The story behind the style: a look at Native American culture through fashion

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The
Story
Behind
the
Style:

A
look
at
Native
American
culture
through
fashion

By

Erin
Germain

A
Thesis
Presented
to
the

Faculty
of
the
USC
Graduate
School

University
of
Southern
California

In
Partial
Fulfillment
of
the

Requirements
for
the
Degree
Master
of
Arts

(Specialized
Journalism)

December
2016

Copyright
2016

Erin
Germain

Acknowledgements

Thank
you
to
everyone
who
shared
their
work
with
me
and
allowed
me
to

film
with
them
Karen
Kramer,
The
Peabody
Essex
Museum,
Jamie
Okuma,
Maya

Stewart,
Sydney
Alfonso
and
Chelsea
Chee.

A
very
special
thank
you
to
Dan
Birman,
Willow
Bay,
Alison
Trope
and
Erna

Smith
for
all
of
your
help
and
guidance
in
bringing
this
idea
to
fruition.

i

Abstract

This
thesis
takes
the
form
of
a
short
documentary
that
explores
how
culture

and
history
influence
fashion.
I
first
became
interested
in
this
topic
when
I
was

traveling
in
South
America.
When
I
returned
home
I
noticed
that
some
of
the
designs

I
had
become
familiar
with
while
traveling
were
showing
up
in
popular
fashion

magazines.
Having
first
seen
them
in
their
cultural
context
I
knew
that
there
were

hundreds
of
years
of
stories
and
culture
behind
the
designs.

As
someone
who’s

always
been
interested
in
culture
and
history
as
well
as
fashion
I
wanted
to
know

what
more
could
be
learned
from
an
item
of
clothing.
What
other
symbols
and

meaning
were
hidden
inside
the
pages
of
the
magazines
that
I
was
reading
or
the

stores
I
was
shopping
in?

While
the
inspiration
for
the
idea
came
from
international
travel,
I
decided
to

look
closer
to
home
when
thinking
about
how
to
execute
on
the
larger
idea
of

culture
and
fashion.
The
decision
to
focus
on
Native
American
fashion
was
a
natural

fit
for
two
reasons.
The
first,
Native
American
history
goes
back
to
the
very

beginning
of
America,
so
in
looking
at
how
to
tell
American
history
through
fashion

seemed
a
good
first
step.
The
second
reason,
Native
American-‐inspired
design
is
a

current
trend
that
regularly
shows
up
on
fashion
runways
and
in
fashion
magazines.

I
chose
a
documentary
because
I
felt
it
was
important
to
tell
this
story

through
a
visual
medium.
I
also
felt
that
it
was
important
to
hear
this
story

exclusively
through
the
voices
of
the
people
who
are
creating
this
fashion
based
on

ii

their
own
culture
and
upbringing.
I
felt
that
film
offered
an
opportunity
to
do
both
of

these
things
that
a
text
article
would
have
had
difficulty
capturing
from
the
voice
of

the
artist.

In
a
lot
of
my
early
research
on
the
topic
of
Native
American
fashion
most

articles
were
focused
exclusively
on
appropriation.

Knowing
this,
I
knew
that
it

would
be
an
important
topic
to
touch
on
in
the
film,
however
I
knew
I
didn’t
want

the
film
to
become
exclusively
about
appropriation.
Instead
I
wanted
to
focus
on

independent
designers
using
their
own
experiences
and
background
to
influence

their
designs.

I
identified
a
few
designers
I
was
interested
in
filming
with,
but
it
was
really

when
I
discovered
the
Native
Fashion
Now
exhibit
at
the
Peabody
Essex
Museum

that
things
really
started
to
come
together.
Native
Fashion
Now
was
an
exhibit

entirely
devoted
to
living
Native
American
fashion
designers.
In
addition
to
being
a

great
resource
for
designers,
the
curator
of
this
exhibit,
Karen
Kramer
became
a

valuable
resource
both
on
and
off
camera
for
this
project.
Off
camera
she
helped

connect
me
with
two
of
the
designers
in
the
film.
On
camera
she
became
the
voice

that
helped
tell
the
bigger
story
and
provided
valuable
context
for
both
the

importance
of
Native
American
design
in
the
fashion
world
and
the
importance
of
it

within
the
Native
American
community.

In
addition
to
the
interview
with
Karen
Kramer
I
also
interviewed
two

designers,
Jamie
Okuma
and
Maya
Stewart.
I
chose
these
two
designers
for
very

specific
reasons.
Okuma
specializes
in
creating
one
of
a
kind
couture
fashion
and

iii

calls
herself
a
Fashion
Artists,
rather
than
a
Fashion
Designer.

Native
American

influence
is
clearly
represented
in
her
designs.
She
is
also
highly
accomplished.
Her

work
has
been
featured
in
both
the
Metropolitan
Museum
of
Art
and
in
at
the

Peabody
Essex
Museum.

The
second
designer,
Maya
Stewart,
is
a
relatively
new
designer
who

specializes
in
handbags
and
accessories.
Her
handbags
have
a
very
modern
and

architectural
element
to
them.
Seeing
one
in
a
boutique
or
magazine
wouldn’t

obviously
reveal
the
ties
to
Native
American
designs.
However,
in
talking
to
her
she

was
very
inspired
by
her
culture.
She
grew
up
in
Washington,
Oklahoma
watching

her
grandmother
and
mother
quilt
using
the
Seminole
patchwork
technique.
She’s

now
translated
that
technique
into
a
very
modern
collection
of
handbags.

Most
of
my
research
on
this
topic
took
place
during
the
initial
phase
of

selecting
the
interviewees.
Once
that
was
decided
I
wanted
each
of
them
to
tell
me

more
about
their
process
and
educate
me
on
their
world
and
specialty.
Through

these
interviews
and
conversations
I
also
learned
that
the
Santa
Fe
Indian
Market
is

really
the
center
of
the
Native
American
fashion
industry.
This
also
became
a
central

part
to
the
story
and
helps
give
an
understanding
of
both
the
scope
of
the
Native

American
fashion
industry
as
well
as
its
importance
in
the
Native
American

community.

The
end
result
is
a
12-‐minute
documentary
that
tells
the
story
of
Native

American
fashion
through
a
museum
exhibit,
independent
designers
and
culminates

with
a
fashion
show
and
art
market
that
ties
it
all
together.

iv

Table
of
Contents

Acknowledgements

i

Abstract

ii

Transcript

1

Summary

7

Bibliography

10

Transcript

00:00:00
ANNOUNCER:
So
welcome
to
SWAI
2016.
The
official
Santa
Fe
SWAI
Indian

Market
Fashion
Show.

00:00:22
JAMIE
OKUMA:
Clothing
since
the
beginning
of
time
has
been
a
really
really

important
part
of
life.
It
defines
who
you
are
and
who
you
want
to
present
yourself

to
the
world.

00:00:43
JAMIE
OKUMA:
Santa
Fe
Indian
Market
is
the
end
all
be
all
for
a
Native

artist.
It
is
the
most
prestigious
Native
art
show.

00:00:59
KAREN
KRAMER:
Native
Fashion
is
it’s
own
entity
within
the
fashion
world

because
there
is
so
much
cultural
identity
embedded
in
the
garments
and
the

accessories.
And
that’s
what
makes
Native
Fashion
so
special.

00:01:20
JAMIE
OKUMA:
There
are
so
many
different
facets
to
what
I
do.
I
guess
it’s

Native
inspired
art
and
clothing.

00:01:32
GRAPHIC:
The
Story
Behind
the
Style:
A
look
at
Native
American
Culture

through
fashion.

00:01:39
GRAPHIC:
Jamie
Okuma,
Fashion
Artist,
Luiseno/Shoshone
Bannock

00:01:47
JAMIE
OKUMA:
It’s
just
like
going
to
be
full
mesh
with
a
with
these

handmade
flowers
put
throughout
just
randomly
wherever.

00:02:01
JAMIE
OKUMA:
To
the
naked
eye.
Someone
who
has
no
idea
who
I
am.
Or

what
I
am.
You
can
see
the
Native
influences.

00:02:15
JAMIE
OKUMA:
I
take
after
as
far
as
artwork
my
grandmothers
side
a
lot,

1

which
is
the
Shoshone
Bannocks
from
Idaho.
It’s
kind
of
known
as
the
Plateau
Great

Basin
area
of
the
country.
There
is
a
lot
of
beadwork.
A
lot
of
floral
work.
And
so
you

can
see
that
reflected
in
my
designs.

00:02:44
JAMIE
OKUMA:
I
was
five
years
old
my
very
first
time
dancing
at
the

Shoban
Indian
Festival
in
Ft.
Hall
Idaho
where
my
Grandmother
is
from.
I
went
out

without
anything.
Just
a
pair
of
moccasins
and
being
up
close
and
personal
with
all

the
outfits,
obviously
it
did
something
because
here
I
am
beading
after
oh
my
gosh

many
many
years.

It
was
just
one
of
those
things.
It’s
just
captured
me
since
I
was

five
years
old.

00:03:17
JAMIE
OKUMA:
There’s
four
different
Elk
on
them
right
now.
I
think
I
might

put
birds
in
the
sky
and
flowers
on
the
bottom.
I
don’t
know.
Time
is
kind
of
going
to

dictate
that.

00:03:40
JAMIE
OKUMA:
Well
the
Northern
Plains
people
elk
teeth
are
very
very

important
to
them.
One
because
out
of
the
elk
you
only
use
two,
the
eye
teeth,
the

ivory
teeth.

There
are
a
few
meanings
to
different
tribes.
Fertility,
femininity
and

wealth.
That’s
funny
because,
everything
that
I
do.
That’s
so
weird.
I
guess
maybe

that’s
maybe
why
I
like
the
things
that
I
like,
high
end
things.
Even
back
then
you

show
your
wealth
with
your
elk
teeth.
You
had
to
have
a
very
skilled
hunter
in

your

family.
And
so
with
the
animal
it’s
always
been
something
important
to
me
that
I

liked.
And
so
here
they
are
on
my
boots.

00:04:28
JAMIE
OKUMA:
And
with
my
shoes
I
like
to
say
that
they
are
my
self

2

portraits.
I
love
high
fashion.
I
love
my
culture
and
traditional
work
and
that’s
all

there.

00:04:22
KAREN
KRAMER:
Jamie
Okuma
is
a
really
incredible
fashion
designer
and

bead
worker.
She
is
someone
who
is
very
much
inspired
by
her
cultural
background.

Who,
who’s
work
is
in
two
different
sections
of
the
Native
Fashion
Now
project.

00:04:44
LOWER
THIRD:
Karen
Kramer,
Curator,
Native
Fashion
Now,
Peabody

Essex
Museum

00:05:05
KAREN
KRAMER:
Native
Fashion
Now
is
comprised
of
approximately
100

garments
and
accessories
from
emerging
and
established
Native
American
fashion

designers
and
artists.
It’s
the
first
exhibition
of
its
kind
to
recognize
Native
fashion

designers
and
artists
who
are
working
today.
It
really
takes
on
the
ideas
of
what

people
think
Native
fashion
is
and
unpacks
them
dismantles
them,
reassembles

them
and
serves
up
a
really
wonderful
array
of

surprising
garments
and
accessories

from
the
perspective
of
native
fashion
designers
themselves.
But
it’s
also
coming
at

a
time
when
cultural
appropriation
is
such
a
hot
topic
in
the
news.
And
so
to
be
able

to
help
people
understand
the
complexities
and
the
political
histories
has
been

really
rewarding.

00:06:13
KAREN
KRAMER:
Appropriation
in
the
fashion
industry
generally
speaking

has
to
do
with
a
designer
borrowing
from
a
particular
community.
Often
a
cultural

community
without
their
consent.
It
isn’t
necessarily
always
a
negative
thing.
I
think

fashion
designers
have
been
borrowing
from
sources
outside
of
themselves
since

time
in
memorial.
I
think
that’s
what
creative
people
do.
They
are
inspired
by
the

3

world
around
them.
So
that
unto
itself
isn’t
problematic.
When
we’re
talking
about

native
fashion
it
becomes
problematic
because
often
times
designers
will
borrow

from
Native
artists
without
their
consent
and
sometimes
they
are
taking
very

specific
family
owned
designs
and
symbols.

00:07:05
GRAPHIC:
Chelsea
Chee,
Fashion
Blogger

CHELSEA
CHEE:
For
Navajo
a
lot
of
the
designs
that
we
create
are
part
of
our

identity
that
may
not
be
understood
by
everybody
and
so
that’s
one
thing
that
I
feel

like
could
be
respected
a
little
bit
more.
Especially,
not
only
for
Navajo
people,
but

for
other
indigenous
communities
who
have
a
lot
of
who
they
are
into
what
they

make.

00:07:28
JAMIE
OKUMA:
Native
designers
now.
As
a
non-‐native
you
have
the
option

to
buy
something
authentic,
which
um
I
think
is
really
cool.
A
lot
of
designers
non-‐
natives
taking
and
using
Native
design
don’t
do
it
very
well.
And
that’s
okay
if
that’s

what
you
want.
Who
am
I
to
tell
you
not
to
buy
it.
But
you
can
get
authentic
stuff

nowadays.

00:07:58
GRAPHIC:
Every
year
more
than
1,200
Native
American
artists
gather
in

New
Mexico
to
sell
their
products
at
the
Santa
Fe
Indian
Market.

00:08:11
JAMIE
OKUMA:
Santa
Fe
Indian
Market
is
the
be
all
end
all
for
a
Native

artist.
It
is
the
most
prestigious
Native
art
show
and
it
takes
place
in
August
and
it

has
become
just
more
than
just
an
art
show.
They
have
fashion
and
a
contemporary

art
show
now
going
on
at
the
same
time.
So
its
really
something
to
see.

00:08:37
GRAPHIC:
Maya
Stewart,
Handbag
&
Accessories
Designer,
Chickasaw,

4

Creek
and
Choctaw

00:08:41
MAYA
STEWART:
This
is
the
second
year
that
I
have
had
a
booth
at
Santa
Fe

Indian
Market.

How
Are
You.
Good.

My
culture
is
really
important
to
me
in
my
designs
and
everything
that
I
do.
I
am

Chickasaw,
Creek
and
Choctaw.
I
grew
up
in
Washington
Oklahoma
in
a
very

creative
family.
My
grandmother
I
remember
all
of
her
patchwork
quilts.
And
my

mom
and
my
aunts
they
were
designers.

00:09:14
MAYA
STEWART:
One
of
my
favorites
is
the
wind
pattern.

CUSTOMER:
Which
one
is
that?

MAYA
STEWART:
It’s
this.

00:09:21
MAYA
STEWART:
It
comes
from
the
Seminole
tribe.
They
would
use
their

small
pieces
of
material
to
try
to
create
designs.

I
believe
I
do
get
customers
who
are
interested
in
my
culture,
my
heritage,
my

background.
But
I
also
get
customers
who
are
just
interested
in
a
great
modern
bag.

00:09:55
JAMIE
OKUMA:
Today
is
the
Santa
Fe
Indian
Market
Fashion
Show
and
I

have
eight
pieces
to
show.

00:10:00
ANNOUNCER:
And
we
will
be
finishing
the
runway
with
Jamie
Okuma.

00:10:10
JAMIE
OKUMA:
What
I
ended
up
doing
is,
very
contemporary
powwow

dress.

00:10:25
JAMIE
OKUMA:
The,
a
lot
of
the
northern
outfits
have
really
taken
to
the

5

ribbon
work
of
the
skirts
and
dresses
and
so
I
wanted
to
bring
that
into
a
more

modern
dress.
And
so
what
you
see
is
a
lot
of
the
hand
done
silk
ribbon
pieced

together
into
fabric
and
cut
out
into
new
style
and
cut
out
for
modern
wear.

00:10:57
JAMIE
OKUMA:
And
so
the
one
very
special
signature
piece
to
me
is
my

finale
piece.
And
it
kind
of
came
together
after
I
asked
Naomi
Bebo
to
model
for
me.

She
is
Ho-‐Chunk
and
I
believe
Menominee.
And
so
when
I
thought
about
asking
her

to
do
this
I
remembered
I
had
ribbon
work,
which
is
what
her
tribes
use
in
their

outfits.
And
I
had
this
other
piece
of
beadwork
that
was
from
my
outfit
and
I
thought

it
would
be
so
appropriate
if
my
model
had
actual
ties
to
what
I
was
designing
and

so
it
all
came
together.

And
so
she
was
wearing
a
very
contemporary
piece
with
a

mixture
of
different
tribes
in
it.
So
it
was
really
quite
appropriate
and
I
think
she

looked
amazing.

00:11:45
JAMIE
OKUMA:
And
everyone
liked
it.
Which
was
a
bonus.

00:11:55
KAREN
KRAMER:
Clothing
really
has
the
capacity
to
tell
very
specific

stories.
And
while
you
could
say
that
about
all
kinds
of
designers
I
think
the
fact
that

the
Native
designers
are
rooted
in
their
cultural
heritage
and
it
really
informs
what

they
create.
That
is
what
makes
Native
fashion
so
exciting.

00:12:18
JAMIE
OKUMA:
What
makes
life
beautiful
and
other
cultures
beautiful
is

just
this
distinctive
design
that
you
have.

6

Summary

Thesis
Film:
https://vimeo.com/182125648

Password:
style

My
goal
for
this
thesis
was
really
very
simple,
to
learn
about
culture
through

fashion.

Through
my
research
and
filming
for
this
documentary
I
realize
that
I’ve

only
begun
to
scratch
the
surface
of
this
topic.
From
the
more
than
100
designers

who
were
featured
in
the
Native
Fashion
Now
exhibit
to
the
1,200
artisans
that

exhibit
at
the
Santa
Fe
Indian
Market
there
are
many
more
Native
American
artists

using
their
culture
to
influence
their
art
than
I
was
able
to
feature.
Additionally,

there
are
more
than
500
Native
American
tribes
in
the
United
States
today.
Each
of

these
tribes
have
different
stories
and
symbols
that
are
important.

Through
my
interviews
with
the
designers
I
learned
that
in
addition
to

having
different
visual
interpretations
of
their
culture
they
also
find
inspiration
in

different
ways.

In
filming
with
Jamie
Okuma
I
learned
that
a
lot
of
her
inspiration
comes

from
her
grandmother’s
tribe,
the
Shoshone
Bannock’s
from
Fort
Hall,
ID.
She
finds

inspiration
from
nature
through
animals
and
floral
patterns.

Beadwork
is
also
very

important
to
Jamie.
While
her
culture
comes
across
very
clearly
in
her
finished

product,
it
doesn’t
factor
into
her
process.
She
considers
herself
a
fashion
artist
and

really
lets
things
come
to
her.
From
a
young
age
she
also
had
an
interest
in
high-‐end

fashion
and
couture.
She
admittedly
had
a
hard
time
thinking
about
how
her
culture

and
upbringing
influence
her
work,
however
during
the
interview
when
she
was

7

explaining
the
significance
of
elk
in
her
culture
she
realized
that
the
cultural

significance
of
elk
and
wealth
had
a
direct
connection.
This
was
an
excited
moment

to
be
able
to
capture
on
film
and
really
exemplifies
why
documentary
was
such
an

important
medium
for
this
story.

While
filming
with
Maya
Stewart,
I
observed
that
her
process
is
almost
the

reverse
of
Okuma’s.
She
thinks
a
lot
about
her
culture
and
their
influence
in
what

she
designs;
yet
the
execution
of
it
is
a
more
subtle
effect.

She
also
gets
a
lot
of
her

inspiration
from
her
grandmother
and
her
mother
and
the
quilts
that
she
grew
up

around.
I
had
originally
planned
to
film
Stewart
in
her
studio
creating
her
handbags,

however
due
to
scheduling
I
was
only
able
to
film
with
her
at
the
Santa
Fe
Indian

Market.
This
proved
to
be
a
challenging
environment
to
film
in,
however
being
able

to
see
her
interact
with
her
customers
and
explain
to
them
the
inspiration
behind

the
handbags
showed
how
her
culture
translates
to
her
customers.
Filming
in
this

environment
also
allowed
me
the
opportunity
to
show
the
importance
of
the
Santa

Fe
Indian
Market
to
Native
designers.

A
common
theme
that
came
up
in
my
research
and
interviews
was
how

prevalent
cultural
appropriation
is
for
Native
American
symbols
and
designs
in

mainstream
fashion.
This
is
a
very
complex
issue
that
not
everyone
in
the

community
sees
eye
to
eye
on.
I
am
happy
that
I
was
able
to
touch
on
this
issue
and

provide
some
context
in
it
in
the
documentary,
but
more
importantly
I
hope
that

this
film
provides
people
with
more
information
to
help
educate
them
on
the
topic.

8

While
someone
might
see
an
article
or
headline
stating
that
appropriation
is
a

negative
thing
there
is
not
a
lot
of
content
out
there
that
explains
the
history
and
the

stories
behind
the
designs
to
educate
consumers
on
why
that
is
important.

To
me
that
is
what
this
project
and
by
extension,
this
film
is
about.
As
a

result,
this
project
sheds
some
light
on
the
stories
that
go
into
design
and
what
we

can
all
learn
from
them.

By
focusing
on
the
stories
I
hope
to
have
provided
context
to
the
debate
and

educate
viewers
on
where
the
designs
come
from
and
why
they
are
culturally

important.
I
also
hope
that
this
film
can
spur
interesting
conversations
about
the

topic
and
inspires
people
to
look
for
the
stories
and
meaning
behind
their
favorite

clothing
items
and
trends.

9

Bibliography

Interview
with
Karen
Kramer,
Peabody
Essex
Museum,
April
25,
2016

Interview
with
Jamie
Okuma,
May
23,
2016

Interview
with
Sydney
Alfonso,
June
6,
2016

Santa
Fe
Indian
Market,
August
20-‐21,
2016

Interview
with
Maya
Stewart,
August
21,
2016

10

Asset Metadata

Creator Germain, Erin (author)

Core Title The story behind the style: a look at Native American culture through fashion

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

School Annenberg School for Communication

Degree Master of Arts

Degree Program Specialized Journalism

Publication Date 12/14/2016

Defense Date 09/02/2016

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag culture,Fashion,Jamie Okuma,Karen Kramer,Maya Stewart,Native American,OAI-PMH Harvest,Peabody Essex Museum,Santa Fe Indian Market,story,style

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Advisor Birman, Dan (committee chair), Bay, Willow (committee member), Trope, Alison (committee member)

Creator Email egermain@usc.edu,eringermain@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c40-325130

Unique identifier UC11214800

Identifier etd-GermainEri-4967.pdf (filename),usctheses-c40-325130 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-GermainEri-4967.pdf

Dmrecord 325130

Document Type Thesis

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Germain, Erin

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA

Abstract (if available)

Abstract This thesis takes the form of a short documentary that explores how culture and history influence fashion. I first became interested in this topic when I was traveling in South America. When I returned home I noticed that some of the designs I had become familiar with while traveling were showing up in popular fashion magazines. Having first seen them in their cultural context I knew that there were hundreds of years of stories and culture behind the designs. As someone who’s always been interested in culture and history as well as fashion I wanted to know what more could be learned from an item of clothing. What other symbols and meaning were hidden inside the pages of the magazines that I was reading or the stores I was shopping in? While the inspiration for the idea came from international travel, I decided to look closer to home when thinking about how to execute on the larger idea of culture and fashion. Specifically, this documentary focuses on Native American fashion designers and looks at how a few of them are using their culture and history as inspiration for modern fashion.