As the Crow Flies

Artist: Peter Jemison, b. 1945

Culture/People: Seneca

Place: Northeast

Media: Handmade paper and acrylic paint

Dims: 15 x 10 x 8 in. (38.1 x 25.4 x 20.3 cm)

Date: 1986

Description: “I always wonder how many people walk past this humble re-interpretation of a painted hide drawing. Jemison conceives of these bags as modern parfleches. The designs are a tribute to Caddoan swirls, borrowed from ancestral Moundbuilder cultures, c. 1400-1500. The piece is also a homage to the Apsaalooke (Crow) community. Jemison is one of the great Native intellects of his generation, facilitating great gains in a broader respect for an understanding of Indigenous peoples.” —Bruce Bernstein, Phd.

RTC No: NA1168
Gift of Ralph T. Coe, 2011