Ramp It Up: Skateboard Culture in Native America
May 22, 2009 – 8:00 pm PT by MikeTags: Art, Exhibit, Native Americans, Photo, Ramp it Up, Skate —
It’s not unusual for Native Americans to have their culture shamelessly appropriated into pro sports; baseball has the Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves, football has the Washington Redskins and the Kansas City Chiefs, hockey has the Chicago Blackhawks, and Street Fighter II has Thunderhawk, or T.Hawk for short. It seems as though sports and Native American culture seem to go together like oil and vinegar. It is trully a love/hate relationship, with many American sports fans loving to make the tomahawk arm motion otherwise known as the “tomahawk chop”, and many Native American Indians hating them for doing it. But can you blame them? What if the roles were reversed and Native Americans started emulating clenched butt cheeks and dancing out of rhythm everytime their favorite team, named after a typical white stereotype made a score. Exactly!
Here’s some news that would make Sitting Bull turn in his grave: apparently for some Native American youth, life isn’t all about peace pipes, casinos and finding ones “spirit animal”. Instead of battling at Little Big Horn, they would rather battle in a game of SKATE at Little Big Horn. It’s not unusal for a bunch of Native American skaters to throw their decks into the back of their Jeep Cherokee or Pontiac Super Chief, look for local skate spots that have smooth banks and curbs, so that they can bust out tricks and clean lines for their “sponser me” video. Gone are the days of battle axes and bows and arrows, now it’s all about boards and bros. I guess they figured it was about that time to take something back from the “man” one heel flip at a time.
Ramp it Up celebrates the vibrancy, creativity, and controversy of American Indian skate culture. Skateboarding combines demanding physical exertion with design, graphic art, filmmaking, and music to produce a unique and dynamic culture. One of the most popular sports on Indian reservations, skateboarding has inspired American Indian and Native Hawaiian communities to host skateboard competitions and build skate parks to encourage their youth. Native entrepreneurs own skateboard companies and sponsor community-based skate teams. Native artists and filmmakers, inspired by their skating experiences, credit the sport with teaching them a successful work ethic. The exhibition features rare and archival photographs and film of Native skaters as well as skatedecks from Native companies and contemporary artists.
The show runs from June 12, 2009–September 13, 2009 at the NMAI on the National Mall, in Washington DC.
