(we) exist

Went to the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian today. Free, with a kids fest happening. There is a great exhibit of dresses, the highlight being these elk-teeth embellished ones. Young boys collect the two ivory elk teeth and however many they amass will go on the dress of their wife.

There were also these super-holy (photo forbidden) ghost dance dresses for the rituals based on a vision about freeing the tribe from european imfluence/rule. The ghost dance was outlawed by us gov. The dresses had amazing drawings all over them.

There was also work by a part Indian guy named Fritz Scholder:


I also caught a performance by some South Dakota teenage girls. This one girl's shawl was all fluorescent. It was actually a bit chilling to have a white lady introduce them as performers in grand rotunda, it was just so many levels removed from reality.