"Unity"
Dublin Core
Title
"Unity"
Description
Artist Statement:
"Women have always been guiding forces within Native American communities. We offer our strength and perfection to those we care for. We become a shield for our loved ones or for our people, protecting them from a wide range of things we see as wrong. We are strong and practical out of necessity, while retaining a notion of delicate, aesthetic beauty. My work is a reflection of that concept. Functionality that conveys a sense of security, comfort, femininity and style. The breastplate serves a purpose. It protects its wearer but it also gives her an opportunity to express cultural identity and personal taste. In essence this breastplate protects the protector. The symbols I use are reflected in the natural world. The diamond shape represents unity. Native children have many different tribal affiliations no longer identifying with only one. The diamond shape represents the idea of coming together under one banner, one cause, one nation. The stripes designate an acknowledgment that each tribe is significant in its own diversity of customs and traditions."
"Women have always been guiding forces within Native American communities. We offer our strength and perfection to those we care for. We become a shield for our loved ones or for our people, protecting them from a wide range of things we see as wrong. We are strong and practical out of necessity, while retaining a notion of delicate, aesthetic beauty. My work is a reflection of that concept. Functionality that conveys a sense of security, comfort, femininity and style. The breastplate serves a purpose. It protects its wearer but it also gives her an opportunity to express cultural identity and personal taste. In essence this breastplate protects the protector. The symbols I use are reflected in the natural world. The diamond shape represents unity. Native children have many different tribal affiliations no longer identifying with only one. The diamond shape represents the idea of coming together under one banner, one cause, one nation. The stripes designate an acknowledgment that each tribe is significant in its own diversity of customs and traditions."
Creator
Wallace-Chavez, Lydia (Unkechaug/Kainai)
Source
New York State Museum, E-2017.63
Date
2017
Format
Quahog and whelk shell beads, leather, sinew, copper beads. 22 x 5.5 in.
Citation
Wallace-Chavez, Lydia (Unkechaug/Kainai), “"Unity",” accessed April 27, 2024, https://indigenoushistoryandart.omeka.net/items/show/9.