Date2024
MediumWood
Dimensions65 x 11 in. (165.1 x 27.9 cm)
Donor credit lineODHS Purchase
Object number2026.11
DescriptionJonathan James-Perry (Aquinnah Wampanoag), Nuneekônâwhucheek, Nutuyunooak, Nupumeehchâwôkanak, 2024. White Ash (Fraxinus americana); Length: 64” x 11”. Courtesy of the artist.The wutahôk, the paddle, is made from a white ash tree that was dying and cut to stop the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer, an invasive pest. Carving the paddle from dying wood also helped to give it new life. This transformation is akin to the transformation that our people have undergone. Like the ash paddle, our communities have damage and trauma caused by invasion, war, enslavement, land loss and grief—we have pieces missing, but with careful attention, and support from the community, healing can occur and the missing elements can be reformed to allow true movement. The three stylized figures cut from the center of the wutahôk represent our ancestors, our present selves, and our future generations. The openings in the paddle would not allow the user to successfully motivate a vessel. This symbology is akin to the current state of Native People in the United States, and the lack of access to all elements that bring self-empowerment, such as material wealth, governmental control, land holdings, and even spiritual health. While the figures stand in stark contrast to the sturdy form of the durable, delicate grain of the ash wood, the outer structure of the paddle is undamaged showing that integrity has been maintained through the trauma. The intent of this piece is to show that with guidance of our ancestors and the hope of our future generations, our current communities will regain that power our people once held for so many thousands of years.
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