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              Return to Table of Contents Herne ... spoke eloquently about her own experiences navigating the tricky line between basket making as a cultural tradition and the commodification of that tradition.
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The Hudson Valley Quadricentennial in 2009 spurred all kinds of special celebrations in cities along the Hudson River, from flotilla parades and festivals to art fairs, music performances, and exhibitions. The central focus of the Quadricentennial was Henry Hudson’s voyage four hundred years ago up the river that now bears his name. Hudson, an English explorer under contract with the Dutch East India Company to find a quicker trading route to the Near East, set sail with a crew of Dutch and English sailors in hopes of finding that path. He may not have realized it then, but Hudson’s explorations on the Dutch boat the Half Moon would significantly alter the social, cultural, and economic fabric of the northeastern United States. An important part of the story is his party’s contact with indigenous peoples. Among the Native American tribes in the Northeast at the time were a loose confederation of Haudenosaunee (Iroquois is the more common non-native term) tribes of New York State and Canada, as well as the Wabanaki tribes of New England and the Canadian maritime provinces. Cultural traditions like basket making and beadwork served not only functional purposes, but also strengthened familial and tribal connections and demonstrated the integral connection between the environment and the artists’ heritage.
At the core of North by Northeast was an exhibition held from September 25 to October 24, 2009, on the first floor of the historic, sixteen-sided Nott Memorial at Union College in Schenectady, New York. The exhibition displayed the work of Haudenosaunee artists from New York featured in the larger traveling exhibition, “North by Northeast: Wabanaki, Akwesasne Mohawk, and Tuscarora Traditional Arts,” curated by folklorist Kathleen Mundell, director of Cultural Resources in Rockport, Maine. Helping us open the reception on Friday evening, October 2, was Kathleen Mundell, the curator of the larger traveling exhibition. After speaking briefly about the traveling exhibition, Mundell gave an overview of basket making and beadwork practices among Native American tribes in the Northeastern U.S. and explained how those traditions have changed over the years. Another highlight of the evening was the blessing given by Mohawk spokesperson Tom Porter, who works as a Native American spiritual counselor in the New York prison system. Although we had to close the evening in darkness due to electrical problems affecting the entire university, the opening reception was nonetheless a warm, enthusiastic commencement to our month of events.
Among the Schenectady Greenmarket vendors on Sunday, October 11, were four Haudenosaunee who made the long drive to Schenectady to participate in the market. Artists included Mary Clause (Tuscarora beadworker), Judy Cole (Mohawk basket maker), and Carrie Hill (Mohawk basket maker). Curator Sue Ellen Herne brought a few items from the Akwesasne Museum to sell. Despite the cold, breezy weather, Greenmarket visitors welcomed the opportunity to see the beautiful items at their tables and speak with the artists.
Later that day, as a part of the New York Folklore Society’s annual Field Trip, Herne gave a thought-provoking talk on “Culture and Commerce” at the Old Chapel building on the Union College campus. She spoke eloquently about her own experiences navigating the tricky line between basket making as a cultural tradition and the commodification of that tradition. She came armed with some surprising facts and statistics. One particularly startling fact was her calculation that, by the time basket makers take into account the number of hours they spend preparing a basket and what they receive at a typical market, basket artisans make only about $5.10 an hour. Statistics like this highlight some of the difficult choices that must be made by traditional artists.
On Saturday, October 17, filmmaker Courtney Hunt came to the Reamer Campus Center Auditorium at Union College to speak about the making of her award-winning film Frozen River, Grand Jury Prize–winner at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Audience members viewed the provocative film and were able to engage in direct conversation with the filmmaker. This was a rare opportunity to hear a noted director talk about film technique, the technical and conceptual issues she confronted in the process of filming, her writing process, and more. Joining Hunt in the panel discussion was Andrea Foroughi, associate professor of history at Union College. Expanding the conversation, Foroughi put the film into a wider sociocultural context and pointed out some statistical facts relevant to issues brought forth in the film, particularly regarding the difficulties facing households led by single women throughout history and some of the cultural differences between Mohawk society and mainstream American society.
For more information about the exhibition, including more photographs and video clips, visit www.nyfolklore.org/ about/baskets.html. “North by Northeast: NYFS Celebrates Mohawk and Tuscarora Traditions” by Lisa Overholser was published in Voices Vol. 36, Spring-Summer 2010. Voices is the membership magazine of the New York Folklore Society. To become a subscriber, join the New York Folklore Society now. HOME | ABOUT NYFS | PROGRAMS & SERVICES | MUSIC | PUBLICATIONS | RESOURCES | CALENDAR | WHAT’S FOLKLORE? | MEMBERSHIP | GALLERY | SHOP |
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