Life in the Hoopa Valley Roberta Werdinger/Special for The Willits News/Photos by Clay McGlaughlin/The Times-Standard Posted: 11/17/2013 02:38:19 AM PST | Updated: 8 days ago (Editors note: This article is reprinted with permission of The Willits News. The exhibit described was at the Grace Hudson Museum in Ukiah before coming to the Clarke Museum in Eureka. “Natinixwe” is pronounced “nah-tee-nah-way.”) Regalia maker Bradley Marshall will give a special presentation at the Clarke Historical Museum on its new exhibit, “Natinixwe: The Hupa People,” from 1 to 3 p.m. on Dec. 14. The exhibition showcases historic photos of the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation community during the 1940s and 1950s taken by Ernest (Ernie) Leland Marshall Jr., Bradley Marshalls grandfather. In addition, regalia created by Bradley Marshall are on display, along with paintings by Hupa artists Loren Lavine and Marlette Grant-Jackson. The Hupa tribe lives in the northeast corner of Humboldt County on the largest reservation in the state of California. The Trinity River flows through the middle of the valley they inhabit; the rivers semiannual salmon runs are still an important part of Hupa peoples lives. The Hupa have been unusually successful in maintaining and preserving their lifestyle and traditions in an era of rapid social and cultural change, when loss of tribal history and culture has been common in other parts of the state. Ernest Marshall Jr. (1913-1961) was a founding member of the Hoopa Valley Tribal Government (one of the first successful self-governing tribal structures in the nation) and a photographer whose thousands of prints provide a diverse portrait of the lifestyle and traditions of the Hupa people. These include compelling photographs of ceremonial dances such as the Brush Dance and the White Deerskin Dance. While it is usually forbidden to take photos of the dances, Ernie Marshall was given special permission to do so by the dance leaders of the time. Intricate regalia is worn by the participants in these ceremonies, requiring a vast array of natural materials that are carefully gathered and painstakingly prepared for use. These include such things as clam shells, deer hide, bear grass, leather, abalone, pine nuts and numerous types of feathers, including those of the California condors, which used to fly above the Hoopa Valley. ”My father always told me that when you are making something, you have to be in a good place,” Bradley Marshall said. “You have to have good thoughts, because what youre feeling, whatever youre experiencing, it will show in your work. And with the pieces I create, I know they are going to outlive me. A life span is pretty short, when you think about it. But the pieces Im creating, I know are going to be here and be used for several generations.” ”I was taught that a piece of regalia is not alive until it is danced. Or you could say that the spirits that were in the animals that I used come back into the piece and form a new life. One of the things that Ive always been told is that regalia that I make, I dont own. Im just a holder. The holder is almost like a parent with a child, its my responsibility to house them, to make sure that theyre maintained. And then its my responsibility to run that regalia all over, wherever the dances are going on, wherever its supposed to be, it is my responsibility to make sure it gets to that place.” ”Natinixwe: The Hupa People” is on exhibit until Dec. 30. The Clarke Historical Museum is located at 240 E St. in Old Town. Admission is a suggested donation of $3 per person or $5 per family; admission is free to members or on the first Saturday of the month. For more information, call 443-1947 or visit clarkemuseum.org.
Posted on: Mon, 02 Dec 2013 20:41:33 +0000
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