Bob Haozous
is a man with a mission, or two. Some thirty years ago he set out
to be a damn good sculptor. He has since achieved this, successfully
wedding Native and especially Apache imagery with powerful form and
a sharp, unequivocal wit aimed at contemporary American life, at “the
white man in all of us.” Between them, he and his father –
the deeply respected artist Allan Houser – have defined the
range of NativeAmerican sculpture.
-Lucy R. Lippard (excerpts)
Wheel
of Fortune, 2005
Painted steel, 96” diameter.
Current
definitions and identifications of being Native American must be challenged
and reevaluated before a genuine contemporary and meaningful identity
can emerge. The infrastructure of this self description must use an
honest portrayal of our contemporary human condition and reliance
on traditional philosophical cultural knowledge as a guiding reference.
Therefore:
I
am not convinced that Indian bloodlines or tribal
number can make someone Indian ~ I do
not misrepresent the elders or the children for personal
glorification ~ I
do not accept Mother Earth-Father Sky references as
more than metaphor ~ I am not
genetically courageous or claim to be a warrior of today ~
I do not believe the
creator or life giver specifically references humanity ~
I do not worship the
eagle, the sun, the moon, the turtle or myself ~
I am not one with nature,
a noble savage or innately wise ~ I
do not use pollen, corn meal, tobacco, sage or cedar
as proxy for western religious beliefs ~
I do not believe the
four, five, six or seven directions are necessarily sacred ~
I am not superior to
other tribes, other cultures or other races ~
I do not accept post-modernism
or native modernism as Indian art definitions ~
I do not walk in prettiness
while ignoring concepts of balance ~
I am not living in two worlds and don’t glorify
the effects of assimilation ~ I
do not use popular, non-Apache generic Indian rhetoric
or greetings ~ I
do not use proud or stoic as the finite definition
of my Indian identity ~ I
am not driven by anger, immaturity, greed, self servitude
or childlike passions ~ I do not
greet with a non-Apache or politically correct ethnic handshake ~
I do not turn our olders
into elders simply because they are older ~
I am not convinced that
modern concepts of individualism replace tribe or culture ~
I do not believe that
heaven is vertical or up, white is good or black is bad ~
I do not believe intermarriage
to Euro-Americans makes Indian children smarter ~
I am not living in the
past by believing that there is an indigenous Apache future ~
I do not bow my head
or look up during prayer or ceremony ~
I do not limit my questioning
by western or traditional frameworks ~
I am not compelled to
seek attention, acceptance, or respect to justify my work ~
I do not place prestige
over cultural responsibility and commitment ~
I do not believe non-tribal
people can honestly speak for indigenous people ~
I am not ignoring our
need to cry, laugh, feel pain, or think ~
I do not believe that
nobility is awarded or makes you noble or superior ~
I do not believe that
lifestyle maintenance justifies environmental desecration ~
I am not dependent on
Indian Speak to maintain an indigenous identity
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| Entrance to "Indigeous Dialogue" (2005)
IAIA Museum |
 |
| Main Gallery "Indigeous
Dialogue" (2005) IAIA Museum |
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| North Gallery "Indigeous
Dialogue" (2005) IAIA Museum |
|
