Native American Artists’ Use of Irony in Works Restating the Past
Keywords:
Native American art, irony, stereotypes, colonization, acculturation, indoctrinationAbstract
This article discusses how Native American artists have used irony and visual language to challenge and deconstruct outmoded stereotypes of ""Indianness"" and depict aspects of their colonized past from their own perspective. The works discussed take up themes such as religion, indoctrination and education; political issues; history, acculturation, and issues of dual identity resulting from acculturation. Examples include Carl Beam's Calvary to Cavalry, Jane Ash Poitras' The Virgin Bullet, Ron Noganosh's Dominus Vobiscum, Steven Deo's The Indoctrination, Edward Poitras' Small Matters, Gail Tremblay's The Things Colonial Angels Witness, Rick Rivet's Legacy, Tanis Matthews' Coho's Final Journey, Gerald McMaster's In His Hands He’s Got the Whole World and Trick or Treaty, and Juane Quick-to-See Smith's Paper Dolls for a Post-Columbian World.
(The abstract and keywords were prepared retrospectively for indexing purposes using AI-assisted tools and editorial review, based on the original article. They did not appear in the original publication.)
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