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Mississippian Culture, possibly from Arkansas, Bottle with underwater serpent decoration, 1300s–1400s. Earthenware and pigment, 9 1/2" x 8" (24.1 x 20.3 cm). © Art Institute of Chicago. (AIC-379) |
One of the bonuses of
studying art history is learning about surprising connections when studying how
cultures in the past interacted. Many times such interaction between cultures
and the influence it has on the arts is overlooked. This is especially true in
non-western cultures, when these cultural interactions don’t precipitate the
emergence of massive empires that racked up wealth at the expense of numerous
conquered peoples, and then glorified themselves in fabulous art and
architecture. I find Indigenous cultures that steadfastly, and often quietly,
grew in cultural and material wealth from their survival skills (such as
farming rich land) and trade far more interesting.
Although the exact date is not known, some archaeologists
agree that the first Homo sapiens set foot on the North American continent
between 15,000 and 20,000 years ago. The period was known as the Pleistocene
Era. At that time, the Northern Hemisphere was experiencing the Ice Age. The
glaciers that dominated the continent lowered the oceans by about 100 meters,
which exposed a strip of land that connects Alaska with Asia. Most scientists
believe that it was over this strip of land that First Nations migrated to the
North American continent.
In recent years, however, scholars have been examining other
scientific clues, such as carbon dating of prehistoric relics and the
linguistic development of Native peoples. This research has led some scientists
to hypothesize that the earliest waves of migration to North America may
actually have taken place more than 20,000 or 30,000 years ago. The hypothesis
goes on to suggest that these people came by water.
The Mississippian cultures,
which flourished from 900 through 1700 CE, descended from the so-called
“mound-builder” cultures of the late prehistoric period. The Mound Builders
constructed mound lodgings and burial chambers of pounded earth with thatch
roofs. The Mississippian cultures included the Chickasaw, Cherokee, Chicamauga,
Chisea, and Shawnee bands. The earliest report of European contact with these
cultures indicates that the cultures built their towns on the mound foundations
left by their ancestors. The Mississippian cultures were primarily farmers who
raised vegetables, tobacco, and corn.
The Mississippian cultures had an extensive trade network by
land and via the Tennessee and Mississippi Rivers that extended from the Great
Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, and from the Mississippi River to the Atlantic
Ocean. Although no actual Mexican artifacts have been found at Mississippian
sites, artistic evidence exists of contact with the Mesoamerican
Mexican cultures, especially in ceramics, sculpture, and architecture. Mississippian
society was also stratified like Mesoamerican cultures, in which there was a
hierarchy of priest/rulers, noble families, and a warrior class.
Some of the greatest Mississippian artworks are ceramic.
They are renowned especially for their utilitarian works, which include effigy
vessels reminiscent of Mexican cultures and figures representing a variety of
ages and positions within society. The bright reddish pigment of this vessel is
particularly identified with works from the region of present-day Arkansas.
While the step and wave patterns may remind us of other North American cultures’ ceramic vessels, the serpent
decoration ultimately has similarities to Mesoamerican ceramic decoration.
Unlike Mesoamerican ceramics, however, the vessel is not decorated with as
strict organization of registers. Such vessels would have been funerary objects
containing necessary items for the deceased’s afterlife.
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There is further similarity to Mesoamerican art in renderings
of human beings. This type of rendering is noticeably absent (other than in
abstracted form) from Plains, Woodlands, Pueblo, and California art. In addition to pipes and
vessels, they also appear on pot handles and lids. Another theory is that, like
the Mesoamerican culture that influenced them, the Mississippian peoples had
special societies that honored warriors. The submissive pose of this figure is
a common characteristic of these sculptures and may represent part of a ritual
dance performed in these warrior guilds. The simplification of form, which
includes the flattened pyramidal nose, is also an element of Mesoamerican
influence.
Happening elsewhere
in the world in art history:
1368–1644 Ming Dynasty in
China, a period when landscape painting and refinement of porcelain reached the
highest peak of achievement.
1392–1573 The Muromachi, or
Ashikaga period in Japan, a turbulent time during which Zen Buddhism began to
assert (what would be) a lasting influence on Japanese art.
1400–1435 End of the Palaelogue Renaissance, the last
flourishing of Byzantine art, and conquest of
Byzantine Empire by Turkey in 1435.
1413–1451 and 1451–1526 The last
two dynasties of the Delhi Sultanate, a period during which illuminated
manuscripts began to be produced lauding the deeds of the Islamic rulers of
India.
1438–1534 The rise and fall of the Inca
Empire in Peru, a culture that produced magnificent architecture, ceramic
art, textiles, and metal art work.
Correlations to Davis
programs: Explorations in Art Grade 2: 3.studio 17-18; Explorations in Art Grade
3: 6.35; Explorations in Art Grade 4: 4.studio 23-24; Explorations in Art Grade
5: 4.22; A Community Connection 1.4, 2.6, 5.2; A Global Pursuit: 1.2, 2.5;
Experience Clay: chapter 3, chapter 5; The Visual Experience: 10.6, 14.5;
Discovering Art History: 2.2, 4.10
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