. There are six decades of his work including sculptures, paintings, prints, and jewelry.'Bob Haozous has created unique sculptures in stone, wood, and steel throughout his career, as well as drawings, paintings and jewelry,' said Diana Pardue, Heard Museum chief curator. 'In each of these artforms, he invites the viewer to look closely. At times, the works seem whimsical or humorous, but each contains a message.'Social commentary is embedded in Haozous's humorous work. Throughout his career, he has questioned the complicated reality of Native American creative expression as art, commodity and cultural practice. He uses satire and irony in figurative traditions while contemplating the philosophical meaning of being Indigenous in the postmodern world.
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