Moonkiszt's Reviews > Clitso Dedman, Navajo Carver: His Art and His World
Clitso Dedman, Navajo Carver: His Art and His World
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Moonkiszt's review
bookshelves: acknowledgement-recognition, acts-of-unrighteous-dominion, adults-authors-explaining-stuff, be-outraged, braveness-here, celebrity-featured-holy-notorious, arts-crafts-mixed-in, architecture-historical-structures, cultural-intersections, cultural-treasure-trove, encroachment-displacement, fail-try-again-resilience-cycle, geo-southwest-states, gods-he-she-they-it, god-s-religions-creeds-motivations, history-considered, historical-readjustment, indigenous-peoples, language-is-a-character, labor-rights, kicking-against-the-pricks, justice-finding-seeking-fighting-fo, involuntary-migration-targeted-popu, integration-mix-n-mingle, loyalty, out-in-nature, panoply-o-photographs, pictures-worth-1k-words, places-on-a-map-latitude-longitude, pulling-back-the-curtain-revelation, sewing-happens, out-on-the-range-ie-home-home-on-th, via-netgalley
Dec 01, 2023
bookshelves: acknowledgement-recognition, acts-of-unrighteous-dominion, adults-authors-explaining-stuff, be-outraged, braveness-here, celebrity-featured-holy-notorious, arts-crafts-mixed-in, architecture-historical-structures, cultural-intersections, cultural-treasure-trove, encroachment-displacement, fail-try-again-resilience-cycle, geo-southwest-states, gods-he-she-they-it, god-s-religions-creeds-motivations, history-considered, historical-readjustment, indigenous-peoples, language-is-a-character, labor-rights, kicking-against-the-pricks, justice-finding-seeking-fighting-fo, involuntary-migration-targeted-popu, integration-mix-n-mingle, loyalty, out-in-nature, panoply-o-photographs, pictures-worth-1k-words, places-on-a-map-latitude-longitude, pulling-back-the-curtain-revelation, sewing-happens, out-on-the-range-ie-home-home-on-th, via-netgalley
My first white girl experience with kachina dancers was being a toddler, watching Gumby (my hero) on our black and white TV. There were a number of episodes featuring these beautiful images and figures and I've been intrigued all my life. To find a book such as Rebecca M. Valette has written and provided to further educate people on them, from a Navajo perspective and artist was irresistible for this reader.
Clitso Dedman, is not this artist's birth name. It is the name Americans used as his uniqueness and various successes as one who was willing to learn white ways created a conspicuousness that stayed with him throughout his life. He could explain and translate for whites talking to native peoples, and could go the other direction just as nimbly.
The author explores his origins in his clans, and the experiences he and his family had when Indian School attendance was imposed on his people. She provides her deeply researched information and obvious passion in Clitso's abilities and the ways he found to thrive in a system and environment where many did not. His exceptionalism is not portrayed at the expense of his fellows, but rather to show the unusualness of his spirit. Along with his personal experiences, the author provides context in both place, nation (Navajo / USA), and is very clear that the diversity of the first nations was thoroughly quashed by the imposition of America and other nations to constantly regard all first nations into one homogenous tribe. Although Ms. Valette's focus is on the Navajo culture and peoples generally, and on Mr. Dedman particularly, she shows in her endpapers the many different versions, tribes, clans and people who also engaged in making images of these dancing gods. . . the figures I called (and loved): kachina dolls.
It is a welcome addition to our world that this book was written, recognizing missteps, and casting a long glance at the histories we've been taught. In that process we are sure to find others who need recognition and proper attribution for their labors, art and sacrifice. A celebration of Clitso Dedman and his work has been a long time landing on our book shelves!
*A sincere thank you to Rebecca M. Valette, University of Nebraska Press, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and independently review.* #ClitsoDedmanNavajoCarver #NetGalley
Clitso Dedman, is not this artist's birth name. It is the name Americans used as his uniqueness and various successes as one who was willing to learn white ways created a conspicuousness that stayed with him throughout his life. He could explain and translate for whites talking to native peoples, and could go the other direction just as nimbly.
The author explores his origins in his clans, and the experiences he and his family had when Indian School attendance was imposed on his people. She provides her deeply researched information and obvious passion in Clitso's abilities and the ways he found to thrive in a system and environment where many did not. His exceptionalism is not portrayed at the expense of his fellows, but rather to show the unusualness of his spirit. Along with his personal experiences, the author provides context in both place, nation (Navajo / USA), and is very clear that the diversity of the first nations was thoroughly quashed by the imposition of America and other nations to constantly regard all first nations into one homogenous tribe. Although Ms. Valette's focus is on the Navajo culture and peoples generally, and on Mr. Dedman particularly, she shows in her endpapers the many different versions, tribes, clans and people who also engaged in making images of these dancing gods. . . the figures I called (and loved): kachina dolls.
It is a welcome addition to our world that this book was written, recognizing missteps, and casting a long glance at the histories we've been taught. In that process we are sure to find others who need recognition and proper attribution for their labors, art and sacrifice. A celebration of Clitso Dedman and his work has been a long time landing on our book shelves!
*A sincere thank you to Rebecca M. Valette, University of Nebraska Press, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and independently review.* #ClitsoDedmanNavajoCarver #NetGalley
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Reading Progress
November 21, 2023
–
Started Reading
November 21, 2023
– Shelved
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
acknowledgement-recognition
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
acts-of-unrighteous-dominion
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
adults-authors-explaining-stuff
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
be-outraged
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
braveness-here
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
celebrity-featured-holy-notorious
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
arts-crafts-mixed-in
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
architecture-historical-structures
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
cultural-intersections
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
cultural-treasure-trove
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
encroachment-displacement
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
fail-try-again-resilience-cycle
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
geo-southwest-states
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
gods-he-she-they-it
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
god-s-religions-creeds-motivations
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
history-considered
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
historical-readjustment
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
indigenous-peoples
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
language-is-a-character
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
labor-rights
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
kicking-against-the-pricks
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
justice-finding-seeking-fighting-fo
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
involuntary-migration-targeted-popu
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
integration-mix-n-mingle
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
loyalty
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
out-in-nature
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
panoply-o-photographs
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
pictures-worth-1k-words
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
places-on-a-map-latitude-longitude
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
pulling-back-the-curtain-revelation
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
sewing-happens
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
out-on-the-range-ie-home-home-on-th
December 1, 2023
– Shelved as:
via-netgalley
December 1, 2023
–
Finished Reading