Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 4, Number 12, 1 December 1987 — Established Through Federal Grant [ARTICLE]

Established Through Federal Grant

Keale Heads lnstitute for Native Arts, Culture

The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, New Mexico, has been providing training and support services for the continuance and development of American Indian Arts since an Executive Order signed bv President John F. Kennedv.

Until recently, IAIA was federally funded through the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and had its studios and museum/exhibition space located at an Indian school near downtown Santa Fe. Since 1962, the philosophy of the LAIA has been to prepare "a student to function comfortably and effectively as an Indian member of the general American society— knowledge of his/her heritage, secure in his/her identity, and skilled in some areas of fine arts or other areas related to Indian culture.

The IAIA has sought to allow its students to discover both traditional and contemporary skills and techniques of visual art while also encouraging them to explore their own personal meaning of their own "cultural history". Interest in the IAIA began with the passage of a bill in Congress to provide funds to both Native American Indians, Aleuts and Inuits, and Native Hawaiians for the deve!opment of "Institutes" dedicated to the development of native arts and culture. A grant through the U.S. Department of the Interior to the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum for the next four years has been provided to establish such an "institute" here. Chairman of this "institute" is Moses K. Keale Sr., who is also the Chairman of the Office of Hawaiian

Affairs Board of Trustees. Other members are the president of the Bishop Museum, the president of the University of Hawaii, 10 appointed members from Hawaiian communities and U.S. Congressman Daniel K. Akaka. as honorarv member.

Keale and OHA Culture Affairs Officer Maleolm Naea Chun recently spent five days in New Mexico visiting the IAIA and meeting with officials and representatives of the institute, the New Mexico Museum system and Indian Pueblos. Their mission was twofold: to leam what Native American Indians have done through the IAIA and what plans are now in store for their new "institute"; and to meet with Native American Indian representatives to discuss matters related to OHA such as eeonomie development, arts and culture, tourism and native rights.

They were impressed by the state of native arts and crafts in New Mexico, whieh, according to one of the tourist pamphlets, is the third ranking fine arts centers in the United States. Native artisans and craftsmen are able to find markets and reasonable compensation for their works and the tourist and art collectors are able to purchase quality and authentic products. Equally impressive was the IAIA training program whieh offers an Associate of Fine Arts degree and the plans to offer a four-year college degree in the arts and culture. This is possible for the IAIA as its facilities are now mostly located on the campus of the College of Santa Fe.

Keale and Chun were also visitors to the state operated Museum of New Mexico and its recently opened Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (MIAC). There they met Ed Ladd, former Hawaii resident familiar with Hawaiian culture. Ladd worked for the National Parks Service in Hawaii from the ear!y 60s. A Zuni Indian, Ladd retired from the Parks Service returned home to New Mexico to become the ethnology curator at MIAC. This new facility presents Indian treasures and contemporary arts and Indian culture from the perspective of the Native American Indian.

Lastly, the OHA pair was able to meet with officials from the Eight Northern Indian Pueblo Council in San Juan PuebIo. Over hot ehili and Indian tacos, they were able to discuss how tourism affects the native culture and the arts market, and on other matters related to native peoples. They passed on information concerning OHA and agreed to share materials and information of mutual benefit.

Keale and Chun noted that it is interesting to see how Native Americans are beginning to want to meet and to share ideas and dreams together, because while they were meeting with officials in Santa Fe, the dancers from Halau o Kekuhi of Hilo, Hawaii, were visiting the various Pueblos demonstrating Hawaiian dance, crafts and story-telling. In fact a beautiful poster of a hula dancer was made to commemorate the occasion with a Pueblo background.