McMaster's Reservation X

The relationship between the urban areas and the Indian reservations has been ever changing. There was a time in the post-war period when Indian artists believed that forming into the mainstream would help them become identified as artists. In his essay Reservation X, Gerald McMaster writes about how the importance has now shifted back to the reservation as "home." McMaster believes that it is the connection and blending of modern urban experiences and the old reservation styles that have launched Indian artists to another place in modern art.

The importance of the reservation to Indian culture is undeniable Ð'- it is the isolation that has allowed their traditions to endure and not be forgotten in the mainstream. McMaster argues that the reservation is not limited to the physical boundaries of itself, but continues as an idea carried by Indians living in all different places. A film script by Shelley Niro, about living on "the rez", inspired the term, Reservation X. In the film script Reservation X refers to a specific reservation, the Grand Pine Indian Reservation. McMaster uses this term in a more general way, referring to "a reality of place for contemporary Indian people." The explanation McMaster gives of what the "X" is furthers his push to the enormous contradictory nature of the idea behind the reservation. Originally used as an almost Indian prison, the "X" refers to how the tribal chiefs were made to sign their name in land treaties. The contradiction comes in because although the "X" is supposed to show an understanding, it in turns shows an inarticulation of their actual intelligence and further reinforces the known stereotypes of the time.

In the post-war period many Indian artists tried to move away from the reservation, but later in the 1960's there was a movement back to them. Originally the reserves were an obstacle to get around, a way to marginalize the Indians. For most of the Indian people the reserves represent the old ways. Although about half of the Indian population lives outside the reservation, usually in cities, the appeal to come back home has drastically increased. McMaster states that, "for many, this does not mean a return to the margins; rather, it is a return to the centre of activity, which provides points of reference for those in search of a dialogue with identity and community (p.22)." McMaster then goes on to explain the way in which this change of mind almost begins to invert the stereotype that the reservation is so distant from reality. It has become more common for many on the reservation to leave for higher education and then come back to their community and share their talents. Indian artists have done much the same thing, leaving the reservation in search of identity but eventually realizing that their true identity will always be tied to the community. McMaster suggests, "That between two or more communities Ð'- reserve and urban Ð'- there exist a socially ambiguous zone, a site of articulation for the aboriginal contemporary artist that is frequently crossed, experienced, interrogated, and negotiated. (p.28)." This is what McMaster is trying to get across, the idea of blending the differences.

The idea of reference points becomes very important in the works created by Indian artists; because of their drastically different reference points, they have tried to convey this ambiguity to their viewers through different means. The example of Rebecca Belmore