There was times when you had to move your community's safety, didn't know if you were being pursued. So it really gave me an appreciation for how important it is to keep the environment clean, to manage your resources and make sure that there's resources for the next generation because it's not necessarily under these conditions going to happen automatically. Elizabeth James-Perry is an enrolled member of the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe on the island of Noepe (Martha’s Vineyard). There's a big difference between recapturing traditional ecological knowledge and growing up with it. Elizabeth James-Perry, Aquinnah Wampanoag tribal member of Massachusetts is a life-long traditional artist, taught by family and community. I would say. In this online exhibit, we wanted to reflect on these past events, but it was so important for Wompanoag voices like Elizabeth's to provide the interpretation. Let me get the cedar bark. Elizabeth James-Perry, a member of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), presents a wool sash as well as an eel trap in the exhibit. I mean, I'm so thankful to have you participate in this and share your experiences and your knowledge, and it is so, so appreciated. He lived in Falmouth, Massachusetts, and he was a graduate of Harvard University. March 24, 2017. You know, it's this conversation and this learning experience that transcends time and space. Today's HMSC Connects! HQ Phone (508) 645-9265. So, like, the idea of art, without humans to love it, the idea of making something without someone to honor. Her fine artwork focuses on Northeastern Woodlands Algonquian artistic expressions: wampum shell carving and diplomacy, sustainable weaving, and natural dyeing methods. It is profoundly personal. And I think especially as an artist, she sees materials and dyes and techniques in such a different way than I do as not an artist. And it's actually really important that I think my generation does as much as they can because we have the opportunity and the time and the access still to collections, things still survive in collections. I came away from it appreciating the abundant resources that past generations had. Last Update. Special thanks to Elizabeth James Perry, Meredith Vasta, and the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology for their wisdom and expertise. As an informed citizen, but especially as an artist, when you're working with your hands and sort of living with the materials and really processing and making materials, you know, your sanding materials or shaping them and making the chemicals in them airborne, potentially, or absorbing them through your skin. Elizabeth James-Perry. A virtual discussion was held with artist Elizabeth James-Perry, an Aquinnah Wampanoag whaling descendant and marine scientist, about the connections between her exhibition at the Whaling Museum and her family history, Wampanoag culture, and 400 years of environmental change and adaptation. Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer. Find contact's direct phone number, email address, work history, and more. I'm gonna sit down with my friends and process cedar bark for all of the traps we're making. So there's always cool stuff. And like the undulating design and the dark color punctuated by the white because it makes it pop, but also there's sort of that philosophical idea in native arts, including a native stamped basketry, of these undulating lines that are the path of life, and the dots, sometimes it's just the energy and the people in the movement of life along that path. Additionally, she has conducted years of in-depth research at museum archives and collections in the United States and Europe. Through connecting with the spaces and the materials and the techniques, I think I'm experiencing life the same way people have here in the northeast for thousands of years. It's taken me so many years to even begin to see the tip of the iceberg for the technology, for knowing the best time to get the dyes, the best mordant to use, the the nicest fiber plants, the best way to process that material and coax out something really beautiful that's very strong and durable and long-lasting. And, you know, they get their barrels of wampum, and they still behead her or something horrible. Email Finder Top Companies Company Search People Search Solutions About Us. And I think that the materials last a little bit longer, there's not abrasion on the inside if you're wearing the fabric. So it was really a great question that Elizabeth and the staff at Peabody really wanted to explore. And how do you think this experience will influence future projects? where we go behind the scenes of four Harvard museums to explore the connections between us, our big, beautiful world, and even what lies beyond. There's a range of materials that were used with both the sash and the eel trap, I think also it's the human connection, right? Community Spirit Awards. Elizabeth has always brought such incredibly rich experience to the table. The donor was a Dr. Lumbard Carter Jones, and he lived from 1865 to 1944. “A lot of our diet has remained pretty consistent. And then also an influx of some trade materials from England or France or Spain, wherever it's coming from. It's not necessarily so simplistic to make something when there's literally three seasons of a year you have to gather just to have all the materials at the same place at the same time. He was also a big collector. I find it interesting this there's this combination. But then at the end of the day, you just get to sit down at the base of a tree on a tussock grass, and you take out maybe a snack bar in the modern time period. So that's a nice touch. Much of Elizabeth's work focuses on early Northeastern Woodlands Native culture, including ancient wampum shell carving and reviving natural dye techniques to create a traditional palette for her finger woven sashes, bags and baskets. That's a good way to put it. Folklife Festival, Seattle, Washington. Aquinnah Wampanoag. And what did you find? A local Wampanoag artist, Perry works primarily with Quahog shells to create handmade pieces including belts, earrings, necklaces and more. Do you think this piece saw a lot of battle? Noepe Cuff . The New Bedford Whaling Museum presents a collection of contemporary art from Elizabeth James Perry. It's what's supposed to happen. Between the 1890s and the 1930s, Jones had donated over 800 books to the libraries at Harvard, and nearly 140 images and objects to the Peabody Museum from different indigenous communities all over. This has been really nice. 1973) N. Dartmouth Persian 3-ply wool 3 1/4" wide by 60" plus staggered 14" and 19" fringe Photography by Elizabeth James-Perry Elizabeth James-Perry North Dartmouth, MA Elizabeth James Perry, (Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head) is a fiber artist whose work reflects time-honored Wampanoag materials, techniques, and aesthetics. What is that? So I think that an interesting movement has happened, I think, across the nation, right? Meredith Vasta, a collection steward at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, and Elizabeth James Perry, a textile artist, marine biologist and member of the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe. Jewelry - Traditional Form . So people were routinely building a new house. Community Spirit Awards. So it sounds like you really developed a greater understanding between the connection, between culture and environment? And I think that there's no mention of it because the trader finally got his batch to the blankets, but I think he was told it was such a hassle to try to dye it without covering that white line on the edges, that it was too expensive and too risky because of the color runs, your native customers don't want it and they're going to send it right back. So like, you know, if you wait till something's gone by, it's not like you can go back and just go to the store and get those because you miss the harvest. It's a different sort of depth of knowledge and perception, I think, that we have to contribute to museum collections that are perhaps different from what you have in a ledger, book, accession file, whatever. 2003. Thank you both for being here for the podcast! My name is Jennifer Berglund, part of the exhibits team here at the Harvard Museums of Science and Culture. That's really interesting. March 24, 2017. Here they are. So it's thinking putting yourself in your ancestor's shoes, thinking about their day. Ceremony reinforces these connections. What's that? I mean, I don't know what my ancestors would say to that phrase, like, climate controlled. That specific cloth is mentioned really briefly. Jonathan perry Aquinnah Wampanoag Traditional artist. You're creating something wholesome as part of creation, and you're hoping that that confers a little bit of of happiness and good memories and protection, I think, on the person that you're giving it to whether you're making your your child's first outfit for dance, or you're making your husband's battle armor, basically. Tribes need that, you know, for a variety of ways and ways that that I can't really articulate fully. But it smells amazing, and at sunset, it's warm, and it's soothing, and you've worked so hard cutting down trees and hauling them through muck and trying not to, you know, fall in sinkholes or whatever. The older one was wearing out, it was getting drafty, the bark was leaking. This is an orca (killer whale) representation reminiscent of Northwest Coast designs. Elizabeth James-Perry – This exhibition is a look back, a look at the present, and a look at the future. The Impressions ECHO catalogue highlighted the pieces from this culturally-rich exchange (view publication), courtesy of the Peabody Essex Museum. She studied it some 20 years ago and created a replica with materials gathered in the woods of Dartmouth. Elizabeth analyzed two historical Wampanoag objects, an eel trap, and a sash worn by a guy named King Philip. As a member of a Nation that has lived on and harvested the sea since ancient times, Elizabeth's is a perspective that combines coastal Algonquian culture, traditional beliefs and science in her ways of relating to the North Atlantic. Elizabeth James-Perry: As Aquinnah Wampanoag people, our most important ancient stories address glaciation and the subsequent losses and trauma due to melts and periods of rapid sea level rise, so there’s a record of past events in this region we routinely remember to remember. Meredith Vasta, Elizabeth James Perry, Jennifer Berglund. materials closely, and draws his images from the grain, hues, and patina of wood, stone and copper. 1/4" deep x 1" wide x 6" long, plus fringe . I'm not sure if he purchased them or perhaps traded for them. So it was this experiment in in trying to cater to native tastes in New England. You want them to be used and appreciated and loved that way. How do folks use these plants now, or, you know, do they use them for dyes? I know perfectly well. And also for being part of this online exhibition. And so, there is accounts of a certain type of red Stroud blanket being produced. That beautiful red coloration, the idea that red connects us to the Earth, to our Mother Earth. Copyright © 2008-2021 Elizabeth James Perry :: www.elizabethjamesperry.com. … You have to get real with yourself about what your needs are and you have to plan on what you're doing. She brings such different questions to the table. Through a Wampanoag Lens. Perry combines the patterns on the individually cut beads to maximum aesthetic effect. She participated in a textile artist residency that was a partnership between Indigenous descendants in whaling communities from Massachusetts, Hawaii and Alaska. She has worked to create museum-quality textile arts in milkweed and cedar bast, intricately painted deerskin and to capture the classic layered drape of Native linen trade cloth outfits. And so there's this idea of movement and journey, and I think a certain amount of balance and harmony in that process. And the ages vary among the ones I think that have survived in collections. If not, then I take a day off work, and I get my milkweed. I mean, it's mucky and muddy, and yeah, you could sink in up to your waist or whatever. I think when there is distancing or mistrust, things don't work out well. Meredith, would you say that working with Elizabeth changed your thinking about the ways in which we as a museum should be looking at objects? You needed to have your bow, you needed to have war clubs, at the time, were also used. Where institutions are taking a look at practices and taking the time to acknowledge whose indigenous land they're situated on. Thank you for having me. If the stitching doesn't go all the way through to the inside, it may be rubbing against you every day, but the stitching isn't going to break instantaneously, which, if you're going to sew down thousands of beads, that's a nice little trick, for sure. Let me get some ash. Awards include ribbons in the Textile & Jewelry Divisions at the annual Heard Museum Art Market, a Traditional Arts Fellowship from the Massachusetts Cultural Council for her wampum and twined basketry, and the Rebecca Blunk Award for her dedication to Northeastern arts. This has been so fun! A B O U T. Traditional singer, dancer, speaker and carver, Jonathan Perry is grounded in the traditions of his ocean-going ancestors. Listen to Wampanoag Perspectives On Museum Objects With Elizabeth Perry And Meredith Vasta and twenty more episodes by HMSC Connects! Elizabeth James-Perry Wampanoag Artist Deep Purple Wampum Native American Earrings A pair of wampum earrings, oval shape with beautiful deep purple on the bottom half, by Wampanoag artist Elizabeth James-Perry. She received the Paul Cuffe Memorial Fellowship to research 19th-20th century Wampanoag tribal crew aboard the Charles W Morgan, which included members of the Gay Head/ Aquinnah and Christiantown /Manititoowatan island communities. See you in a couple of weeks! Why or why not? It's almost like eavesdropping on a conversation between a contemporary artist and the artist who made that historical item. Thank you so much, Elizabeth, for spending time with us today. So, the sash is interesting from a material perspective, and fortunately for me, a portion at least of early trade records where merchants were bringing goods from Europe and going to markets in places like Albany, Montreal, various points along the east coast, were bringing their items and trading with native people, you know, Native men, Native women at market. It had to be portable, and it had to be handy, you know, if you're going to be successful in essentially keeping yourself alive. So the appearance would be a little bit different. Elizabeth James-Perry Hand Sculpted Elongated Oval Wampum Necklace The centerpiece of this necklace is a hand sculpted elongated oval medallion of wampum, created by Wampanoag artist Elizabeth James-Perry, with a cord of hand braided linen. So you just took everything down. Each one is a little bit different because each artist or fishermen, fisherwoman, is a little bit different, right? The artist's formal education includes training at the Rhode Island School of Design, and Shoals Marine Lab; she holds a degree in Marine Biology from the University of Massachusetts, and was employed in fisheries research for several years. The artist explores the rich purple of the quahog shell and soft peach conch shell, sculpturing patterned purple whale and fish effigies, large beads, leadership discs, bias collars and gauntlet cuffs. You could recycle the poles to something smaller, and you had the resources, right, you had the resources. Elizabeth James Perry and Meredith Vasta. Sample of Work. https://homeandaway.gallery/.../elizabeth-james-perry-wampanoag Okay, let me go out. A traditional form of Wampanoag eel trap constructed from ash splints and cedar bark for a maritime arts demonstration. It was entirely biodegradable. Elizabeth represents Wampanoag traditions by writing, in exhibit design, and occasionally through intensive community weaving and dye workshops for organizations like the Evergreen College Longhouse. It's very fragrant, almost like the scent of strawberries. Born in 1973, contemporary and traditional Native artist Elizabeth James-Perry is an enrolled citizen of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head -Aquinnah, located by the richly colored clay cliffs of Noepe (Martha’s Vineyard). And so I really look at the natural world so much differently. You can see places that have more increased wearing off of the dye because it was very lightly dyed in order to kind of get that light colored, undulating line at the edge, so they had to sort of cheat the process and not fully saturate the cloth so they didn't ruin those patterns. Elizabeth James-Perry—Eel Trap My name is Elizabeth James-Perry and I'm a member of the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe on Martha's Vineyard right off the coast of Massachusetts. There was a dump, or there was asbestos on a building, or, you know, there's so many concerns. Access Elizabeth's Contact Information . I think some of the most successful exhibits I've experienced, and learned from really cast their net a little wider and have different perspectives, but I also think centering the interpretation from the home communities perspective is critical. Native American artist and researcher Elizabeth James-Perry will focus her discussion on pre-contact and Colonial period views, management techniques, and material culture involving trees in Massachusetts, the traditional homeland of the Wampanoag, Nipmuc, Pocumtuc and … And tell us from your perspective, what did you know about these objects before Elizabeth took over? We didn't really necessarily make pieces to sort of house in this really careful, isolated fashion, protect it from the elements. She displays the color and contours of the shell to maximum effect. And so you've got these white glass beads that are new. And so the die is actually wearing off in sections of the woolen yarn. The artist resides in southern Massachusetts. I mean, sometimes when things come into the museum, it might just say it's from Massachusetts, or New England, or the eastern woodlands. Elizabeth James-Perry, Lightning sash, finger woven, Wampanoag woven textiles, 2013 Elizabeth James-Perry (b. When we're working together, I love talking with her and understanding the manufacturer, the creation, the dyes in such a totally different way, and I think her appreciation for the natural world, especially as an artist, really has rubbed off on me a lot, and now when I take walks, when I go to the Arboretum, I'm always looking at things and thinking, "I wonder how indigenous people use this in the past and in the present?" Elizabeth James-Perry Choker An exquisite traditional Wampanoag woven choker in stunning deep purple and white colors by artist Elizabeth James Perry. Countless generations of Wampanoag, Narragansett, Pequot, Mohegan, and Shinnecock nations have lived on the shores of the North Atlantic ocean, as evidenced by our stories, and by the scenery itself. Elizabeth James-Perry is an enrolled member of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head -Aquinnah, located by the richly colored clay cliffs of Marthas Vineyard/Noepe. And I don't think that changes over time. Elizabeth James-Perry is an enrolled member of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head -Aquinnah, located by the richly colored clay cliffs of Marthas Vineyard/Noepe. Going from tussock to tussock, you have to even walk special just to get through the swamp without sinking in, so you're really tired. —Phillip Wynne, Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Cape Cod (Otter Clan) reflecting on a collection of dried and smoked herring Listen: "We're still by the same waters our ancestors lived on. You know, I never get tired of looking at them. She believes in practicing responsible art and sustainable land/ocean stewardship. It smells so sweet. And in those cases, it was really great, we were able to reach out to specific descendants to, you know, the descendants of those people who made the basket or are sitting in the photograph, and get their perspectives on it. The objects featured include dried and smoked herring, multiple baskets, an anchor, and an eel trap, which was described by Aquinnah Wampanoag artist Elizabeth James-Perry. Whatever you had in your arsenal was on your person, typically, because we weren't driving around in U-Hauls. Elizabeth James-Perry (b. I don't want that. And so you can look at the width of the cloth, the type of dyes used the design work on it, and you can kind of narrow it down based on the communications going back and forth across the ocean to around circa 1710, I would say. It's that interesting time period--17th century 18th century--where there's a such a strong combination of both indigenous materials and techniques, and motif work and color balance. Who knows how long they'll be there? Noepe Cuff . The technique that was used to actually stitch down the bead is quite patently Northeastern native, where instead of going down through the leather, down through the cloth, you catch the nap of a fairly thick material, so that you're not putting a lot of downward pressure and causing the surface of the fabric or the surface of the coil work beadwork to pucker in any way. The herring are going to be here pretty soon. You know, I'm going to have some really good food on the fire while I'm doing this work because you know, that's what I would do nowadays. And so when you're an artist, and literally all of your materials come from the lands you live on, and you only have access to a tiny portion, and of that portion, some of it is prone to pollution runoff from the road. Pashpeshau means s/he rises, s/he bursts forth, s/he blooms, in the Massachusett language. And in recent decades, that's really been changing, and I think it's more common now to include community partners in exhibits. Cultural attitudes towards material culture, and also sort of having the discipline within yourself, within your family, to remake literally everything you need. Today I'm speaking with two super interesting people. On Martha's Vineyard, the tribe owns less than 1% of the land on Martha's Vineyard, right? Elizabeth James-Perry Multi-medium Artist Aquinnah Wampanoag elizabethjamesperry.com. There's just so much, you know, that the experience of being in the woods at certain times of day, going out at dawn and getting some cedar, the smell of the swamp. How do you think museums like the Peabody that contain these important cultural objects, how do you think they should be working with native communities and native artists to highlight those objects? That's very strange. When you're hunting animals all the time, you have the fiber to spend the yarn, you have the plants in abundance to dye the yarn, you have the beads you're making, or the beads later on that you're trading for. So, I mean, it's all about food. Three Nations Armband . Perry, a Wampanoag artist and registered member of the Aquinnah tribe on Martha’s Vineyard, is an emblem of the complex reality of Indigenous people’s … I think nowadays, as a modern native person. Thank you so much for being here. Meredith, I'm curious, what did Elizabeth's perspective as a Wampanoag artist and researcher bring to this project? I think that the relationships are key. If you like today's podcast, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean, or wherever you get your podcasts. Through the Jennifer Easton Community Spirit Awards, we recognize the work of Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian culture bearers who uphold the Collective Spirit®. He considers designs by examining the raw . But I'll let Elizabeth speak to her experience with that. Welcome to HMSC Connects! I'm going to talk a little bit about the eel trap and the collection of the Peabody Harvard museum. Can I live with that?" Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer . You needed to be ready, you needed to be wearing your powderhorn, you needed to have your piece with you. If winter's coming early, you got to be thinking, "okay, if we get a lot of snow and it dumps on the milkweed, I'm not getting any milkweed to do my spinning. My ancestors are no different in that respect. I'm curious, why make this beautiful, intricate sash to be used in battle where it could be destroyed. “As a … And again, it's centered from such a beautiful personal place. She sailed on the restored Morgan as a historic 38th Voyager. You have to be there and be really present, be connected to the tides, be connected to the seasons. This piece, objectively, this was a very much loved article of gear. There's enjoyment in the moment, but there isn't necessarily in a culture where utilitarian objects are made beautiful, it's fine to use those. Out of the Ocean . Elizabeth, I'm curious, after doing all this research, after spending so much time with these objects and exploring techniques, what did you come away from all of this feeling or experiencing? Export. Before then, all of the beads would be produced here of local materials, including wampum, but also bone and other ivory, other materials like that. You know, oftentimes there's tons of things, and I'm sure Elizabeth, throughout all your museum visits, you have found a number of things attributed to King Philip that sometimes when you are a quote unquote "famous Native American", you know, everything is Sitting Bull's, everything is Geronimo's, everything is King Philip's. Our culture teaches us to have a healthy respect for the sea, and we … You know, whether you're talking Wampanoag territory here in Massachusetts, or you're talking Southern Maine, Sacco River, which I suspect is probably the origin area of the sash. The artist hand picks shells; she grinds and finishes them by hand to create one of-a-kind sculptural jewelry. She has conducted research in the Northeast as well as in Europe. You can see where traders are very particularly saying they want a dark brown edge, they want a blue edge, they want a white line inside of the dark brown salvage edge, so as a weaver, all of those kinds of descriptions make sense to me, because I'm used to worrying about salvage edges and keeping the edges neat and straight and standard widths, and in all too. A scholar of Northeastern wampum and … It was a really interesting question for us though. Podcast, free! Nov 21, 2013 - wampum necklace, Elizabeth James-Perry (Wampanoag) Through a Wampanoag Lens. A beautiful wampum gorget with hand-tanned deerskin tie by Elizabeth James-Perry. At its core, it's this conflict between natives resisting the ongoing colonization and spread of white settlers. Meredith, how did you all select these items for this online exhibit? Over the years, discarded hard and soft shell clams, razor clams, mussels, and oysters accumulated to form large middens in the warm season. Ripples. Share . Elizabeth James-Perry is an enrolled member of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head -Aquinnah, located by the richly colored clay cliffs of Marthas Vineyard/ Noepe. I wasn't sure that maybe as a doctor, if he was trading medical services for items like these, but he got these at Mashpee directly from the community members there.

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