Frame drum
Date2020
Place MadeSeattle, Washington, United States
Serial No.None
SignedHandwritten inside baggage tag: Karuk Louis Vuitton / Drum 1.1, 2020 / by Fox SpearsMarkingsStamped on leather baggage tag: LOUIS VUITTON / PARIS / made in franceStamped on metal rivets: LOUIS VUITTONDescriptionInspired by centuries of tradition among the Karuk of northwestern California, this square drum and beater incorporate pieces of a Louis Vuitton Keepall Bandoulière 50 bag. Stretched on a cedar frame, the deer hide heads are laced with rawhide. Some elements of the original bag were left unchanged, like the familiar handles and luggage tag. Historically, it was common for Native people to use trade items, likely both for convenience and to convey status.
Commenting on historical non-Native accounts of Karuk culture, in which the accumulation of goods signaled power and position, the maker chose to use this modern luxury brand as a way to reference the colonial past. According to Spears, “this drum is a symbol of the juxtaposition between pre-contact Native cultural traditions and modern Euro-American displays of wealth.” Many contemporary indigenous artists express and process the complexity of the modern Native experience by reworking traditional artforms.
Drums like this were used in games of chance, where singing and drumming played an important role – conjuring good luck for one’s team.
DimensionsLength: 15.5in
Width: 15.5in
Height: 3.25 inProvenancePurchased new from the Stonington Gallery, Seattle, Washington.Published ReferencesNMM catalog: _As Good as Gold: The First 50 Years (1973-2023)_. Vermillion, SD: National Music Museum, 2023. (pp. 80, 94-95)
Credit LinePurchase funds gift of the Clayton & Odessa Lang Ofstad Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee, 2022
Object number15667
On View
Not on view
1625-1675 ca.
