#indian collection

[indiancollectiondecatur-blog]

Check out our insta page- indian collection decatur

[ferrantte]

fireflies: aishwarya b and kritika varshney for amisha kothari, ph. imdad barbhuyan 🌸

[horse-plush-a-day]

Douglas "Aztec" the Indian Paint Horse

[uwmspeccoll]

Milestone Monday

Sacred Lands, Broken Promises

On this day, January 27, 1825, the U.S. Congress sanctioned Indian Territory, which is located in what is now Oklahoma. This decision was part of the United States’ broader policy of westward expansion, driven by the belief in Manifest Destiny—the idea that the U.S. was destined to expand across the North American continent. It laid the groundwork for the Indian Removal Act, which President Andrew Jackson signed into law in 1830. 

One of the most infamous outcomes of this policy was the Trail of Tears. This tragic event involved the forced relocation of Native Americans from their lands during the 1830s. The term particularly refers to the Cherokee Nation's tragic journey in 1838-1839, where thousands of Cherokee people were marched westward under harsh conditions. The journey was marked by immense suffering, including exposure to harsh weather, disease, and inadequate supplies. Estimates conclude that thousands of Native Americans died as they were uprooted from their ancestral lands to this designated territory.

The relocation and its consequences had lasting impacts on Native American communities, and it remains a significant and painful chapter in U.S. history. The era highlighted the conflicts between the U.S. government and Native American nations, as well as the broader issues of sovereignty, land rights, and cultural survival.

P. S. Sorry (not sorry), Mr. Jackson, we’re still here!

The images featured come from:

Rhymes of the States by Garrett Newkirk with drawings by Harry Fenn after sketches by the author. It was manufactured by De Vinne Press and published by Century Co. in New York in 1896. The work contains prose and verse that is intended to be entertaining and educational. However, the piece on Indian Territory is a prime example of colonial discourse. 

Pushing the Bear: A Novel of the Trail of Tears is a historical novel by Diane Glancy (Cherokee). Our copy is a first edition published by Harcourt Brace (New York) in 1996. The novel tells the story of Cherokee removal and their journey along the Trail of Tears. 

Songs from the Native Lands: poetry by Victoria Lena Manyarrows (Tsalagi/Eastern Cherokee), published by Nopal Press (San Francisco) in 1995. The poems featured are titled We Remember/The Trail of Tears and Unthanksgiving/We Will Not Be Invisible.

View more posts from our Native American Literature Collection.

View more Milestone Monday posts.

 -- Melissa (Stockbridge-Munsee), Special Collections Library Assistant 

[royalty-nobility]

Prince Alexander of Battenberg (1886-1960) with Sheikh Muhammed Bukhsh

Artist: Laurits Regner Tuxen (Danish, 1853-1927)

Date: 1887

Medium: Oil on panel

Collection: Royal Collection Trust, United Kingdom

Description

Alexander was one of Queen Victoria’s grandsons, the first child of her youngest daughter, Beatrice. He was about 1 year old when this portrait was painted. Sheikh Muhammad Bukhsh was engaged as one of the Queen’s Indian attendants on 17 May 1887 and he left the Queen’s service in 1895. He was described as ‘very dark, with a very smiling expression’.

[engelart]

“Young Native American”, 2021 by Norman Engel

[arthistoryanimalia]

Pendant in the Form of an Eagle Displayed

Deccan or Southern India, early 17th c.

Gold set with foiled diamonds, rubies, emeralds, & sapphires in gold kundan & wired pearls

8.5 x 6.5cm

The Khalili Collections JLY 2151

[critter-captures]

Snake collection post, all taken at Dierenpark De Oliemeulen in September 2024:

Corn snake (Pantherophis guttatus guttatus)

same as #1 (corn snake)

Beautiful pit viper / Brown-spotted pit viper (Trimeresurus venustus)

Indian python (Python molurus) (albino)

Egyptian cobra (Naja haje)

[artfilmfan]

Pather Panchali (Satyajit Ray, 1955)

one of the most beautiful and humanistic films ever made

[rickybaby]

Daniel on what his 3 ins currently are, the sexiest coolest driver in F1 and his favourite Mario Kart character

[theersatzcowboy]

Mississippi Masala (1991)

Two of the Hottest People You’ve Ever Seen fall in love—despite the protestations of their families and the cultural differences that divide them—against the backdrop of the dreary Deep South in Mira Nari’s sexy, undeniable romantic dramedy.

Director: Mira Nair

Cinematographer: Edward Lachman

Production Designer: Mitch Epstein

Costume Designers: Ellen Lutter and Susan Lyall

Starring: Sarita Choudhury, Denzel Washington, Roshan Seth, Sharmila Tagore, Charles S. Dutton, Joe Seneca, Ranjit Chowdhry, Mohan Gokhale, Natalie Oliver-Atherton, Sahira Nair, and Konga Mbadu.

[indiancollectiondecatur-blog]

Check out our insta page- indian collection decatur

[uwmspeccoll]

Written in the Stars

Star Tales: North American Indian Stories is retold and illustrated by Gretchen Will Mayo (b. 1936) and published in 1987 by Walker & Co. in New York. After getting a journalism degree and a teaching certificate, Mayo attended the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design from 1982 to 1984 and earned her MFA from Vermont College. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and in 1987, she received several awards and honors, including the Original Children’s Book Art Award and Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) Choice for Star Tales. Mayo has lived and worked in the Milwaukee area for many years.

For this book, Mayo, known for her children’s books, retells Native American stories related to the stars. Her work beautifully bridges cultural heritage and imagination, making her a cherished voice in children’s literature. Her illustrations enhance the enchantment of these celestial narratives, allowing one to imagine constellations coming alive with myth and magic.

-View other posts from our Native American Literature Collection

-Melissa (Stockbridge-Munsee), Special Collections Graduate Intern

[gennsoup]

A man's destination is not his destiny, Every country is home to one man And exile to another.

T. S. Eliot, To the Indians who Died in Africa

[engelart]

“American Woman”,   2013 by Norman Engel

[arthistoryanimalia]

For #InternationalTigerDay + #MetalMonday:

Tiger-Headed Mace of Office

Deccan, India, late 18th century

Silver, gold, garnets, stone

L 77.3 cm, 2.7 kg

The Wallace Collection OA1760

“This beautifully-wrought silver-gilt tiger-headed mace, one of a pair, was intended not as a weapon but was employed purely for processional use, being carried by harbingers to herald the imminent approach of a prince, nobleman or important official. The tiger’s eyes are made of garnets and a green stone is mounted in the centre of the forehead. Although appearing to be of massive and deadly weight, such maces were usually hollow, made out of thin sheet-silver, embossed, chased, engraved and parcel-gilt. The hollow shell was filled with pitch, or a similar substance, to confer a degree of strength and rigidity. Similar examples bearing different animal’s heads (horses, bulls or elephants, for example) are also known.”