REVIEW: Native Truths: Our Voices, Our Stories at the Field Museum

Native Truths at the Field Museum. Photo courtesy Alejandro Hernandez.

REVIEW
Native Truths: Our Voices, Our Stories
New Permanent Exhibition
The Field Museum
1400 S. Lake Shore Dr.
Chicago, IL 60605

By Alejandro Hernandez

Chicago was founded on indigenous land, full stop. However, as imperialism expanded disguised as manifest destiny expanded, so too did the violence and erasure toward the many Native tribes that resided in the area. In spite of this, Chicago still has a vibrant Indigenous community, boasting the third largest urban Native American population in the country. While the Field Museum acknowledges they played a role in this erasure and can’t change the errors of the past, Native Truths is an attempt to create dialogue for a new beginning. The platform is given to contemporary Indigenous artists and community members to share their art, history, and culture in a way that’s never been done before.

Regalia made by Norma Robertson, Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota, ca. early 2000s. Cloth, ribbon, glass beads, purchased by the Field Museum in 2012. Made for her daughter and granddaughter to wear to powwows, dances and other events. The colors and beadwork patterns are typical Dakota designs. Image by Alejandro Hernandez, courtesy the Field Museum.

Native Truths is primarily centered around contributions from a handful of key artists, with a myriad of artifacts and pieces from their Indigenous communities as a whole in between. One of the first displays presented the handmade workings of beadwork artist Karen Ann Hoffman. In her artist statement, she recalls being once told by an archaeologist that “civilization didn’t start until written word. This struck me as incomplete.” This statement sets the tone for Native Truths as a whole, as visitors become engulfed by an entire culture of which they previously might have had no access due to unfair and racist erasure. Expect to spend more time than you might anticipate in order to truly take in everything, especially given how many interactive pieces there are. 

Standout attractions include a video game called Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna) created by Paul Ongtooguk, which challenges any notions that video games can't be art or storytelling tools. An exhibit curated by Lakota hip-hop artist Frank Waln includes original music being played from speakers and a beat-making machine for visitors to test their production chops. Towards the end of the exhibit is an overhead speaker which you can stand beneath to listen to poems from high school students. Native Truths literally spans generations of Indigenous culture and history in a way that’s fun and accessible for the whole family. Get lost in taking in every single artifact and absorb the knowledge from the people whose land we stand on. Anything less would be a disservice.

Like what you’re reading? Consider donating a few dollars to our writer’s fund and help us keep publishing every Monday.