Declaration

Native Americans and Native American art and culture are the concept I have chosen to complete my concept-folio. I have always been interested in learning about past American encounters with Native Americans, as well as the culture of various tribes. Through looking at different forms of art, I would like to be able to see different perceptions of specific Native American public figures, events, and ways of life. For example, paintings or photographs of religious rituals would be something very interesting to look at for the simple fact that it is a way to explore a religion different than my own, broadening my current knowledge. Essentially, I would like to expand my knowledge of Native Americans through looking specifically at works of art of and by Native Americans, using my resources to get background information which I would incorporate into my writings. Many Americans do not know much about Native Americans, and their knowledge is limited to what they learn in history class if they do not further investigate in their free time. Using art as a portal to understanding new ideas and concepts about Native Americans would allow not only me, but others who read my concept-folio a different view on the culture and daily life of a people who they may not know much about or were ill-informed of concerning these topics. Finding art and photography is not necessarily going to be an arduous task, but more difficult than other broader topics. Finding legitimate art by a Native American artist is going to be difficult, as one of my main sources of information is the internet which makes determining the validity of some information somewhat tricky. I am, however, looking forward to begin my search for art and using background information to complete a well-written and well-researched portrayal of Native Americans, trying to stay as true as I can to factual information versus guessing or speculating.