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
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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.
King Sonny, dressed in white ...alter
nately moving behind his guitar and
dancing in coordination with other
singers ...sometimes conducting his
orchestra.
Roll over, Beethoven!
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A baby bird is often called a nestling.
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Sojourner Truth Theatre Perform ing Arte Troupe has signed an
agreem ent w ith Portland C om m unity College at Cascade to be a
permanent resident on the campus. Jim Van Dyke, president at the
Cascade campus hopes to have a m utual beneficial relationship
w ith the group as well as instituting a strong perform ing arts
program . The program will be offered as a 17 week rotation
throughout the year. Pictured (l-rl Ruby Reuben, project coordinator
and business manager; Nyewusi Askari, artistic director; and Jim
Van Dyke, president PCC at Cascade. For more inform ation about
registration call 283 2641.
1616 N.E. Killingsworth
OPEN
LABOR DAY
9 a.m. - 7 p.m.
MHRC appoints new director
The
M e tro p o lita n
Hum an
Relations Com m ission has an
nounced the appointm ent o f
Reymundo Marin to the position o f
Executive D irector o f the MHRC
staff.
Commission a strong background in
advocacy fo r human and c iv il
rights. For the past three years, he
has been working as a consultant for
the National O rigin Desegregation
Assistance Center in the Northwest
Region (Oregon, W ashington and
Idaho). Previous positions include:
Hearings
exam iner
fo r
the
W ashington State Human Rights
C om m ission; Board chairm an o f
the M igrant Division o f Northwest
R ural O p p o rtu n ity ; M em ber,
W ashington State U nive rsity A f
firmative Action Council; Founding
member and past president o f the
State o f W ashington C hicano
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In the Portland area. Prof Marin
has served as: Board Member and
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Community Action Agency of Port
land board member, and Hispanic
P o litic a l
A ctio n
Com m ittee
(H P A C ) chairperson fo r M u lt
nomah C ounty. He has been the
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