- Details
- By Jenna Kunze
Tribal nations in New York are being asked to participate in a review of artwork representing Indigenous peoples on display in the state’s capitol building.
Governor Kathy Hochul announced the new initiative on January 9, included in her annual report of the “state of the state” to the legislature.
“All New Yorkers should feel welcome and respected when visiting the State Capitol,” the governor’s 181-page steering document for her 2024 agenda reads. “Unfortunately, offensive imagery and distasteful representations of populations in the art that adorns the Capitol can alienate visitors. Indigenous peoples, in particular, are often depicted in artworks in a manner that reflects harmful racial stereotypes and glorifies violence against Indigenous peoples.”
Though the governor’s office does not keep a list of artwork depicting Indigenous peoples in the capitol building, Unkechaug Nation Chief Harry Wallace describes one memorable image from his diplomatic visits to the governor’s office. Last year, Wallace, who lives on the Poospatuck Reservation in Mastic, on Long Island, New York, sat in the waiting room for Hochul for a meeting to advance his decades-long fight for legislation to protect unmarked graves in the state of New York (legislation signed by the governor in early June).
On the ceiling of the reception room to the governor’s office—called the War Room— are several murals depicting French explorer Samuel Champlain defeating a Haudenosaunee man, captioned, “Champlain Killing First Indian.”
“It’s a hell of a way to begin a meeting with the governor,” Wallace tells Native News Online. “What is the message being portrayed? Is this indicative of what's acceptable to you?”
Now, Hochul is inviting representatives from each of New York’s nine federal and state-recognized tribes to participate in an advisory board that would review imagery in the capital and collectively recommend a response—including contextualizing existing artwork, or adding Indigenous art to the space—according to a spokesperson from the governor’s office. The governor would then make the final decision.
The initiative will be led by Elizabeth Rule, an enrolled citizen of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma and the Deputy Secretary for First Nations. Governor Hochul created Rule’s role in June with the goal of strengthening nation-to-nation relationships with tribal nations in New York.
Seneca Nation President Rickey Armstrong senior called the art review in the state capital building “appropriate and overdue.”
Last year, the State Education Department issued a directive for school districts to stop the use of Native images and nicknames for school mascots. Armstrong said It's time for New York state itself to do the same.
“Our people have been here since before New York State existed,” he said in a statement to Native News Online. “We have helped to shape the state and the regions we have called home throughout history, and we play a major role today. Our contributions, our history, and our culture should be respectfully recognized and celebrated, instead of celebrating attacks and the attempted elimination of Native people. New York can and should do better."
More Stories Like This
Native News Weekly (April 28, 2024): D.C. BriefsChickasaw Children’s Village Celebrates 20 Years of Nurturing First American Students
Oregon Governor Visits Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
Water Rights Agreement with Colorado River Indian Tribes in Arizona Signed
Biden Nominates Salish & Kootenai Tribal Attorney Danna Jackson for Federal Bench
Native Perspective. Native Voices. Native News.
We launched Native News Online because the mainstream media often overlooks news that is important is Native people. We believe that everyone in Indian Country deserves equal access to news and commentary pertaining to them, their relatives and their communities. That's why the story you’ve just finished was free — and we want to keep it that way, for all readers. We hope you'll consider making a donation to support our efforts so that we can continue publishing more stories that make a difference to Native people, whether they live on or off the reservation. Your donation will help us keep producing quality journalism and elevating Indigenous voices. Any contribution of any amount — big or small — gives us a better, stronger future and allows us to remain a force for change. Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous-centered journalism. Thank you.
