I decided to look at art work by Native American artists because in my opinion, sometimes a piece of art can deliver a message more powerfully than words ever could. While browsing through different pieces of art one painting in particular stood out the most to me. It was a painting by Beatien Yazz. Beatien Yazz was born in 1928 on the Navajo Reservation. During the last 20 years of his life, Beatien Yazz suffered from severe eye problems which made his skills as an artist even more impressive. I was instantly mesmerized when I saw this painting because it is a Native American mother cradling her newborn baby while multiple birds surround the mother and child. I thought that this was beautiful because the birds that surround the pair look like hands that form a circle which reminded me of the circle of life. By that I mean being born and dying is a part of life. In Fleur's case she had to feel the pain of her child dying so early on, but that pain is a part of life. Her strength and perseverance after the death of her child was inspirational to me and that truly made me love Tracks because of how raw and relatable her struggle is.
Your idea of searching for art to represent a struggle or emotion was very thoughtful and evoking. I completely agree with you, art can speak louder than words. Art brings people together and it symbolizes different emotions depending on who is looking at or experiencing the art. The novel, "Tracks" was full of difficult emotions and hardships, such as you mentioned, miscarriage. I liked how you used art to show the pain and suffering of Native Americans as a whole, especially in the book, "Tracks." I also liked and appreciated your analyzation of the painting done by Beatien Yazz. Your perspective on Fleur's miscarriage is eye-opening to me because in my eyes, I see losing a child as one of the hardest things a mother and father could go through, but when you write how pain is a part of life you're right. It's such a dark emotion, but Fleur in this novel shows us strength and perseverance during a sad and empty time in her life. Fleur in a way, represents the human condition. She is a human being, who experiences all emotions that all people feel. Her horrible loss of her child is relatable to sadly many people, but her pain and suffering is a universal emotion that all people may relate to in one way or another.
ReplyDelete-Janee Deck
I like the topic you chose to do. The Native American culture is very matriarchal (more in some tribes than others). I personally relate to this topic because as a young Native American woman, the relationship between my mom and I is incredibly strong. My father is Onondaga (beaver clan) and my mother is Mohawk (wolf clan); technically I am considered to be Mohawk. This is because you inherit your tribe from your mother (in the Mohawk tribe). Mohawks especially stress the importance of women. I cant picture my life without my mom. In Native American culture, women are respected, especially if they are older. They are seen as being able to give a child life and a man happiness. She cares for her children while caring for her husband- she is strength and wisdom. She is the healer of the family... etc. The relationship between a mother and child is important in any culture, but from personal experiences, it is especially celebrated in Native American culture, along with the importance of women.
ReplyDeleteWhat is so great about this topic is that is humanizes Native Americans. Almost all cultures can deeply connect with the topic of the connectivity between mother and child because of the role mothers play in our lives. Native Americans tend to either be stereotyped or dehumanized through the depiction of savagery, but this is far from the truth, and by pointing out a crucial part of Fleur's narrative you really do capture the common grounds of the humane nature of Native Americans and how we are all alike in a lot of ways!
ReplyDeleteI love this painting! Its such an emotional piece and I think its great that you related it to the most emotional part of the book (or at least I think so). Fleur always seems so magical and mysterious, but through the miscarriage we see just how human she is. It allows us to sympathize with her when we see her in such a state of vulnerability, compared to her usual independence she wears like a shield.
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