Clearly Indigenous Audio Exhibition
Animals of the Land
Hello, I’m Marissa Tucker, the museum’s donor information and stewardship manager. I will be sharing the introduction to the “Animals of the Land” section of Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass.
Respect for the animal world is a prominent cultural principle in Native communities. When animals such as deer are killed for food, the hunter thanks the animal and explains how its body will be used. Animals also provide spiritual guidance. Bears symbolize strength and courage, and wolves figure prominently in legends where they generally signify protection.
Many Native Peoples refer to the North American continent as Turtle Island. In creation stories, Turtle brought earth up from underwater on its back, creating the continent in the shape of its own body. Turtle imagery has historically been seen on vessels, in drawings, and as fetishes and rattles. Depictions of these and other totemic animals are seen in many Indigenous glass art creations.