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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 22, 1984)
Portland Observer. August 22. 1984, Page 3 METROPOLITAN Show displays wealth of native cultures by Lamia Duke C R ASSRO O T NEWS, N. W — Hues o f brow n, tan and gold ex ploded on canvas, in masks, on blankets and tapestry, as Artistas Indígenas started their journey for world peace. The e x h ib itio n opened August I Ith , at the Skylark Studio to 60 satisfied art patrons who absorbed the cultural entertainment provided by Antara, a folklore Latin band, Karen Kitchen. MCA and others. A rtistas Indígenas w ill be on a fo u r state to ur that includes Oregon, C a lifo rn ia and Texas. Their art is to increase the public awareness and appreciation o f Pan American indigenous women's art w hile the artists make a rtistic statements for social change Pauline Valerio said she has used her paintings as a vehicle to find her c u ltu ra l id e n tity. “ Being h alf- Indian and not raised as an Indian, I came from a fam ily that was very prejudice. A decade ago, I started doing things that were into being an Indian.” A Valerio painting on display is called "M em ories". It is a profile of Douglas Modlg. 11 years old. views soma of the artwork shown at Artistas Indígenas exhibition through August 24th at Skylark Studios. (Photo: Richard J. Brown) 716 S W 16th a proud Native American male. In the background, he is on horseback next to a bear standing up and an eagle resting ” 1 would have liked to have been here a couple of hundred years ago. But it's all over. The bear sym bolizes strength and the eagle, power. The brave is th inking that his past is gone. He is w ondering what happened and why.” Valerio said she is wondering the same. " I look around and see all the Indians on skid road. Many are drunk or laying in the streets. It makes me sick. I'm not going to say I d o n 't get drunk because I have. But I do not drink anymore. I got smart. I would like to see it the way it was before, when Indians were strong and p o w e rfu l.” She hopes her art will create the image to make that day soon. Karen Kitchen, a performing ar tist, said, among (he purposes of the exhibit is to reach other Chicana and Native American women who do not regard themselves as artists. "W e want to unite the two. H is to ric a lly , there have been problems with the Mexicans and In dians But in unity, there is so much more you can do. The whole Central Am erican issue is part o f a con tinuing struggle that has been going on in this country." Susana Santos said there are a lot o f stories behind the art. "M y story is being on an Indian reservation where I saw and lived the poverty It motivated me towards change. I felt if there was going to be change, it had to come from the women—the heart o f the land, the creators o f life ." Santos called the 1980's a "historical tim e". "W omen need to be united to achieve world peace. It is important for indigenous people to take responsibility and to act. Art is a so lu tion . It w ill keep you in touch with tradition and values " Talking drums rock out at Starry Night by Bob Lothian meet new faces. Fron T okyo to France . know it, even P ortland, Oregon ...keep the fire burning." Black U huru finished th eir set with “ The Whole World is A fric a ." They had not only warmed up the crowd, they had set it on fire. It was a wonder the fire dept. w asn't called. Som ething o f a dispute arose during intermission when, for some unknown reason, the management refused to let the audience out for a breather. Dripping with sweat, some o f the dancers pressed their bodies up to the closed windows for a little cool respite. One upset woman quelled the situ a tio n by calling police from inside the hall. But by then, King Sonny and his 18-piece ju ju orchestra were on stage. Everyone forgot about get ting outside when the band's The "O n e W o rld T o u r” o f N igeria's King Sonny Ade and Jamaica's Black (Jhuru came to the Starry Night Club Monday. It was the hottest concert o f the year, and I do mean hot. Tem peratures soared in the badly ven tilated hall as a sea of bodies gyrated to the powerful primal sound. Black Uhuru, often described as today's premier reggae band, brought the crowd immediately to th eir feet w ith their d riv in g rock steady. A ll but a h an dfu l o f the crowd stayed up and danced the rest o f the night. U huru is a S w ahili w ord which means freedom . Black U h u ru ’ s message o f freedom , peace, hap piness and spiritual wholeness came across in the sound, i f not in the sometimes inaudible lyrics, o f hits like " I Love King Selassie" and “ Plastic S m ile ,” also, “ W hat is L ife " and "General Penitentiary.” In “ Solidarity,” deadlocked lead singer Michael Rose sang about a time when "nobody waiting in line, nobody being pushed around — Look at me. I ’ m not your enemy. This a in ’ t no time to fig h t each o th e r—S o lid a rity, what we need. S o lid a rity .” In “ A b o rtio n ” , the group expressed its anti-ab ortion stance. “ What I ’ m looking fo r is some happiness,” went the re fra in in "Happiness.” "Happiness is when you live with a free mind Happiness is when you Brandel's Killingsworth Foods em inently danceable, warm and organic wrap-around sound began emanating from batteries o f ten- foot high speakers. Can you imagine the ecstatic sound o f eight percussionists (in cluding tw o gold-robed ta lkin g drumm ers p ro v id in g a rhythm ic spine fo r (he music), six guitarists and four singers? It was as if rock and jazz, remem bering their A fric a n roots, had come fu ll circle back home, joining guitars and synthesizers w ith tra d itio n a l A fric a n polyrhythm s and call and response chants (in the group's Yoruba language), to form a new music that stretched beyond Evoking images o f the village and tribal dancing, o f beaches and palm trees and tropical nights, the music seemed to call out on a subliminal level all could understand, and to reach out from the Nigerian Slave Coast to wrap its warm and wrap around sound around the One World. What is the talking drum saying? What brought fear to the English colonialists when the drums echoed through the forest? C ould it be a message o f freedom? Whatever it was, the crowd loved it. And up front, the African prince. 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