Reclaiming the Whirling Log: Diné Artists Challenge Historical Trauma and Cultural Erasure

Reclaiming the Whirling Log: Diné Artists Challenge Historical Trauma and Cultural Erasure

Melissa Cody, “Navajo Whirling Log” (2019), aniline-dyed threads and hand-dyed variegated wool (photo Sháńdíín Brown/Hyperallergic) Reclaiming the Whirling Log: Diné Artists Challenge Historical Trauma and Cultural Erasure

The Whirling Log symbol, known by various names across cultures such as manji in Buddhism and swastika in Hinduism, holds significant cultural importance for the Diné or Navajo people. Their ancestral lands span across what is now Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. For the Diné, this symbol, often referenced in their creation story, symbolizes good luck, healing, and balance. However, due to its visual similarity to the Nazi swastika, it has been historically suppressed and misunderstood, leading to its temporary erasure from Diné art.

Reclaiming the Whirling Log: Diné Artists Challenge Historical Trauma and Cultural Erasure

A Tale of Two Symbols

Reclaiming the Whirling Log: Diné Artists Challenge Historical Trauma and Cultural Erasure

The Nazi swastika and the Whirling Log are visually distinct, with the former angled as a diamond and the latter shaped like a square. Despite these differences, the settler-dominated art market conflated the two, leading to the suppression of the Diné symbol. Over recent years, contemporary Diné artists have started to reintroduce the Whirling Log into their work, challenging historical trauma and reclaiming their cultural heritage.

The Artists Leading the Reclamation

Reclaiming the Whirling Log: Diné Artists Challenge Historical Trauma and Cultural Erasure

Melissa Cody, a master weaver, is one of the prominent figures in this movement. Her work, including pieces like “Good Luck” (2014), features vibrant Whirling Logs and Rainbow People, deities representing protection. Cody’s solo exhibition at MoMA PS1 in Long Island City, Queens, includes explanatory wall labels to educate visitors on the Diné cultural significance of the Whirling Log.

Despite these efforts, institutions displaying work with the Whirling Log often face backlash and misunderstanding from non-Native visitors. Museums like MoMA PS1 include contextual text to mitigate confusion, yet many viewers persist in associating the symbol solely with Nazi propaganda, overshadowing its true meaning and importance to the Diné.

Historical Suppression and Revival

The historical suppression of the Whirling Log began when White settlers and trading post owners, who had significant influence over the Southwest Native American art market, pressured Diné artists to incorporate the symbol into their designs. This trend continued until the Nazi party appropriated and altered the swastika in the 1930s, leading to the symbol’s swift decline in use across the United States. In response, Diné, O’odham, Apache, and Hopi tribes signed a proclamation in 1940, renouncing the use of the symbol due to its new association with Nazism.

Economic Dependence and Artistic Autonomy

For decades, Diné artists were economically dependent on non-Native buyers, who dictated market trends and artistic styles. Today, however, new generations of Diné weavers have greater autonomy over their work and income sources. As Diné master fiber artist and shepherd Roy Kady stated, “Now, you’re the artist. Now, you’re in control of your own artistry, your interpretation of what you want to design and to weave.”

Despite this newfound control, some Diné artists remain cautious about using the Whirling Log due to potential economic consequences. Art containing the sacred symbol still struggles to find buyers, reflecting lingering biases and misunderstandings.

A Broader Context of Cultural Erasure

As the grandchildren of Holocaust survivors and those who endured the Navajo Long Walk, we are acutely aware of the dangers of cultural erasure. The misinterpretation of the Whirling Log as a Nazi symbol exemplifies this issue, as does the broader projection of antisemitism as a tool of erasure.

Non-Native curators and museums, while promoting decolonial art, often fall into historic patterns of dictating the market through settler tastes. This trend reflects a desire to display decolonial virtues, sometimes reducing the radical work of Indigenous artists to a performance of inclusivity. True recognition of Indigenous art requires centering Indigenous meaning, not just aesthetics.

The Path Forward

To foster genuine understanding and appreciation, contemporary art spaces must reflect on their biases and positionality. Indigenous art is experiencing increased visibility, and it is crucial to prioritize Indigenous voices and interpretations. As Artnews editor Alex Greenberger noted, “Cody’s whirling logs do make me uncomfortable, but that doesn’t mean her works that feature them should be taken down.” This discomfort highlights the persistent prioritization of the White viewer’s perspective in contemporary art.

The reclamation of the Whirling Log by Diné artists represents a broader struggle for artistic sovereignty and cultural preservation. By centering Indigenous meaning and challenging historical erasure, these artists are paving the way for a more inclusive and respectful appreciation of their rich cultural heritage.

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Source: https://hyperallergic.com/933272/why-native-artists-are-reclaiming-the-whirling-log/

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