First American Art Magazine No. 18, Spring 2018 | Page 11

LETTERS TO FAAM BENJAMIN NICHOLAS & BELIZE’S GARIFUNA PAINTERS I THE KESHI FOUNDATION: DREAMING BIG FOR THE ARTISTS OF ZUNI PUEBLO T HANK YOU FOR THE WONDERFUL ARTICLE about the Keshi Foundation. Staci and you did a masterful job and we have received a lot of response. I know many Zunis saw it, as we discussed it at length at Shalako this past weekend. As you may or may not know, we have decided not to do the Zuni Show in 2018. Its huge success created a need for increased support, and we are taking a year off to reorganize. This will also give us an opportunity to continue our mission of creating a presence in Zuni in order to positively and economi- cally impact the community there. Thank you for your amazing support in so many ways. We will keep you in touch with our Zuni projects. We appreciate you and hope you will come see us when you are in Santa Fe. E’ lah’kwa, Robin Dunlap The Keshi Foundation Sorry to hear that the Zuni Show won’t take place this year, but your desire to produce the best event as opposed to the most frequent is understandable. I’ll eagerly anticipate its return in future years, and I look forward to hearing about future developments by the Keshi Foundation. I’m particularly inter- ested in your efforts to improve internet access at Zuni. Keep up the good work! —America Meredith N FAAM NO. 17, WINTER 2017/18, I was delighted to find an in-depth article on Garifuna artists that explores a complex history, showcases many brilliant paintings, and makes meaningful references to artists working in diverse genres. The colorful artwork of Pen Cayetano first caught my eye and drew me to the insightful analysis. In 2010, he came, along with two other Garifuna cultural activists, Egbert Higinio and Sidney Mejia, to present to my students in a research writing course at UC Berkeley, “Beyond Shaman or Savage: Modern Native Peoples, Nations, and Cultures.” Cayetano discussed how he developed punta rock in 1979 as he sought a way to involve the youth in traditional culture. The article too mentions Cayetano’s pioneering role in creating this hybrid genre. At the presentation for my students, Cayetano and Mejia used the talking drum and bass drum to play five of the 21 different rhythms the Garifuna customarily play: punta (courtship), hungu-hungu (spiritual), wanaragua (harvest dance/battle), paranda (rite of passage, flirt), and gunjai. Sydney Mejia explained, “These days we don’t war with guns anymore; we war with music,” and discussed how “the dancers control the musicians,” whereas the reverse is often the case in many other forms of music. Thank you! Michelle Baptiste El Cerrito, CA Thank you for the supportive letter and for your willingness to share my essay. As a historian, I am also intrigued by the relationships between artistic practices and activism, and hope to learn more about these connections as I continue with my research. As you note, Pen Cayetano and other Garifuna artists provide us with excellent examples of how to approach the past and its legacies in ways that “speak to the youth.” —Peter Szok, PhD We welcome your letters to the editor! If we print your letter, we will send you a free copy of that issue of the magazine. Please email your letters to: [email protected] or­ mail letters to: FIRST AMERICAN ART MAGAZINE Attention: Editor 133 24th Avenue NW #126 Norman, OK 73069 SPRING 2018 | 9