North American Indian Jewelry and Adornment: From Prehistory to the Present [Hardcover]

The book demonstrates not only her understanding of fundamental concepts of Native North American thought that have led to the production and use of an astounding array of objects loosely grouped under the title of jewelry and adornment, but shows as well her deep regard for the subject and its makers. She writes, "In my New York apartment I touch a beaded Lakota pouch and reflect on the colors, textures, and sounds of a northern Plains powwow. Native American adornment, layered with artistry and content, stimulates thought. How, I wonder, have the Indian people not only survived near annihilation but also continued to produce such a concentration of superb artisans ...." Throughout the book the reader will meet many of those artisans and hear their words as they share with the author their knowledge of the present and past.

Along with her refreshing writing and brilliant illustrations showing connectedness between past and present, Dubin traces congruences of thought among cultures and communities. Prominent are the similarities among Native American cultures regarding the recent florescence of artistic expression attributed to a resurgence of cultural identity. Personal adornment communicates strong messages. Indian identity is recognized in choices made about personal appearance. What was in the past often used as communication in the absence of common language is today a statement about Indian presence in our democratic society.

Nine chapters are organized around concepts that define regions, often entwined in content and context. Dubin's journey snakes across the continent from the Arctic where tribes arrived from Asia, finds imagery of flower and fur in the Subarctic, cites trading among the Woodlands and vision quest imagery on the Plains. Converging traditions in the Great Basin illustrate continuity and innovation as do beadwork and baskets of the Plateau. Whether two or three dimensional, art of the Northwest Coast is described at sculptural, and materials representing sky, land and sea appear in California. Last on the journey is the presence of turquoise stone in religion and commerce in the Southwest. Rarely isolated, the regions are connected by time, trade and ideas about life. The book begins and ends with essay chapters where the circle is evoked as the continuum and essence of the Native spirit.

By no means an encyclopedia, Dubin's book is a personal and intelligent selection of information collected during a decade-long journey through communities and cultures. She weaves her information from ancient and contemporary sources into patterns easily understood, and takes the reader down paths of knowledge that show meanings behind intriguing objects that enrich their mere visual appeal.

(Robert Kasal lives in the desert in Arizona amid Indian art.)