Native American Art & Cultural Heritage Objects



Unidentified Zuñi artist, Pot with black feather motifs on neck and shoulder, ca. 1900, clay with pigment Unidentified Zuni artist, Pot with black feather motifs on neck and shoulder, ca. 1900, clay with pigment, Gift of Stanley B. and Caroline Stein (1997.08.050)
Unidentified Nez Percé artist, Woven grass bag with square pattern on one side and triangle pattern on other, ca. 1900, twined grasses Unidentified Nez Percé artist, Woven grass bag with square pattern on one side and triangle pattern on other, ca. 1900, twined grasses, Gift of Stanley B. and Caroline Stein (1997.08.027)
Unidentified Crow (Apsáalooke) artist, Wedding Moccasins, early 20th century, rawhide with beads Unidentified Crow (Apsáalooke) artist, Wedding Moccasins, early 20th century, rawhide with beads, The Bush Collection of Religion and Culture (C00.1483.347a-b)
Unidentified Navajo (Diné) artist, Child's Blanket, 1870-1880, wool yarn with natural and aniline dyes Unidentified Navajo (Diné) artist, Child's Blanket, 1870-1880, wool yarn with natural and aniline dyes, Gift of Stanley B. and Caroline Stein (1997.08.053)
Unidentified Zia artist, Polychrome pot with yellow birds separated by double red lines, ca. 1920, clay with pigment Unidentified Zia artist, Polychrome pot with yellow birds separated by double red lines, ca. 1920, clay with pigment, Gift of Stanley B. and Caroline Stein (1997.08.049)
Unidentified Zuñi artist, Zuñi Kachina Painting: Kakali (Eagle), made before 1940, pencil, ink, and watercolor on poster board Unidentified Zuni artist, Kokko (Kachina) painting: Kakali (Eagle), ca. 1930, pencil, ink, and watercolor on poster board, The Bush Collection of Religion and Culture (C00.1483.252)
Waldo Mootzka (Hopi, 1910-1940), Navajo Medicine Ceremony Singers, 1930s, oil on board Waldo Mootzka (Hopi, 1910-1940), Navajo Medicine Ceremony Singers, 1930s, oil on board, The Bush Collection of Religion and Culture (C00.1483.390)
Unidentified Ancestral Puebloan artist, Water jug decorated with swirling patterns, ca. 1200, clay with pigment Unidentified Ancestral Puebloan artist, Water jug decorated with swirling patterns, ca. 1200, clay with pigment, Gift of Stanley B. and Caroline Stein (1997.08.013)

All works in Art Properties, Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University in the City of New York

THE COLLECTION

Columbia University’s Art Properties collection, based in Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, includes about 500 objects made mostly during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries by mostly unidentified American Indian and Native Alaskan artists and makers. The collection is predominantly from the Southwest (Navajo/Diné and Pueblo nations), but also includes objects made by Plains Indians, Inupiat, Nez Percé, and other American Indian tribes. Also in the collection are twenty-six ceramic vessels made by unidentified Ancestral Puebloan and Mimbres peoples of the Southwest, dating from about 1000-1200 CE. (Art Properties also holds works of art and cultural heritage objects made by unidentified Indigenous peoples of Canada, Mexico, and Central/South America, but this webpage focuses on US-related Native American tribes.)

Like all objects in the Art Properties collection, these cultural heritage objects and works of art support the educational mission of the University. Students, faculty, and outside scholars may consult these objects for research and study, as well as for curricular integration and educational programs. Indigenous community members are welcome and encouraged to view the objects in our care. For more information and to schedule an appointment, please see our contact information below.

The first part of the Native American collection was brought together in the 1920s and 1930s by Wendell T. Bush (1866-1941), a Columbia philosophy professor interested in global religions and rituals, who encouraged students to learn directly from the objects in his care. After his death, the collection was stewarded by the Department of Religion, put on display (first in Low Library, then in Kent Hall), and had a curator oversee it and add objects over time to enhance its use as a study collection. In the early 1980s, the collection was accessioned into Art Properties and gradually objects were transferred to the department for preservation and continued access for education and research. The Bush collection includes objects from East Asia and other parts of the globe, but it is predominantly a Native American collection. Provenance research on the Bush collection is ongoing.

The second part was acquired in 1997 when 63 Native American works of art, predominantly ceramics and textiles, were approved by the Provost-appointed Committee on Art Properties as a gift-in-kind from husband and wife Columbia alum Stanley B. Stein and Caroline Stein. The Stein gift also included 45 photogravures by Edward Curtis from his multi-volume book and portfolio series The North American Indian (1907-1930), a complete set of which is available for consultation in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library (B302.82 C942 13V Folio & F-Flat). Provenance research on the Stein collection is ongoing.


NAGPRA & ART PROPERTIES

In 1990, the US government passed NAGPRA, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (Pub.L. 101-601; 25 U.S.C. 3001-3013;104 Stat. 3048-3058). This law provides a means by which federally recognized American Indian tribes can seek repatriation for the human remains of their ancestors, as well as funerary and sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony, that have been stored, studied, and displayed in museums and other institutions throughout the United States. According to the National Park Service’s NAGPRA website, the law was passed by Congress “to encourage a continuing dialogue between museums and Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations and to promote a greater understanding between the groups while at the same time recognizing the important function museums serve in society by preserving the past.” Because it receives federal funds, the University must comply with NAGPRA regulations, even though there is no museum at Columbia.

This webpage is an effort on the part of Art Properties to provide transparency and awareness about the Native American objects in our care as we strive toward the highest professional standards for ethical and consented stewardship with these objects. This includes fulfilling the requirements of NAGPRA through consultations and dialogues with American Indian and Native Alaskan tribes.

The 1997 gift of Native American objects from the Steins initiated action by Art Properties to begin work toward compliance with NAGPRA through consultation letters with numerous federally recognized American Indian tribes. Since then Art Properties has continued working with colleagues in Columbia University Libraries, as well as across the University, to ensure continuing compliance with NAGPRA. Click here to read more about the work completed by Art Properties as of August 2021. A new round of consultation correspondence and collection summaries have begun to be sent out as of July 2023, with this work and proactive follow-up communication continuing through the academic year. This work is ongoing and updates will be posted on this webpage over time as well.

 


DOCUMENTATION, RESEARCH, & DISPLAYS

Below is a list of links to resources demonstrating how the Native American objects in Art Properties have been organized, cataloged, stewarded, displayed, and researched in support of Columbia University’s educational mission. In 2022 and 2023, Art Properties received awards from the Columbia University Libraries’ Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness (ADEI) program, which supported research projects on aspects of the collection by two graduate students, as well as rehousing and imaging of selected objects.

 

Documentation

 

Student Research Reports

 

 

Displays

 

 


CONTACT INFORMATION

Art Properties is committed to consultations with American Indian and Native Alaskan tribal nations as part of its mission to maintain professional standards of ethical stewardship for the University collections. This includes proactively fulfilling the requirements of the federal government’s Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. For all inquiries and communications regarding Art Properties collections, including NAGPRA and our Indigenous collections, and to schedule an appointment to view objects in the collections, see our contact information below.

Location
Avery Library

Hours
Monday – Friday, 1:00 - 4:00 PM for research appointments

Contact 212-854-2877
artproperties@library.columbia.edu

Staff
Roberto C. Ferrari, Curator
Lillian Vargas, Administrative Assistant
Eric J. Reisenger, Art Handler