Art historian and curator Betty Ann Brown states:
"Constructed of handmade paper on armatures
of bent branches, the Tree People range from a singular head
with a profile recalling the Maya Indians of Southern Mexico, to a
ghostly deer skull with spiny twig antlers, to a haunting face with
tangled roots for a head. Tree People can be considered totems,
that is, emblems for the mythic beings that watch over or protect groups
of humans.
"Vallejo’s Tree People resemble
totemic depictions of the Native Americans who live on the Northwest
Pacific Coast of Alaska, Washington and Oregon. Northwest Coast totem
poles are tall cedar posts carved with stacked symbolic images that
are erected outside ceremonial long houses.
"The word 'totem' comes
from Ojibwa, one of the languages spoken by Native Americans from
the Great Lakes area. Ototeman means 'he is of my clan' and refers
to the creature believed to be a tribe’s ancestor or guardian." |