Clothing of Protest
Crow Indian Wendy Red Star created this hat, titled "Beaded Native Muscle Man Hat" in 2014 for her online store. The hat features a two dimensional image of a Native American man with incredibly large muscles, likely meant to wittily represent the continuous strength and resilience of Natives throughout history. With the image, the artist suggests that Natives have become stronger with every new challenge to their cultural and political sovereignty. The green and white beadwork in the bill of the hat also illustrates the ways in which traditional Great Plains techniques can be incorporated into clothing formats, such as the baseball cap, that have originated from non-Natives.
Red Star, Wendy. Beaded Native Muscle Man Hat Black, cloth, 2014, http://wendyredstar.bigcartel.com/product/beaded-native-muscle-man-hat-black.
Navajo artist Dustin Martin designed this tee shirt, titled "Ceci N'est Pas Un Conciliateur" ("This is not a peacemaker"), in 2014 for his company S.O.L.O. The shirt's design is a reference to René Magritte's famous "The Treachery of Images" painting of a pipe, indicating a familiarity with mainstream, non-Native art. The shirt includes an image of a military service revolver used by the US military during the Great Sioux War of 1876 and an extended remark in English about the event. The artist designed this item to reflect the historical struggles of Native Americans to resist non-Native settlers' violent attacks, and to protest oppression of Native peoples. The shirt argues that settlers should have sought peaceful compromise with Native Americans, instead of forcefully violating their sovereignty.
Martin, Dustin. Ceci N'est Pas Un Conciliateur, cotton, 2014, http://shop.beyondbuckskin.com/product/ceci-nest-pas-un-conciliateur.
Nicholas Galanin, of both Tlingit and Aleut descent, made this necktie, titled "Hipsters in Headdresses," for the Trench Gallery's 2013 "I Looooove Your Culture" exhibit in Vancouver. The artist patterned the tie with images of people in Great Plains headdresses, but apparently put sunglasses on the faces to distinguish the figures as contemporary non-Natives. Galanin argues through the images and title of the piece that non-Natives use Native styles, without cultural context or appreciation, in an attempt to look cool and trendy. By misappropriating Native fashion without understanding it, non-Natives have often violated Natives' cultural sovereignty over time.
Galanin, Nicholas. Hipsters in Headdresses Neckties, polyester, 2013, http://shop.beyondbuckskin.com/product/i-looooove-your-culture-hipsters-in-headdresses-charcoal-necktie.
Navajo artist Jared Yazzie designed this tee shirt, titled "Mis-Rep Tee," in 2014 for his company OXDX. The shirt features a parody of the Chief Wahoo mascot of Major League Baseball's Cleveland Indians, in addition to the phrase "Mis-Rep," short for "misrepresentation." The artist clearly intended to highlight the different areas in sports and media where non-Natives misunderstand or intentionally misrepresent Natives and use these inaccurate representations for personal profit. Just as sports and media have misconstrued Native American existence, the artist satirically exaggerates the physical characteristics of the Cleveland Indians' controversial Chief Wahoo branding to show the original image's offensiveness.
Yazzie, Jared. Mis-Rep Tee, cotton, 2014, http://shop.beyondbuckskin.com/product/mis-rep-tee.