E X H I B I T I O N T E X T
When I was younger, I rememeber going up north with my family. I remember sitting on the boat and seeing an eagle fly by. I saw my dad take off a piece of his hair and immediatly asked why he did so. He told me, that everytime you see an eagle you take off a piece of hair as a sign of respect. My dad, half Native American, born on the Turtle Mountain Ojibwe reservation in North Dakota, explained to me that it was something he learned from his parents, and from this point on it is something that I have always done too. This piece is meant to be a representation of that story for me. Each band of Ojibwe holds an animal that is said to represent the people of its tribe. For my fathers tribe, it is a turtle which represents the earth, and symbolizes that each memeber of this band holds a deeper connection to the planet. The snake, that travels up my side is meant to create the visual of a Native American burial mound that symbolizes myself as the earth. This can be seen from the profile as it creates the same winding pattern as the Great Serpent Mound in Ohio. The colors peaking through peeling skin of the snake are the colors of the Turtle Mountain Ojibwe flag. The two snakes, each resting on one of my collar bones, hold a feather and a portion of my hair. This is meant to more clearly display the message of my story. My hair being held in the snakes mouth is done not only to pay respect to the meaning of the story, but also to pay respect to the culture as a whole, as I am white and don't wish to appropriate the culture but instead recognize its beauty through the form of my fathers story.