Drum 19th century

Curator: I'm immediately struck by how ancient this looks; it’s both fragile and imposing. Editor: It does have that effect. We're looking at a "Drum" crafted sometime in the 19th century by the Hopi Tribe or a group within the Shoshonean family. It's currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Curator: A drum made with collage and textile, among the several mediums that incorporate the construction materials of the work. The colors seem muted, organic. I wonder what it sounded like, if it could still sing. Editor: The making would involve a sourcing and curing of wood, stretching animal hide, weaving, and securing the construction via meticulous labor, reflecting practical usage needs as much as ceremonial importance. Curator: Thinking about the materials used brings a somber tone to my mind: the sacrifice of those raw materials… the trees felled, the animals given. Does this shift your understanding about its use or what is represented? Editor: Well, that shift underscores a complex exchange. It is both labor, a communal creation, and the deployment of natural resources, hinting at a profound interdependence. This wasn’t just a craft it represents culture itself. Curator: I find myself wondering about its resonance in those ceremonies. Can you almost feel the rhythmic vibrations just looking at it, envision the dances, the invocations carried within its beat? Editor: I would ask if the material, shaped through communal effort, elevates utility to ritual—redefining art through participation. What you’re seeing isn’t just history on display; it's an active testament to continuity, resilience. Curator: Considering the meticulous assemblage, perhaps a testament not just to its functional purpose but as a potent symbol. I mean what are we willing to give our entire being and skill, in order to manifest our connection with spirit, a soul perhaps. Editor: To me, understanding the indigenous material base—how limited resources shape both aesthetic choices and cultural meaning, as well as challenging our ideas around labor practices helps to reclaim power. It becomes a political and ecological statement against any Western-dominated artistic legacy. Curator: And sometimes a work speaks through its presence, a raw presence, demanding not analysis, but empathy, feeling beyond thought, seeing beyond mere image. Editor: True. Its tangible rawness roots its stories within specific territories of tradition; offering both resistance and resourcefulness when you begin to connect the lineage to what its origins are.