Dear Jack, Christine and All,

'Coincidentally', a correspondent just sent me the following extract from:

INDIGENOUS WORLDVIEWS
A Comparative Study
A Report on Research in progress by
Te Ahukaramu Charles Royal
For
Ngati Kikopiri
Te Wananga-o-Raukawa
Te Puni Kokiri-Ministry for Maori Development
Fulbright New Zealand
Winston Churchill Memorial Trust
Version Prepared, 21 February 2002

INDIGENOUS WORLDVIEWS - A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Te Ahukaramu Charles Royal


Art
Art is a kind of a vehicle that is much more than just the production of an 
object.rather it is a kind of a

journey that one takes within oneself and then brings forward or births 
forward this expression of that

journey, a snap shot if you will of that process that has been a part of the 
making and the remaking of the

individual artist. And this is a spiritual act. It's a meditative act. It's 
an act of reaffirmation of one's creative

self. It's also an expression, in all cases, of both the individual and the 
culture from which that individual

comes from, the kinds of issues that they may have, either positive or 
negative, across the gamut of things, with

regard to that culture.



.each artist is a kind of a representative of a certain time and place where 
that culture happens to be at.

all the different individuals that are practising art are at different 
places in this spectrum of identity, finding

identity, finding face, finding heart, finding foundation. They're different 
stages of that and they're going to

express through their art a reflection of that stage that they're in. Now 
going back to the traditional way in

which art was produced, it was produced with very specific intentions. It 
was, in a sense, a prayer, it was the

embodiment of a prayer so that the entire act of creating that piece of art 
from the thought or the intention

entering into the mind of the artist, or in some cases, in some tribes, an 
artist being approached and being

asked to create a certain kind of art for a certain purpose, from that 
moment on, the conception of that artistic

thought that was going to be embodied, you had a whole process that the 
traditional artist would go through.

First of all they would incubate, think about how exactly they would 
approach the production of this special

form of art. They would then probably go into some kind of meditation or 
prayer for guidance, with regards to

having a clear intention and also a clear vision, a clear sense of what 
needed to happen. And they would, in

some cases, they would wait for a vision, they would cry for a vision, go 
for a four day fast, and cry for a

vision. And in that vision would come to them the information that they 
needed in order in a sense go forward

and start this creation of the art.



Then there would be a special phase where they would look for the special 
kinds of materials that they needed.

In certain kinds of art forms it might be a lightening struck tree that had 
to be found. Certain kinds of

plants that were going to be used as colours or part of the fibres. You 
know, just a whole gamut of things.

Now all of these, they had to have, they had to make offerings to these 
various forces of nature that were going

to come together in this creation.



Then there would be the whole creation itself. Vigil, almost like one would 
hold a vigil for something to be

born, the making of it was a very special kind of act, in which certain 
ingredients, certain kinds of

materials had to be brought together in just such a way.and when the work 
was finally finished, it was

commemorated in some way. You know, it was an embodiment of this whole 
process of vision, and then its

culmination was in the presentation of that art object for the purpose for 
which it was made. You know, the

consecration. In some cases, it might have been a special sacred vessel that 
would be used in a ceremony. and

of course if it was done in that form it would have symbols that would 
identify it as a very special kind of

object to be used for that ceremony, or for that purpose or to be given to 
individuals for certain kinds of needs,

or for healing.all of these were highly charged with intention, with prayer, 
with meditation.

.the signing (of an art work) was indeed to individualise that and was to 
move oneself apart from the group.

And so traditional art forms were created for very particular group purposes 
and they were done for very

specific kinds of events and purposes and uses. Once those pieces were 
created, they were no longer the

possession of the individual. They became the possession of the group, both 
in terms of the present time, and

the past and also the future.



. you can these kinds of transitions of thinking and also, in some cases, 
synthesis of thinking, in some cases

conflict of thinking in artists, in kinds of works that they have done.you 
can follow the unfolding of the

contemporary indigenous mindset through following the works of artists, as 
the artists are always expressing

where they are at.



.anything created from a very deep place from within oneself, that has 
meaning, that has an energy that one

has imbued it, with is going to have a presence and its going to be art, 
from my perspective. There is a very big

difference between art that is manufactured and art that is created.

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Though I might change a little of the wholistic language, this relates very 
strongly to some of my own feelings, as given in my anthology, 'Natural 
Communion', which can be downloaded from www.inclusional-reseaarch.org.


Warmest

Alan


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jack Whitehead" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, April 10, 2008 2:12 PM
Subject: Re: A note from the 2007-8 e-seminar convenor


Welcome to Christine Standing who joins the e-seminar today. Christine's
professional practice is in art therapy and here are some of Christine's
interests:

a)  primarily, I know which aspect of professional practice (art therapy) I
want to improve.  I want to bring in to the picture the theological (not
simply spiritual) dimension; this was missing during my training.
b)  For the City University 'my personal learning goal' is to develop a way
of speaking about art that includes the spiritual and that may be spoken of
theologically and soundly.  (from the Christian perspective)
c)  I want to begin with paintings.  My own; my clients, (and theology
students for exegesis.)  Cycles of inquiry will evaluate and re-evaluate
which I am doing.
d)  My subsequent step will be, to go back to the creative process and
narrate it and in tracking that, say why I am making the decisions I am.  I
expect my explanations of ontological values and epistemology with develop
through this.  (And a Sat 7 person has offered to film me doing this.)
e) Find some 'friends', Kant, Schopenauer, Nietzche, Polanyi to substantiate
my views.  However, the art comes first, the description of it, and my
esteemed friends come second!


Christine - welcome to the e-seminar. I think you are focusing on issues
that will resonate with a focus of some of the recent postings on breaking
free from constraints of traditional scholarship. If the present threads
don't relate clearly with your interests do please begin one that does.

Love Jack.