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As my children grow into their teenage years, I no longer watch PBS for Sesame Street; I watch it for the programming my mother used to watch, which I thought was “so boring.” Now I love those programs! In fact, a program called “NATIVE AMERICA Women Rule” on PBS sparked my interest in Indigenous body art.
PBS does a great job of showcasing the diverse ways Native women carry forward deep traditions to better their communities, lands, and the world. An indigenous artist named Jamie Okuma was most interesting to me as she reminded me about how fashion is body art.
Okuma took a pair of shoes and went to work on her craft by hand. She beaded every single inch of those shoes, and wow, they are stunning. In fact, she has a whole line of footwear she was asked about. Okuma told Footwear News, “I was shopping on Yoox, and mom said, ‘Too bad there isn’t a way for you to combine your shopping issue with what you do,” said Okuma. “We wondered if I could actually bead on ultra-luxe shoes and boots. So I gambled on a pair of Christian Louboutins, not knowing if I could pull it off or if I was going to destroy a $900 pair of shoes.”
Okuma specializes in one-of-a-kind pieces that are hand-executed exclusively by the artist herself in all details of the process while also designing ready-to-wear fashion.
Some of the characteristics of Native American/indigenous art that transcend cultural and geographical differences are the artists all strive to create a sense of harmony, or order, in their works. Using geometric shapes and symbols, animals, and even abstraction was also a means of communication with their Creator.
By definition, body art is a unique form of artistic expression that involves modifying or enhancing one’s body to create visually stunning and meaningful designs.
To date, I have experimented with the following body art:
- Tattoos
- Face painting
- Henna
- Piercings
- Jewelry
- (for a complete list, go to)
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