When speaking about another series of Native Host signs on a university campus, Heap of Birds said “I hope that the, staff, and faculty come through this campus and that they wonder about the tribal identity that they are actually walking over. The signs acknowledge that the land holds history and stories beyond or outside colonial expectations. The visual tension that Heap of Birds creates between these names aims to remind viewers of the displacement of Native Americans from their homelands as well as their continued and active presence in the Americas. On each sign, the colonial name of a location is printed backwards, while the name of the land’s original occupants is printed forward.
These signs name Native tribes who historically or currently inhabit the region that is now called Kansas. This year’s selection is Native Host, a series of five signs by Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds that address issues of place, heritage, dominant culture, and memory.
Each year, the Spencer Museum of Art selects a Common Work of Art to complement and expand upon the Common Book’s themes. Our second stop is this year’s Common Work of Art. They have continued the ceremonies that honor the land and their connection to it.” (319) “The people have endured the pain of being bystanders to the degradation of their lands, but they never surrendered their caregiving responsibilities. I’m interested in creating work and experiences that enhance awareness of nature’s resilience and fragility, causing the viewer to reconsider their actions and responsibility to all other beings.” As a researcher and an artist, I have come to understand that the visual arts powerfully serve as witness to our impact on the earth and advocate for urgent change. In this volatile time on earth, we have a responsibility to each other to build connections that will promote new ways of thriving and perishing thoughtfully. Often when I make work it is to attract or engage humans in this project I attempted to put the bees and their needs first. I chose the glaze colors of the flowers and the chambers by studying the way these bees see and what colors they are attracted to. The flower-like sculptures that sit above ground act as a visual indicator for the bees so that they can find their burrow as they are flying. Much of the work is what you can’t see-chambers below the ground to provide space for their burrows. Colletes are solitary bees but often nest near each other in aggregates and come back to where they were born to lay their eggs. At KU’s Interdisciplinary Ceramic Research Center, I utilized a ceramic 3D printer to produce sculptural habitats that protect native bees, preserve their pollinating range, and allow for further research of the species. Deborah Smith to design ceramic habitats for the Colletes genus of bees. Like so many species, ground nesting bee populations are being greatly impacted by climate change, pesticides, and habitat loss. “I was surprised to learn that more than 70 percent of the world’s bees are solitary and nest in the ground. The artist herself shared the following for our tour: Peek on the ground on either side of the main entrance to the Spencer Museum of Art to see these works. Our first stop is to view the first two of four total “Ceramitats” created by Brandi Lee Cooper, who served as KU’s artist in residence from 2019-2021. It is this dance of cross-pollination that can produce a new species of knowledge, a new way of being in the world.” (47)
BRUCE KING SKYWOMAN MOMENT IN FLIGHT HOW TO
It was the bees that showed me how to move between different flowers-to drink the nectar and gather pollen from both. “There was a time when I teetered precariously with an awkward foot in each of two worlds-the scientific and the indigenous. For each stop, we will begin with a passage from Braiding Sweetgrass, and then we will discuss the KU location and its relevance to campus history and sustainability. This page will guide you through the tour stops. Welcome to the KU Common Book Campus Tour. In consultation with KU’s Director of Tribal Relations, Melissa Peterson, this iteration of a land acknowledgment specifically omits the naming of tribal nations until stronger relationships are built and there is a better understanding of the land’s history where the University of Kansas resides. As a state institution, we ask you to take the time to understand and acknowledge the history that has brought our institution to occupy space on Indigenous land and to understand our institutions' place within that history. Specifically, we reflect on the painful history of genocide and the forced removal while also committing ourselves to supporting the sovereignty of all Native American people and communities. As we begin our tour, we acknowledge that the University of Kansas occupies land that has long been cared for by several tribal nations.
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