Author Topic: American Indian Sculpture, Carving, and Figurines  (Read 14164 times)

Offline Spandex~Atom

  • Posts: 37
Re: American Indian Sculpture, Carving, and Figurines
« Reply #15 on: January 11, 2011, 02:27:01 am »
Hi Eccentric Lady :-)

I'm also a bit eccentric lol.

I'm not speaking for any tradition or culture here, though my ancestry is white European.
Some words I came accross a few years ago sound true to me and I would like to share them:

  God sleeps in the rock, dreams in the plant, stirs in the animal, and awakens in man.
—Ibn al 'Arabi

If you are an artist and wishing to just 'do the right thing', I empathise, being an artist myself. The impulse to work with the things around us wether they are clay, wood, rock, etc, together with the knowledge that all contain spirit (to me everything is spirit), means we can become very conscious about what we should and shouldn't be doing, and what is right or wrong to do when creating art. I think that's a good thing, as it makes us more responsible. I think a sensible way to go about it is to just not be wasteful, be aware of the sources of our materials, whatever they may be, and be responsible about the waste we produce.
If it's sacred art of some type you are feeling drawn to create, and desire to to do the right thing in the sense of respecting nature, the universe, Spirit, then imo you just need to take into consideration the impact of creating the artwork (as said earlier), as this is just common sense, and also pay respect to the source of all these things including the inspiration that guides you. In other words, give something back. Life is reciprocal.
Maybe I'm on the wrong track with what you were asking.
It is a dangerous thing for any Indiginous peoples to share the 'protocols' at this time because people will take this knowledge, whatever it is, and use it as a gimmick to sell themselves or their goods. everything I just said is pretty much just common sense to me, and not sourced from any tradition in particular except the giving in return, which is as old as the pyramids and older..
As far as art being sacred is concerned, imo that is the true essence of art and it's original purpose....
True Art is an expression of the divine, and it can be expressed in something as simple as a well drawn line.

« Last Edit: January 11, 2011, 02:37:36 am by Spandex~Atom »