The Stylistic Development of Plains Indian Painting And Its Relationship to Ledger Drawings.

Abstract

This paper attempts to trace the stylistic development of Plains Indian figurative hide painting. Beginning with its possible origins in the petrographs and bark drawings of the pre-and early historic Northeast and Southwest it ends with the ledger drawings of the late 19th century. The early (pre 1860) hides are shown to have indicated events through a form ofvisual shorthand in contrast to the detailed refinement of the illustrated scenes on later hides. The ledger drawings include both traditional warfare themes and scenes from reservation life, ending with views of the white world drawn in the white man’s manner. One drawing by Bears Heart, a Cheyenne prisoner in Florida, is examined in some detail and in relationship to the historical, biographical and cultural world in which it was created.     

Gender and ethnic identity among second-generation Indo-Caribbeans

This article discusses second-generation Indo-Caribbean (West Indian of Indian descent) teenagers’ ethnic identities, through a look at their taste preferences and self assertions of identity. Both Indo-Caribbean young men and women draw from multiple influences on their identities. In terms of tastes in clothing and movies, however, girls are more interested in things Indian, and in “Indian culture”. Boys, on the other hand, choose to distance themselves from an Indian identity. Three factors explain these gender differences in choices about ethnic identity: (1) different media images for South Asian men and women; (2) a school context lending different levels of peer symbolic status to perceived Indian boys and girls; and (3) a gendered process of migration by which women maintain stronger cultural roots in the new country. The findings in this article point to the need to pay attention to gender differences when considering ethnic incorporation.     

Visual immersion for cultural understanding and multimodal literacy

ABSTRACT

When considering inclusive art curriculum that accommodates all learners, including English language learners, two distinct yet inseparable issues come to mind. The first is that English language learner students can use visual language and visual literacy skills inherent in visual arts curriculum to scaffold learning in and through the arts. Second, in facilitating a sense of belonging for students whose home language and cultural aesthetic may be different from those of the dominant school culture, an authentically developed multicultural art curriculum can guide self-efficacy and inclusiveness. Both aspects of teaching art for English language learners can have the added benefits of facilitating collaborative learning opportunities and increasing worldviews for all students.     

Nostalgia and Degeneration: The Moral Economy of Drinking in Navajo Society

This article focuses on how some members of Navajo society use narratives regarding alcohol and drinking to comment on cultural degeneration and the decay of the traditional Navajo moral economy. These narratives drinking are seldom solely about alcohol but refer to a host of distinct yet interrelated concerns involving moral values, individual and collective identities, underdevelopment, imagined histories, psychic conflict, and social contention. This article sheds light on how evaluations of alcohol and drinking problems, as encapsulated in narratives of degeneration, fit into the overall context of contemporary Navajo society. Narratives of degeneration juxtapose a degenerate present to a nostalgic past and in the process direct moral censure toward two primary groups in Navajo society, namely, young people and others who drink to excess, [drinking, Native Americans, Navajo, narrative, alcohol]     

Challenges in understanding meiosis: fostering metaconceptual awareness among university biology students

ABSTRACT

In this study, firstly, university biology students’ conceptual understanding and potential misconceptions concerning meiosis were studied. Secondly, an easily applicable drawing task was used to foster students’ metaconceptual awareness which would help them to reach conceptual change. A quasi-experimental design with a non-equivalent control group was conducted. The students (N = 82) were divided into experimental and control groups. The control groups attended traditional teaching, i.e. lectures with practicals, whilst the experimental groups had an additional activating task before practicals. In the activating task, the students drew the selected phases of meiosis and marked given concepts of meiosis in the drawing. The drawings were scored and the solutions were discussed in detail with the students. After the activating task, the traditional practicals were held for both groups. After a week, both experimental and control groups were given the same task. The results show that students in the experimental group understood meiosis significantly better than the control group, who had more misconceptions after the instruction compared to the experimental group. Thus, fostering students’ metaconceptual awareness is crucial and relatively easy to apply, also in higher education.     

Art education under development in Palestine: de- and repoliticization via universal values,institutional critique,and reflexive practice

This article studies ways in which art education is mobilized to modify subjective and aesthetic performances of Palestinian students, considering debates surrounding depoliticization and development funding in Palestine. It explores the subject matter and critical stance deemed appropriate for self-directed art projects within a Ramallah art school. Moving beyond arguments put forward within existing literature on the depoliticizing impact of aid funding by drawing on ethnographic detail, the article explores how students experience and respond to this education. Despite being shaped by structures of control that arguably encourage depoliticization, many students understood this education as also opening a space for unpicking and critical examination of such structures. The article locates instances in which this repoliticization was invoked by students, in balance with their awareness of the complexity and contingency of this process.     

Age-related size invariance in perception of illusory and fragmented contours

We investigated invariant perception to sizes of images. Observers were secondary school students aged 7–17 years and adults. Two types of stimuli were used: fragmented line drawing of common objects and discs with deleted sectors which represented illusory Kanizsa contours, when discs were in particular positions. In experiments with fragmented images, we found an improvement in image recognition with observer’s age, increasing up to 13–14 years. The probability of recognition of fragmented line drawings increased significantly with decreasing stimulus size for children aged 7–12 years, indicating that size invariance at recognition for fragmented line drawings was absent in these children. However, size invariance was found for observers aged 7–12 years and for adults in this task. Upon the Kanizsa illusion appearance, the ratio of the separation between discs and disc diameter was smaller when we used larger disc diameters. This ratio increased with increasing age of observers. The obtained results provide evidence for the absence of size invariance when perceiving the Kanizsa illusion under our experimental conditions.     

Contemporary Gathering Practice and Antioxidant Benefit of Wild Seaweeds in Hawai’i

Contemporary Gathering Practice and Antioxidant Benefit of Wild Seaweeds in Hawai’i. Wild-gathered seaweeds (limu) are a prominent component of Native Hawaiian diet and culture, but are understudied for their nutritional benefits and contemporary cultural use. This study uses a combination of ethnographic, pharmacological, and ecological approaches to document contemporary levels of wild seaweed gathering and consumption, and it explores the impact of cultivation and eutrophication on the disease-preventive benefits wild seaweeds may provide. Levels of gathering and consumption of seaweed were assessed with surveys of high school students and interviews with adult limu gatherers on O’ahu island, Hawai’i. Antioxidant activity was assessed with laboratory-based assays. Almost all students surveyed reported consuming cultivated seaweeds, one-third reported having consumed wild seaweeds, and one-fifth had gathered them, confirming that gathering practice and traditional diet have persisted in Hawai’i despite major social and environmental change. Wild gathering was three times as high and consumption 60% more prevalent among Native Hawaiians compared to non-Hawaiian students. Further, students with a parent who gathered limu were six times more likely to have gathered limu themselves, asserting the importance of within-family transmission to cultural continuity. A larger proportion of male than female Hawaiian students reported gathering wild seaweeds, indicating a cultural shift from pre-Contact Hawai’i, when women were the predominant gatherers and consumers of limu. The wild seaweeds assessed demonstrated higher levels of antioxidant activity than did cultivated seaweeds. Eutrophication was correlated with a decline in antioxidant activity, indicating that changing ocean conditions may alter the nutritional quality of this traditional food. Today, nearly all students are receiving some antioxidant benefits from seaweed, with Native Hawaiian youth from families that gather seaweed most likely to receive this health benefit. Conservation and restoration of near-shore environments to promote native edible seaweeds in pollution-free areas would provide greater opportunities for Native Hawaiian gathering practice and would support Native Hawaiian health.     

What’s in the body? Children’s annotated drawings

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a study of children’s ideas of the body’s internal structure. Children between four and 13 years (N = 170) individually produced drawings. During each drawing session the children explained their drawings to a facilitator and added written labels either by themselves or, if they were too young to write, with the facilitator’s help. The results provide an updated comprehensive picture of children in different age groups and their views on the internal structure of the body. The type and numbers of organs drawn are similar to those documented in previous studies. However, in comparison to recent studies, the children drew more organs, the brain was indicated almost as often as the heart, and the Valentine heart was frequently used as a symbol. In contrast with previous research, children drew connections between organs. This result calls for caution regarding conclusions made from decontextualized questions. The importance of providing children with the opportunity to clarify their drawings is emphasised since it otherwise becomes a question of the researcher’s interpretation. The connections they draw, and explanations they give to their drawings, have interesting implications for understanding children’s ideas, and hence both for teaching and learning and for science education research.     

An interview with Olivia Gude about connecting school and community arts practice

ABSTRACT

Olivia Gude has a long and distinguished career as both a public artist and an art educator. She is currently the Angela Gregory Paterakis Professor and Chair of Art Education at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), where she works with graduate and undergraduate students to prepare for working as artist educators in school and community settings. Her scholarly work includes a number of articles and book chapters about art education and community art. Prof. Gude has worked as a community public artist for many years and has created over 30 large-scale mural and mosaic projects, working with intergenerational groups, teens, elders, and children. I interviewed Prof. Gude at the SAIC building in downtown Chicago to discuss how her school, university, and community art engagement as well as her work with the National Coalition for Core Arts Standards, might offer suggestions for transforming arts education for the twenty-first century and provide authentic connections between school and community. Prof. Gude discusses important enduring understandings and big ideas from the new Visual Arts National Core Arts Standards, the Spiral Workshop youth art and research project she created while at University of Illinois at Chicago, and how her experience as a community artist informs her work with students in classroom settings.     

The Role of Education in American Indian Self-Determination: Lessons from the Ramah Navajo Community School

Since 1975 the Indian Self-Determination and Educational Assistance Act has enabled American Indian communities to enact self-determination through community-based schooling. In this study conducted by a Navajo researcher, the Ramah Navajo community defined self-determination and how it was operationalized within the community and school. The study demonstrates how education based on Navajo epistemology has been integral to self-determination at Ramah, underscoring the importance of incorporating Native American epistemologies in schooling for Indigenous students.     

Ethnic identity on display: West Indian youth and the creation of ethnic boundaries in high school

The black immigrant population in New York City has grown exponentially since 1990, such that West Indians now compose the majority of the black population in several neighbourhoods. This article examines how this ethnic density manifests among youth in high school, and how it has influenced ethnic identity formation among second-generation West Indians. My findings are based on twenty-four interviews and eight months of participant observation in two Brooklyn high schools from 2003 to 2004. The results show that in both schools, Caribbean island identities have become a ‘cool’ commodity within peer groups. Further, although it was important to express pride in one's island identity, these young people often blurred their national origin boundaries by drawing on Jamaican popular culture as way of projecting a unified ‘West Indian identity’. The research also uncovers evidence of a de-stigmatization of Haitianness as a way to incorporate them as cultural insiders into the larger Caribbean collective.     

Adding Value: Rethinking Late 19th-Century Torres Strait Islander Drawings in Anthropological Inquiry

This article focuses on the cultural and artistic value of a collection of Torres Strait Islander drawings that were commissioned and collected in the late 19th century. I argue that these drawings, made during Alfred C. Haddon's “salvage anthropology” expeditions, can provide insight into the nature of Islander graphic systems and the production of contemporary Islander art. By focusing on stylistic links between the drawings and other forms of decorative art, and their role as resources and inspiration for contemporary Islander artists, I explore the role these collections play in investigating regional artistic traditions, and how they act as agents in reaffirming Islander identity.     

Reinforced drawing in Macaca mulatta

Two male Macaca mulatta were trained with food reinforcement to make marks with a crayon on an opaque plastic surface. Both subjects used repetitive arm movements in their drawing. One monkey produced fanlike patterns which have also appeared in the drawings of other primate species, including humans. It is suggested that the forms produced by reinforced drawing are similar to those found in the non-reinforced artwork of other primates and that the development of all primate art may be dependent on simple mechanical arm movements.     

Realistic Representations of Companion Animals in Comic Art in the USA

ABSTRACT

Comic art reflecting cultural and social values serves as social commentary. Cartoons and comics in the USA portraying dimensions of the human-companion animal bond, were examined to determine the realistic representational images depicting human-companion animal interaction. Content analysis resulted in three major categories reflecting realistic or quasi-realistic dimensions of our interaction with companion animals: endearing, obligatory/necessary, and nuisance/stressful. These three categories, with examples of cartoons, are discussed and placed within a theoretical context.     

Institutional patterns favoring high fertility in underdeveloped areas

Abstract

Data presented indicate that the sex ratio of the Navajo Tribe has shifted since the 1940's and now shows a preponderance of women rather than men. The reasons for this shift, which roughly parallel a similar shift in the general population of the United States, are : (1) a decline in maternal mortality rates; (2) an increase in male mortality rates, particularly from accidents; and (3) greater out‐migration of men than women. Some of the consequences of the changing ratio include: increasing proportion of young widows with dependent children; a growing desire for labor force participation on the part of women; out‐marriage of Navajo women; and, in the future, the probable isolation of elderly widows who may become the responsibility of social welfare agencies.     

Everyday Learning about Identities among Young Adolescents in Television Culture

Using a cultural studies approach, this study situates three young adolescents in their home, neighborhood, school, and peer cultures, and contextually analyzes their uses and interpretations of television. Analyses of each student's favorite television persona illuminate each of their identity projects, which are a primary kind of cultural acquisition process. I find qualitative differences in their everyday learning within television culture as compared to local cultures, although their learning about social power across cultures is reciprocal.     

PBL教学应用于少数民族学生解剖学教学的体悟

人体解剖学是直接影响其他基础医学和临床医学课程教学成效的重要基础课程。新疆是多民族聚居区,我校也是以少数民族学生居多,所以如何结合他们的民族特点,运用良好的教学方法和教学手段,对提高我校少数民族人体解剖学的教学质量具有至关重要的作用。我们在教学过程中开展了PBL教学探索,认为PBL教学可以锻炼学生的自主学习能力,激发学生的学习兴趣,以弥补传统教学中的呆板、缺乏灵活性等缺点,让学生更快更好更有兴趣地学习人体解剖学,从而达到提高教学质量的目的,为少数民族教育探索提供了新的途径。     

Navajo tribal mortality: A life table analysis of the leading causes of death

Abstract

The five leading causes of death for Navajo males and females are analyzed by life table methods. Navajo male and female life expectancy at birth were 58.8 and 71.8 years, respectively. The greatest increase in Navajo male life expectancy would result from the elimination of motor vehicle accidents (5.17 years at birth, and 3.11 years for working ages 15–65). The life expectancy of Navajo females would be lengthened the most (3.70 years) by elimination of circulatory system disease. For working‐ages gains for both sexes, however, the greatest benefit would result from elimination of motor vehicle accidents. The implications of the results are discussed in relation to the various public health programs and health planning efforts for the Navajo Nation.     

Understanding molecular genetics through a drawing-based activity

The activity uses drawings typically found in textbooks, engaging students in physical and mental activities such as drawing, painting and figure completion — as well as finding missing words and answering guiding questions. The activity deals with three topics: the structure of DNA, DNA replication and protein synthesis. In this study we investigated students' understanding of genetics in two different groups: one used the drawingbased activity integrated in the traditional learning (experimental group) and the other, the control group, received only traditional learning. Achievements of the experimental group were compared to the achievements of the control group, using a written questionnaire. Analysis of the post-test showed that the mean score of the experimental group was significantly higher than the mean score of the control group, suggesting that engaging students in physical and mental activities promote students' learning. This positive trend was also reflected in students' responses in personal interviews. Most of the students reported they felt that the activity helped them to organise and better understand the subject matter, especially the translation process.