The Gifts of Oral Storytelling–
Raven Chacon’s Still Life #3
By Jason Conrad Llaguno, 1/24/2018
uman culture is primarily rooted in the initial inceptions of communication and storytelling. Through the ability to recognize surroundings and subsequently articulate those observations, early humans have created traditions intertwined with both concrete and supernatural concepts. This understanding by early civilizations gives way to many interpretations regarding the world’s creation and the origins of man. One elucidation in particular utilizes color and light to describe divine beings of nature as well as notions of geography and meteorology. The Diné people of the now Western United States (better known as the Navajo) would relay stories in reference to the NíÅ‚ch’i dine’é (Air-Spirit People), four Worlds, Guardians of the Sky, and the first humans to conceive a civilization. Like many creation stories, the “Diné Bahane’” (“Story of the People”) is intrinsic to Navajo dogma and cultural
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understanding thus allowing for the legend to be passed down, ultimately finding the mouths of the contemporary Diné people. In the latest exhibition of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Transformer, artist Raven Chacon continues the tradition of his ancestors, yet incorporates the fluid nature of storytelling in his contemporary American Indian piece, Still Life, #3 (2015). Chacon’s use of modern technology and innovative integration of light and sound to the retelling of the “Diné Bahane’” breathes new life into the age-old creation story, consequently commenting on the complexity of the tale, as well as the importance of the Dinétradition and cultural practices as a whole. He wishes for the viewer to gain a general understanding of his ancestors and essentially put a modern twist to Diné storytelling.
Still Life, #3 is curated in a way that promotes various receptions of the “Diné Bahane’.” The original story is condensed into twenty-four glass panels of text, half of which are written in Navajo, and the other half in English. The two translations are placed above the other in an alternating fashion. These panels surround sixteen suspended analog speakers placed in a row, reaching from the ground toward the ceiling and then eventually plateauing around the top. Each Speaker omits a delayed female voice of Melvatha Chee, retelling parts of the creation story in the Diné language, creating an echo affect that fills the room. The curious sound is finally accompanied by the
methodical changing of lights that correspond with the sacred colors and time described in the Diné Bahane’: white (dawn), blue (midday), yellow (dusk), and black/red (night). This lighting affect shines through the glass panels of text, projecting shadows of the letters on the wall it is mounted on.
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Raven Chacon tailored each decision made in his piece to contribute to his message of neo-oral storytelling. The title itself subverts the consensus and general understanding of a “still life.” Usually a two-dimensional painting or drawing, Chacon uses the static nature of the medium as an antithetic tool in describing the transformative and moving nature of
storytelling. Though the story itself has carved its name on the walls of time as a single instance of stillness in life, the piece’s ever-changing property characterizes the act of oral tradition as progressive. The choice to incorporate English translations of the story are important in allowing the western world to understand the culture that was taken away through forced assimilation. Instead of pinning blame, Chacon extends a hand of empathy, providing a lens for outsiders to peak into his culture and be a part of Diné oral tradition. As each section of story is legibly written on the glass panels, the transparency of the canvas creates the illusion of floating text. This perceived hovering exemplifies storytelling’s trait of being a practice that floats through time and remains as not a concrete form of communication, but rather a fluid abstraction that can be seen differently, yet maintain its original substance. In incorporating the slowly changing lights programmed to correspond with real time daily hours, Chacon constructs a bridge between the colorful dimension of the Diné and the modern world. Those who experience the changing color are
immersed in the creation legend and given better reason to understand the Navajo. As the shifting light plays with the glass and reveals the shadows of the text, the projected shadows parallel the echoed expressions of Melvatha Chee as her voice constantly repeats the story of Diné Bahane’. The silhouette of the tale symbolizes the “shadows” of the past and those who have come before and told of the creation. The constant passing of tradition and the ethereal nature of the story is not only witnessed through the shadows, but through the echoing sounds of the story being audibly told in the Diné language. The voice itself represents the original life that manifested the story into the world. With every retelling, those who first spoke of the legends are revered as essential to its conception. The soothing voice and soft lighting sets a spiritual tone throughout the installation allowing the audience to understand the transcendent realm the story foretold of. The speakers are visually striking as well, mimicking a fluid and linear timeline, where the tale is repeatedly told from generation to generation.
It is not uncommon for the Diné people to use art and other physical manifestations as mediums to convey traditional stories and veneration. Traditionally, sacred garbs, tailored blankets, and weaved bowls would be adorned with images of various sacred characters, people, and actions that reference other stories pivotal to the Diné civilization. In the basketry bowls shown above, the images, though quite simple, are used to iterate complex stories of Holy People and ancient theories on life. The bowl to the left represents the paths of life and decision that one may make, gradually growing and becoming wiser as one progresses. The bowl to the right is similar to the story told by Chacon, where the image
represents the introduction of Spider Woman and her cosmic contribution to the Diné people. Spider Man would bare the tools and equipment needed to weave and Spider Woman taught the civilization how to utilize the tools and create objects such as baskets and bowls. Spider Woman’s power extends beyond this where she has the power to weave a map of the universe. The supernatural aspects of this story align with the worlds outlined in the Diné Bahane’. Through this shared expression of storytelling, Chacon and his ancestors are set on a similar plane where one exemplifies the other and vice versa, despite being separated by time. The art of oral storytelling transcends
the horological barrier and contributes the same goal of respect and tradition. In the past, popular culture has led many to wrongfully believe that civilizations such as the Diné are stagnant people with static mindsets, where stringent parameters of thought are essential to the culture. Through his piece Still Life, #3, Chacon successfully translates his message of oral tradition through his wide variety of elements geared toward his retelling of the creation story. He masterfully incorporates the ancient art of the narrative which is something personally important to me. Chacon was able to revitalize an old tale that is at risk of falling out of the public view along with the marginalized people who originally conceived it. Contemporary voices such as Raven Chacon and the other artists displayed in the Transformer exhibition at the NMAI are using their art to combat this popular mindset and sow a place for Native Americans in the 21st century society. Through their understanding of their lineage and modern tactics of stimulus, early native civilization will remain to be relevant; their ancient stories, like the wind, will perpetually be flowing throughout the contemporary world.